Prison Dharma

People in prison and volunteers who work in prisons reflect on how to apply the Dharma in prison settings and beyond.

All Posts in Prison Dharma

Sunrise behind mountain and clouds, with a silhouette of trees in the foreground.
On Self-Worth

Healing past relationships

An incarcerated person finds new ways to support his Dharma practice.

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By Prison Volunteers

Dharma in prison: Learning more than teaching

An interview with Dr. Fleet Maull from the Prison Mindfulness Institute about sharing the Buddha's…

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By Incarcerated People

Reentry

A newly free person continues the Dharma practice that he began while incarcerated.

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By Incarcerated People

Time, inspiration, and gratitude

Calvin is free after 27 years of incarceration. He reflects on how he met Buddhism…

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Barbed wire in a garden.
By Incarcerated People

Prison labor

Today's prisons provide few chances for rehabilitation, instead using incarcerated people for cheap labor. One…

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Silhouette of prison bars with blue sky, sun, and bird flying by.
On Love, Compassion, and Bodhicitta

Transforming adversity into bodhicitta

The difficulties of the pandemic are a special challenge for those who are incarcerated.

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Silhouette of man standing behind prison bars.
Prison Poetry

Developing bodhicitta

A man serving a life sentence transforms feelings of dread into compassion for all beings.

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Closeup of the statue of a smiling Buddha's face.
Prison Poetry

Love

Finding the value of love in searching for peace and equanimity.

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Two strands of barbed wire with blue sky in the background and sunlight.
By Incarcerated People

A fight on the yard

An incarcerated person describes the disruption caused by a fight in the prison yard.

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