September 2008 Blog Posts (9)

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Visiting Thailand? Come to practice, teach, and help prisoner meditators while you're here!

Anyone who is coming to Thailand for a vacation should get in touch with me. I live in Bangkok, and am visiting Prisoners inside the Bangkwang Central Prison here. There's a group of practitioners who are meeting and practicing together inside, and they'd like to be visited. We just don't have enough experienced practitioners here to go meet them all. So, if you're going to be here anyway for a vacation, or otherwise, why not turn it into an opportunity to make some merit as well? We also have… Continue

Added by Jamie Reinhardt on September 29, 2008 at 8:18pm — 2 Comments

Fighting for the Rights of Voters Behind Bars





A coalition of concerned citizens in Alabama is shaking up the GOP with their goal of registering voters in the most unlikely of places - state prisons. A voter registration drive led last week by Rev. Kenny Glasgow, began registering prisoners to vote, a right guaranteed under Alabama's State Constitution, so they could cast absentee ballots. Click here to read more:… Continue

Added by Carter (PDN Admin) on September 24, 2008 at 10:21pm — No Comments

States Restore Voting Rights for Ex-Convicts

from the New York Times



Felony disenfranchisement — often a holdover from exclusionary Jim Crow-era laws like poll taxes and ballot box literacy tests — affects about 5.3 million former and current felons in the United States, according to voting rights groups. But voter registration and advocacy groups say that recent overhauls of these Reconstruction-era laws have loosened enough in some states to make it worth the time to lobby statehouses for more liberal voting… Continue

Added by Kate Crisp (PDN Director) on September 23, 2008 at 9:08am — No Comments

Upaya Zen Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy Program

Upaya Zen Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy Program:

A Visionary Program For Our Imperiled World





Santa Fe, New Mexico—The Upaya Buddhist Chaplaincy Training is a comprehensive two-year certificate program for a new kind of chaplaincy intended to serve individuals, communities, the environment and the world. The program, launched in 2008, is now accepting applications for 2009.







The Upaya Chaplaincy Program is open to those who wish to serve as lay… Continue

Added by Kate Crisp (PDN Director) on September 18, 2008 at 12:29pm — No Comments

Heartwarming and Inspirational letter from a prisoner in TX

(Picture compliments of inmate Steven P of CA - letter from J in TX)



Greetings!

I am a disabled prisoner serving two life sentences in Texas. I found your address in the back of (a) book... There is no library here at this prison medical unit but the Protestant Christian Chaplain brought in one large book rack plus one rolling book cart...I was fortunate to find Pema Chodron's book! I began reading and studying Buddhist literature a… Continue

Added by Carter (PDN Admin) on September 17, 2008 at 12:30pm — No Comments

GOGI on MTVs "G's to Gents"

Coach Taylor was brought onto MTV's G's to Gents show to work with Kesan and his anger management issues.



"Kesan is not that different from many people who get into the habit of what I call Auto Pilot Reaction. He goes zero to sixty in a nanosecond with no one at the wheel. My work with Kesan is teaching him to be the BOSS OF HIS BRAIN. It has helped him see how powerful he is when he slows down and makes smart decisions rather than reacting with a fist. He, like every other angry… Continue

Added by Getting Out By Going In on September 15, 2008 at 4:38pm — 1 Comment

Pen Pal Gratitude Poem

(artwork compliments of an inmate in MI)



Posted with permission from James: a inmate in AL:



The letter you sent me

Filled me with aspiration

Your words lifted me up

With real inspiration

You inspired me to look

Deeper into my soul

To see that life is much better

With the Dharma as my goal

I'm just a beginner

In the Buddhism way

I'm going to do my best

As I live out each… Continue

Added by Carter (PDN Admin) on September 8, 2008 at 4:04pm — No Comments

Another great trip!!!

This weekend I was blessed to attend teachings by the wonderful Ven.Robina Courtin.In a style like only Robina can do ,she taught with skillful means ,to the mostly Western audience.It was quite a contrast in the teaching style experienced with Lama Zopa Rinpoche ,but no less valuable.I find great inspiration from Ven.Robina ,who was kind enough to visit me several times during my incarceration.The work she does is of great importance.Liberation Prison Project did in fact furnish me with the… Continue

Added by mark jones on September 5, 2008 at 9:53am — 1 Comment

Denise Thornton: Dharma of Cancer

Denise Thornton is the life partner of PDN founder Fleet Maull. She is currently in the final stages of her journey with cancer and we expect her passing to occur this week. Posted below is an inspiring article that Denise wrote for Elephant Magazine. (Note: Denise died peacefully on Wed. Sept. 3 at 3:30pm)



"Do not pursue the… Continue

Added by Kate Crisp (PDN Director) on September 2, 2008 at 3:00pm — 2 Comments

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