From Pema:

"I have been honored to serve as a spiritual advisor to the Prison Dharma Network since its founding and fully endorse the work they continue to accomplish.  Through my own experience with prisoners, I have directly witnessed the transformative potential of prison meditation programs.  Please support Prison Dharma Network in any way you can.   Acharya Pema Chodron

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For the past 3 months, Padma Rigdzin Ling Buddhist Center in Reno, NV has been sponsoring our project of spreading the Dharma in two main prisons of the state of Nevada, USA.

Ven. Lama Jigme Rinpoche, who is a very unique Master of the Longchen Nyinthik Lineage of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism has been training two groups of inmates into the deep philosophy of Buddhism. Rinpoche has given the transmissions of mantras and of Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels, as an initial…

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I admit it--I'm a Ted Talks junky. I think this one's a worthy watch:

 

A "dharma" talk by social work research professor Brene Brown? I find this a funny and inspiring talk in which Brown decides to study Connection and in the process discovers Wholeheartedness and Vulnerability. We study, train, aspire to this wholeheartedness in our buddhist practice--one of my teachers has a mantra that goes like this: "Meet whatever comes with an open heart." 

 

Brown poses…

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Dear PDN Members and Friends,

We are in the final weeks of our 2010 Year End fundraising campaign.  You may have received one of our fundraising appeals and be considering whether or how much to invest in our mission and work of transforming society one life at a time through the power of meditation and the Dharma.  Please make a generous donation at this time and help us assure that every prisoner and prisoner worker has access to the best mindfulness-based programs…

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The Wasteland of Prisoners



Chris Dowling



In my middle years I am sometimes reminded of a favorite past time from my early years. As a grade school girl I played with the cut out dolls from my mother’s magazine. Carefully snipping the one dimensional paper figures from the page to trot them around… Continue

Pioneering researcher and "queen of the forest canopy" Nalini Nadkarni shows host Majora Carter the wonders of the Olympic rain forest — from the treetops! And the two visit a correctional facility where Nalini’s innovative Moss Project employs a team of prisoners turned…

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The statistics are grim, but the reality behind those numbers is even grimmer for the many young people locked up in US adult prisons. Since publishing I Don’t Wish Nobody to Have a Life Like Mine: Tales of Kids in Adult Lockup, about my years teaching in a New York county jail, I spend a lot of time writing, talking and hearing from families, professionals, and the young people themselves about the failures of our child welfare and criminal justice…

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Dear PDN Members and Friends,

We are in the final weeks of our 2010 Year End fundraising campaign during which we need to raise a very large percent of our budget for

2011. Please make a generous donation at this time and invest in our work of transforming society one life at a time through the power of meditation and the Dharma. We reach tens of thousands of prisoners, prison…

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I've been depressed longer than I've been meditating. Meditation was suggested for me as a practice to handle the depression, actually; and for the most part, I think it's been one of the better tools.I was just writing a letter to my school's administration, to ask for extra time to take my exams. Over the past several months the anti-depressant I've been on has been slowly wearing off. This has meant attempts to switch to other medications, and to supplement other ones in, too. I wrote to the… Continue