In the sixties there was a common slogan and bumper sticker, "America, love it or leave it." For the two million people presently incarcerated in America's prisons, leaving is not an option. The statistics are staggering - the United States has the highest rate of imprisonment of any country in the world. The cost of holding this many people behind bars is now twenty-seven billion dollars. Some question whether the country can afford to spend so much money on lock-ups, which are now a growth industry. With more than two percent of American children having one or both parents in jail, many also wonder if the nation can afford to lay waste to so many families. Changing attitudes toward crime have resulted in laws which tend to treat youth as adults. At this time more than five thousand children are being sent to adult prisons rather than juvenile facilities.
With a new president who believes in incarceration and executions with a religious fervor, experts predict that present trends will accelerate. In a recent TV program, Michael Moore calculated, somewhat facetiously, that, if arrests continue to increase at the present rate, by 2025, three hundred million Americans will be behind bars. How long would it take, he speculated, until everybody in the US was in prison?
Most of us live our entire lives without giving prison life a second thought. Many have never even known anyone serving a sentence. For certain segments of the US population, however, prison is too much a reality, with relatives, neighbors, and friends more likely to be incarcerated than away at school. Prison populations in the US are heavily drawn from black, Hispanic, and other minority communities. Those deeply concerned with justice are troubled by the fact that although five times more whites than blacks use drugs, fully two thirds of all those jailed for drugs are black. Another minority with a growing prison representation is Asian, particularly young Indochinese refugees. There are, for example, more than 2000 Khmer (Cambodians) currently in prisons around the US.
In the bitter, angry, depressing atmosphere of prison, Buddhism can offer much needed hope and give a positive structure to life. The moral discipline of Buddhism's Five Precepts-not to kill, not to steal, not to commit sexual misconduct, not to lie, and not to use intoxicants, alcohol, or drugs-might have kept them out of trouble in the first place. That same morality can help inmates survive in the dangerous world behind prison walls. Meditation is certainly a productive way to spend one's time behind bars. Inmates who have practiced meditation attest to its power to change them. In some cases, even their fellows have commented on their increased calm, patience, and good humor. Buddhist morality and meditation may also help them to readjust successfully after they are released
Buddhist Relief Mission has been involved with Buddhist groups in several prisons for several years. These groups are not heavily Asian. They were started by US born prisoners. In previous issues of Relief Notes, we have mentioned correspondence with one group in Washington state. During the past year, we have become acquainted with other groups and prisoners, some even in Michigan.

The prison system is sometimes hostile to Buddhists (or followers of any faith other than Christianity). Buddhist inmates often must overcome formidable barriers to obtain Dhamma books or to have an opportunity to practice meditation with qualified teachers from the outside. Fortunately, a few Christian chaplains have shown themselves to be fairly tolerant and sometimes even supportive of our friends' efforts.
Prisoners live with a lot of stress in a sometimes brutal and vindictive system. Still, one of our inmate correspondents wrote,
Our group may be growing by a person or two soon. It is something of a lesson on one's conduct, when others take notice and ask how they too may attain a level of peace that we seem to exhibit. I know others have expounded on how difficult it is to practice in this environment, and at times it can be difficult. But I also think it is somewhat easier because we do not have many of the obligations (i.e. housing, clothing, and food expenses) that those in free society have.
We derive great pleasure and satisfaction from these letters. Just as we were being hit by a fierce blizzard, a prisoner sent us this poem by Zen Master Mumon:

Hundreds of flowers in spring, the moon in autumn
A cool breeze in summer and snow in winter
If your mind is not clouded with unnecessary things
No season is too much for you.

None of our correspondents have complained about their situation. On the contrary, they have often given us good Dhamma lessons:
"I can certainly appreciate the importance of health through the constant reminders of our own impermanence. Just a couple of weeks ago I was hit with a bout of food poisoning that affected me for nine days. However, being in prison is not as bad as one would imagine. The most frustrating and worrisome aspect is my inability to assist my mother when she is ill or needs help. I regret not being able to comfort her and just be there. So I fully understand your motivation for taking such a big step and moving to the US"

After a long silence, we received another letter from this same friend:
"I was very ill. It lasted for two weeks. My temperatures were so high for so long that it affected my immune system and left it battered. To make a long story short, I contracted the TB virus and now must take medication for six months. Otherwise, I am now very healthy and better off for the lesson on Impermanence. For a while I thought I'd die and now feel wonderful for not having done so!"

In the enormous American Gulag, Buddhist prisoners are few and far between, but every month, we receive new requests for books, tapes, images, and altar fittings. It is only recently that prisoners have been allowed to own Dhamma books or images. The first isolated Buddhists struggled greatly for the freedom to practice their religion. It hasn't been easy for them to gain the right to meditate and worship together:
This struggle to get a definitive policy established for the entire state prison system began halfheartedly in 1993. At that time we were so involved in just getting Buddhist practices allowed that altars were not on the top of the list. We began on this path in early 1996. I wrote over 50 letters, filed dozens of complaints, began legal proceedings on two occasions. I spent over 100 hours waiting to meet with the Chaplains, endured ridicule and disappointment. I was lied to and put off with excuses. There were times when I was told that the property matrix would not change, ever. There were times when some of the members of our group felt that we should focus in other directions, claiming that we were becoming too political.

