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Following the Eightfold Path in the exercise yard
 “We were told that our annual event could not be held in September as planned, but had to be brought forward to May, which meant less time to raise funds, and [the necessity to] re-invite guests. Instead of allowing everyone to get stressed out over something that is supposed to be a joyous occasion, I suggested that we make it a simple “Sangha Day,” show the Vajra Sky movie if we could, have meditation periods, put together a rice mandala, and have a snack of bagels and nice cheeses, cake, and juice. If any guests showed up, they could participate in Dharma talks. “But what caused the biggest stir was when I announced that I needed eight volunteers from the sangha group to give a presentation on the Eightfold Path. Nearly twenty guys lined up! After I assigned various sections, members came to me and said they had no idea there was so much to the Eightfold Path. The sangha member who was assigned ‘right view’ walked around the yard with me last weekend and told me, in a broken voice, that through his preparation he discovered that he never really had a ‘right view.’ This revelation was a shock to him and he thanked me profusely for giving him the opportunity to deepen his practice. “A tall, lumbering young man had picked ‘right mindfulness,’ which was just the right thing for him. He just stumbles through life, doing many things, and nothing at all. For months I tried to help him focus, especially with his meditation practice. But always something interfered. Just this morning, as we walked back from breakfast, he said that his lack of mindfulness caused his mother to suffer, and that he now saw the connection that mindfulness has to the other parts of the Eightfold Path. “Another member passed by me yesterday, and I asked him how his project was coming along. He stopped and shook his head, saying that I was pretty clever for having given him ‘right effort.’ “Everyone feels this is the best thing that has happened to our sangha. Those who do not have an assignment are now alternatives in case someone is transferred. They, too, will get a turn at teaching during our weekly practices after the event. Even I am surprised by the response, but am very happy to see people so involved. “Despite losing ten core members to release or transfers since December, we still have nearly thirty at the weekly practices. “Two of us have contributed to a book called Buddhism Behind Bars being published by Wildmind, who will be making copies available free of charge to inmates. So, as you can Says the publisher: “You'll learn about the bad decisions that led people to commit serious offenses, the pressures of life behind bars, and the struggle to develop awareness and to bring about personal transformation in a bitterly unsupportive environment. And you'll learn about the challenges, frustrations, and rewards of going into prison as a volunteer.” For more information, go to: www.wildmind.org The Big Day Scott, a young member of the prison Sangha, later wrote with breathless enthusiasm to say that no less than fifty guests, including Bikshuni Thubten Chodron, attended the event which went off without a hitch. It was “a most memorable and joyous occasion for all of us,” he said. “The presentations were truly heartfelt and spoken well; some gave poems on their topic and others spoke of what the topic meant to them in their lives and how doing this topic made them see deeper and realize things about themselves they had not before. I spoke on Right Concentration and I did research to complete my talk and wrote a poem. The teachers were truly impressed and enjoyed the way this was done – the idea that students did the talks. We made a beautiful colored rice mandala together. There was such pristine love, peace and kindness that filled the atmosphere of the room. We did our closing prayers in both the Tibetan and Vietnamese tradition.” [Names of prisoners have been changed.]
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