Dear Ones,

I've written you several times over the years requesting your help, and I need it again. We are celebrating Buddha's Birthday on all the yards at Donovan Prison in which we offer our services; this requires a huge financial and volunteer effort.  During Buddha's Birthday, which is currently in  progress, the men participate in a whole day of intensive practice in noble silence, are served a nutritious vegetarian meal prepared by loving Vietnamese Buddhist nuns, and have the opportunity to acknowledge their growing sense of Sangha. I think some of you might remember me recounting several men shedding tears after eating a fresh strawberry--for some, the first one they had had in 15 to 20 years.There are about 30 men in each of 3 yards, as the word of the Dharma is now out. We are going to do this somehow, despite being $1,000 in the red. The men have tasted the Dharma in this palace of suffering and are avidly wanting more of what they have discovered.

Presently I volunteer on yard 3. This is a so-called "Special Needs" yard. Primarily it houses men who have stepped out of gang life or committed some irrevocable act that precludes them returning to the mainline prison.In addition, it is for people who wouldn't make it in the regular yards, e.g., they are openly gay, transgendered, or vulnerable in some way. If this gives the impression that this yard is for the weak, you would be sadly mistaken. There is extra razor wire, racial "politics," and predatory practices are sadly in evidence. Sixty percent of the inmates on this yard have life sentences without the possibility of parole.

But the beings in our Sangha are an interracial, multi-gendered, multi-ethnic group who have named their community "Shared Breath". They took this name because due to the close quarters of their living conditions, they share each others' sacred breath. And, no matter what we may or may not think of them, we also share our breath with them.

When I first came on the yard, one of the first men I got to know, we will call him Jay, identified himself as an artist.Jay is a Latino who has been "over 15 years down." His head is shaved and "tats" cover every part of his exposed body, except his face, where there are 2 tatooed teardrops from one eye. Some of you may be aware of what this signifies. I asked him to draw on a standard 81/2 by 11" paper some Buddhist theme, with or without words, that we could ultimately make into a prayer flag for the Sangha. Then I waited. I asked him once about how he was doing, and he irritably responded he was too busy. It turns out he runs the unofficial, in-house animal rescue service. When men on the yard find an injured animal, usually a bird or a rabbit, they take it to Jay and his "cellie," who care for them and release them. They don't try to train them or play with them. They certainly don't try to imprison them. When he talks about how frightened the animals initially are, tears come to his eyes and his voice trembles. Meanwhile he has come to our meetings regularly, slowly becoming an enthusiastic participant and natural leader. He says,like many of the men in this Sangha, that meditation and Council practice helps him with his anger.

 Eventually he came back with his pencil drawing on a rough sheet of paper. (See the attached). As you can see, it is a tranquil, beatific baby Buddha with cracks throughout his visage. Above it is the name of the Sangha. To me, it represents a poignant symbol of the unbreakable equanimity of our true Buddha-nature, despite the buffeting of life events. All of the men have a reproduction of this picture in their cells.

So this letter is really about the lessons these men are learning in their dharma community. Their community is thriving: they seem to be learning about harmlessness and interconnection in an environment where exactly the opposite is the norm.Now we in the greater Dharma community can hold their practice with them, share their merit, share our breath with our Dharma brothers and sisters in prison. Their Sangha is telling us that our simple breath connects us with all beings. May all beings, whether imprisoned or not imprisoned, while breathing in and breathing out, be Happy and Free from suffering and may we all Awaken together.

If you wish to join us in the sense of shared community, please consider expressing your care and generosity through whatever monetary donation you feel you can afford. The men do not take these responses lightly. The merit you may gain by contributing will be multiplied many times over by their appreciation. Go here to donate.

Metta,
Rick Avery
(written Spring of 2010)