Rated
Sep 21 2008
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1 review
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buddhism, religion, crime, spirituality
• bodhipaksa.com
From the blog of someone who visits Buddhists in prison: "Over the last two years Iâ€ve seen these guys take their practice very seriously, really trying to practice nonharm in very difficult circumstances, really coming to grips with their mental states and taking responsibility for themselves, really supporting each other. When I first went into this prison â€" my first time behind the walls â€" I expected an atmosphere of barely-restrained violence. But what I found was a bunch of intelligent, friendly, respectful, and very sincere Buddhist practitioners. This is in no small part thanks to my friend, Dave Carr, who started the group many years ago.
Of course I canâ€t and donâ€t overlook the fact that these guys have killed people, raped, and even sexually abused children. There was a time when I would have simply labeled people who had committed those kinds of crimes as â€oeanimals” and suggested throwing away the key. Now I realize that you canâ€t judge someone by the worst thing that he has done."