I know that one of the ways many teachers teach a second language is with music. And since the principles in Buddhism are often as foreign as a new language I make Buddhist hip hop to help introduce some of the basics. Please download and share with anyone who might benefit from listening.

 

A Cultivator by Skillful…

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Yesterday afternoon I had a moment between meetings - my mind drifted back to working on my profile for Prison Dharma Network. Specifically, I thought about the books that I had put in my profile.  A funny quote swished pasted my minds eye:

"Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall…

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I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and a little bit on good edge, you know good edge? Charged and ready for the day, I will call it a happiness. Well, I thought I was ready for the day. By the time my feet hit the floor beside my bed and I reached to turn off the radio (waking to WETA Classical), the moment of what I felt of happiness had dissolved, vanished right from under my sense of well being. What followed was an immediate sense of tension and fear around the things that I want to… Continue

I'm new to the community, wondering if there's a dharma presence at San Quentin.

A small Sangha has started in one of the dorms at California Institution for Men at Chino. Needless to say, their practice is challenging in the dorm. It is noisy and there is no place to meet in privacy. They are petitioning to get Buddhist Services recognized and gain Chapel time. This will also allow men from the other 7 dorms on their yard to participate and help the Sangha grow.

 

They need an outside Sponsor to help get the program going. If anyone  reading this lives in… Continue

"No bars. No walls. No armed guards. The prison island of Bastøy in Norway is filled with some of the country's most hardened criminals. Yet it emphasizes self-control instead of the strictly regulated regimens common in most prisons. " 

 

Here's a link to the article in Der Spiegel about Norways' Bastoy Prison: …

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Wandering Dharma punk: me and my mastiff puppy named Dharma are hitch hiking west from knoxville. rides, camping gear and floor space to sleep on could be used for sure, give me a message on here or call me at 515-770-3224

Prisoners, how should we support you?



By Chris Dowling

After Gov. Jan Brewer announced her budget proposal, 120 businesses and community leaders gathered in Tucson at an event organized by the Southern Arizona Leadership Council. Titled the “State of OUR State,” it spot lighted a report on Arizona’s budget crisis researched by Brookings Mountain West at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University.…

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Please take a look at the great work that's being done in NYC by The Lineage Project with at-risk and incarcerated youth in New York City.  The link is to an entire page, so you may have to scroll down to find the article.

Lineage Project in Yoga CIty

Once the domain of New Agers and suburban moms, yoga has become firmly planted in Baltimore's inner city, and now researchers believe the ancient…

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