by Yasmin Rammohan for Chicago Tonight, April 26, 2012

“Without tools to manage extra stress, there’s a high rate of recidivism [for inmates],” said Gabriella Savelli, National Coordinator of Prison SMART.

Prison SMART’s mission is "to make a life-transforming…

Another crisp, clear, cool, cloudless and sparkling Sunday morning at MA prison. 

Please join me for this Tricycle Online Retreat:

http://www.tinyurl.com/7lk9ub4 starting Monday 4/30.

We'll explore the possibility of social transformation grounded in the recognition of the basic goodness of human society. I think the Occupy Movment is very much about goodness. Occupy is basically saying that our political systems are failing us. We all get up everyday and do our best to take care of ourselves, each other,…

I have been reading DEEP & Simple, Bo Lozoff, as when I visited a prison Chaplain last January, I had my eye on some of the available books to take with us [inmates],and I asked the Chaplain to select a couple of books for me, that would aim to a Buddhist approach. He chose the very book that first caught my eye,"WE'RE ALL Doing TIME".I have been oh so glad he chose that and very glad Bo and Sita are who they have been this lifetime ..power tools for a balanced life.I have kept reading…

As many of you know, I have been taking a class at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) that explores the work of Jiddu Krishnamurti. Being CIIS, the dynamic of the class is integral. How the material integrates into our life is honored as being vital! So, my exploration of Dharma has been dancing around with my look at the works of Krishnamurti!

Buddha…

PDN Staff member Richard Sylvester represented us at a gathering that included a limited number of representatives from the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities, and was an opportunity to meet with representatives from a number of cabinet departments and agencies, including Dept of State, Dept of Homeland Security,…

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/features/inbedwithphillip/episodes/29-dead-man-walking/

Sister Helen Prejean details the logistics and the elaborate rituals employed in Angola State Prison, Louisiana, before the electrocution of prisoners. Patrick Sonnier was executed for murder on 5 April 1984, and Sister Prejean accompanied him during the last two years of his life. She describes an…

Last Sunday I participated in a day retreat at MCI MA. There were 24 participants present. It was labeled a "Theravadin retreat" but there were several Zen and Tibetan folks there as well. It was to be led by two Theravadin monks who teach at Norfolk a couple of times per month and lead quarterly retreats. However, the Theravadin monks were…

 I would like to share this experience. It was another of my “whacks on the side of the head” moments. I teach at a regional correctional facility in Bozeman Montana once a week. It houses between 75-100 inmates for up to two years. Many of the inmates have short term sentences so I may see them for a few months. Usually between 3-6 show up for the weekly detention center classes.

As I was leaving the facility and walking to my car I said to myself “hmm only one inmate today”. The…

Recently I downloaded and sampled 20 or so "Mindfulness" apps for my iPhone/iPad...here is a brief review of several that I think are stellar among the crowd.

Mindfulness Meditation from Mental Workout

No excuse for not meditating now...its right in your pocket. A modern way to learn and enjoy mindfulness meditation - and it's always there for your breaktime or outdoor practice. The 6 different-length mindfulness…

Hi Everyone,

It's been a while... I have been asked to distribute this letter, sent to President Obama, a compassionate plea for an Israeli prisoner by his daughter.  Blessings for happiness, Janna

Revital Edri

Migdal Haemek, Israel

[Address and Telephone No. deleted]…

from TheOpenPress.com, April10, 2012

(OPENPRESS) April 10, 2012 -- The Friday evening talk is preliminary to a full weekend program (Saturday and Sunday) focusing on leadership and communication training based on transformative, mindfulness-based skills and practices for managing,…

By Gwen Moran for Entreprenaur.com,  April 7, 2012

Most yoga classes aren't filled with gang members and convicted felons dropping F-bombs. But that's a typical scenario in Ascend Program classes.



Founded by defense attorneys Toni Carbone and Christine Galves, the court-approved Sacramento,…

India.com, April 8, 2012

New Delhi: Confined within the high walls of Tihar Jail, inmates of the largest prison complex in South Asia, will soon have a chance to sing or compose music in a album, `Tihar Idol`, a talent hunt organised within the jail premises for the…

By Chris Dowling 

Sunday morning at MCI MA. My entry was delayed 40 minutes because an inmate had a large gash above left eye. There was discussion among the C/Os about whether or not he was hit by another inmate or fainted and fell on his face. I asked a C/O how he was doing and he didn't reply. Later I found out from another C/O he was an elder prisoner who had a medical condition and that he did indeed faint. 

Sometimes I forget how vital spirituality is to my academic work - honestly, to all of the rest of the work I do in my life. Tonight was a good reminder. The local Shambhala Center celebrated the Parinirvana of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The performances were wonderful. The 'Feast of the Senses' left me sated!

I had to head straight to my work cubicle afterwards, but felt refreshed. I have been struggling to write apiece due April 2nd (a…