Through this whole process I learned so much about Buddhist practice, about attachment, about ego, about cause and effect, and about understanding. A hard earned, not easily learned lesson-one that, had I known the overall cost, I may not have agreed to the journey.
But now I sit in my cell and look out at "My (Bodhi) Tree" and smile. I know that from now on, whenever a prisoner wishes to become a Buddhist, seeks certain books, or wants to set up an alter . . . he or she can. The focus from here on can be on the practice and the sangha. . . . As I smile, I realize that prison is a better place because we persevered in our endeavor to establish Buddhist practice in Washington's prisons. This accomplishment can only be understood when one understands and knows about the systematic attempts by prison officials to isolate inmates and to prevent outside contact.

Knowing about our long involvement with refugees, one prisoner wrote:
"Being in here, meeting and making friends with many Asian/Island Pacificers, I've learned of a very sad pattern prevalent among Asian refugees. Because of culture shock, peer pressure on the children, gang influence, and assimilation difficulties, the parents will be challenged to prevent their children from being caught in the vicious cycle that brings many of the young and disenfranchised to prison. The lore of American streets is more powerful than any can imagine. Once a child begins to hang out, it is almost inevitable that he/she will end up in trouble, and, by that time, parental influence will not be enough. I say this because you would be shocked at the personal stories told to me by those who came to this nation seeking a better life, but ending up in prison instead. Almost all were children when they came here, and now they are baffled by the end result. People like Minh, Vo, Tran, Lam, Nguyen, Truong, Shim, Pham, Kea, Boualavanh, Vin, Savany, Kamphang, Ieng, Leonan, Tuan, Saetern, Lee, Sokhom, Chan, Vong, Hoang, Siaosi, Tsi, Tuilaepa, and Ngo, just to name a few. Many of these men came from good families, and some from affluent backgrounds. No one is immune. It will take careful nurturing and support to assure successful integration into this society. My experience with M- T- , starting in 1995, opened my eyes to how an innocent 12-year-old could get caught up in a mess that ends up in adult prison. After the sentence, for refugees, deportation is a real possibility! I say this not to discourage, but to warn and, I hope, to help your refugee friends prevent their children from adding their names to the sad rolls of the incarcerated.

Now that I know what I know, I would not live in the US if I had a family. Refugees and immigrants come here for many reasons; some of which are to escape the repressive conditions of their own countries. The trade off is that, in my opinion, America is steadily developing into a police state. More and more laws are passed criminalizing more and more behavior. Someone once said that when a society requires new laws continuously to govern people's behavior, it is only a matter of time before that society declines and ceases to exist. For those newly arrived here, assimilation can be traumatic without the cultural and social support they are used to. In this prison, there are 1600 men-650 white, and the rest are people of color. Of those, a little over 500 are from other countries. They all had dreams of a better life here, but got caught up in the illusion that this place is better than that. Granted, when one's life is in danger due to political or religious beliefs or for any other reason, it makes sense to get away from that sort of danger. But one needs to really evaluate the consequences of "coming to America." It may not be worth trading one sorrow for another."

We have learned a lot about some of the difficulties prisoners have. Most work at low-paying jobs, but pay standard prices for everything they buy, even shoes. When they receive money from the outside, 35% is withheld by prison officials. Often when a prisoner is released, he starts the transition to ordinary life in deep debt. In discussing a friend, one prisoner wrote:
"Like most prisoners he has what are called LFOs. These are Legal Financial Obligations. That means what is owed for attorney fees and court costs. The terrible thing is that when he first entered prison he owed about 1500 dollars. Because of new laws, the state can charge interest at 12% a year. He now owes $1806.72!"
Given the difficulties a newly released prisoner faces just finding housing and a job, it's obvious that there is great need for encouragement, support, and material assistance, especially at the very beginning. For Buddhist prisoners in several western states, there soon will be just such help, called the Way Home Project, growing out of the Open Gate Community, a non-profit corporation founded to help nurture the meditation practice of persons in prison, and to assist prison meditators in making a successful transition out of prison to community life. Their philosophy is very clear and cogent: "Mindlessness and Ignorance are the road to suffering. Mindfulness, leading to Compassion and Wisdom is the path that transcends suffering. Meditation is the engine that fuels travel on the path." In their statement of purpose, they write, "We are determined not to forget about or abandon those who are in desperate situations. We shall do our best to establish contact with them when they cannot find a way out of their suffering and when their cries for help, justice, equality, and human rights are not heard. We know that hell can be found in many places on earth, and we do not want to contribute to making more hells on earth. Rather, we want to help unmake the hells which already exist. We shall practice to realize the qualities of perseverance and stability which belong to the earth, so that like the earth we can always be supportive and faithful to those who need us."

Open Gate is new and has only limited resources. They are currently providing assistance in only four prisons in Montana, Idaho, and Washington. They welcome volunteers who can go into prisons or can help with the process of transition from prison in those states.
Anyone interested may contact:
Open Gate Community
P. O. Box 7281
Missoula, MT 59807?7281
(406) 549?9005, Voice Mailbox 3