Lay Buddhist In Prison

ThailandTom

This is just one of those thoughts that sprung up to mind whilst going to sleep last night for some or other.
If a lay buddhist, a strict lay buddhist at that got locked up either as they did something against the law or hsd been found guilty when totally innocent, how would they conduct themselves.

It is known, well I lived for over a year with a guy who spent 9 years in prison, actually turned out to be the best flatmate ever, but he did tell me some things of prison life, and you just need to watch documentaries on america's prisons to see you need to prove yourself, you need to life a certain way to stay alive. Prison has it's own set of unwritten laws and codes.

If you sat in your cell meditating a lot, the vast majority would use this as a weakness and pick on you, see you as weird and you would most likely encounter fights aand so forth.

If it was you that ended up inside prison, what would you do?

Cloud

No real responsibility, free food and lodging and what-not, hmm. That would probably be a better place to practice than the way I live right now!

genkaku

Probably the 'best' formal practice center I ever visited was at a maximum-security prison in upstate New York. With bars on the windows, twenty or so inmates practiced zazen or seated meditation together with a make-shift altar and too much incense. Everyone had those enormous defensive biceps that prisoners often do. Down below the room where we were practicing, the Christians were busy belting out hymns. It was a place for powerful practice.

On somewhat the same topic, here is a book about the practice of Buddhism (primarily Zen) in prisons: http://www.openbuddha.com/2010/05/06/reprint-of-prison-chaplaincy-guidelines-for-zen-buddhism-available/

ThailandTom

Okay, you can take examples from certain prisons, but there are prisons that if you enter and appear weak in the sense of physical strength, keep to yourself and do not follow the code of that prison, you are in for some serious sh**.

I am surprised to see that there are prisons that are heavily religion orientated, and glad at that, but I am referring to prisons thats you have to do certain things to get by if you will.

Hubris

All prisons have a pecking order,if you will. It's just the natural order of things, however it's just more noticeable in a more insular situation.

Like the Buddhists who engage in violence to protect themselves, much less their monasteries it's a survival tactic for sure, and no one says you have to kill someone to protect yourself - though sometimes it may be necessary.

I do not think someone would find fault in such a situation, and if they do they are judging unreasonably, because it was not them in that situation, feeling those feelings or taking the actions ensuring survival.

My thoughts are that most people have no idea what they are actually capable of until they are faced with a true threat to their life. Buddhists are most likely not in precept mode when they are staring down a knife at their throat. The will to live is extremely strong, and not entirely reasonable when acting under the influence of adrenaline.

Sort of off topic, however there is a movie called Dhamma Brothers about a group of inmates who undertook Buddhist training. I rather enjoyed it as a look at the effects that practice can have on people in even the harshest environs.

Additionally, many sanghas have prison outreach programs for prisoners who either are Buddhist, or wish to become so. Very admirable, since I think I would be afraid to go into a prison even to share dharma, because I am small in stature (5'4"), and non-violent...or particularly capable of defending myself.

ThailandTom

These are the kind of prisons I am talking about, places where people are on death row (people have actually had their sentenced reducee From death to life sentences) or where their are gangs and if you do not join one you are basically in a heap of trouble, join a gang and you have to do what they say, but it would have it's benefits within that society to be in a gang.

This link is of a prison which is for 18-25 year olds where they get the chance to correct themselves instead of a sentence in an adult full scale prison. Look at thomas boggs, see how he deals with things....

Hubris

The moral of the story is to survive, as best you can, and as peacefully as possible. Sometimes that may mean the path of least resistance. What's right for others in the rest of the world no longer applies in prisons, as it's a whole other universe.

Prison may be loosely likened to karma, in the sense of cause and effect. Prison is not a lifestyle, it's a CHOICE for most who are there. It's designed to be a punishing environment, enough so that it gives people who might otherwise do harm pause before committing an act that would put them there.

Granted our justice system has failed numerous times and convicted or even executed innocent people, since as humans we are not infallible, very few things in this world are. That too is a message.

Sadly, it is nothing but suffering all the way around, both for the victims of the crimes, and the ones who commit the crimes. However is there really a way to have a crime/punishment scenario that will alleviate it all? Probably not. So the best anyone can do is educate or enlighten inmates through education or religion to help them be a better person.

Some things just are, and it does not mean we have to feel hopeless or not have compassion, it's just that there's little else we can do about it.