Emulating Supreme Master Ching Hai’s continual loving concern towards the prison inmates, and encouraged by the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association’s fruitful results in prison rehabilitation work, the Taipei Center set up a prison service group in March, Golden Year 3 (2006). They then went to the Tainan Prison to learn from the work already being done there, hoping that their service in Taipei could be conducted successfully.

The Sindian Drug Abuse Treatment Center started taking in drug-addicted inmates from January 1 of this year, with an emphasis on three main types of treatment: discipline, professional and medical. They also try to find a strategy for treating and counseling drug addicts that is most effective and efficient for the Chinese, one that can be further developed as a model within the country.

To eradicate the inmates’ reliance on drugs, the Treatment Center combines forces with many other sources, including religious groups that have been counseling drug addicts with success. They assimilate ideals of Buddhism, Christianity and Catholicism into the Treatment Center, and they provide the inmates with different dormitories and gathering halls according to their personal religious faith. They also cooperate with social service groups to implement counseling projects as well as plan workshops for the addicts at different quitting stages. Their objective is to guide the inmates to think positively and to rebuild a new life. Each rehabilitation case is followed from inside the Treatment Center to their life outside in society, so that the post-prison life arrangements and counseling work after the inmate is released will not be discontinued.

Thanks to Master’s invisible arrangement, after the Taipei Center started their book contribution activity in June this year, they soon received a telephone call from the Sindian Treatment Center requesting a book contribution because its newly established library was short of reading materials for the inmates.

When fellow initiates delivered the books to the Treatment Center, they were informed that the recurrence of drug addiction was as high as 89%. Many of the addicts had ruined the lives of their families completely and had even resorted to committing crimes just to get drugs. In order to help them quit so that they can start a new life and restore their ability to work, thus also reducing the harm of the drugs as well as associated diseases such as AIDS, the Treatment Center is hoping that the spiritual force of religious faith could help. Recently, three religious groups have begun holding soul-counseling sessions in the Treatment Center.

Having heard of the outstanding results achieved by the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association in counseling prison inmates, the Treatment Center hoped that we could also hold similar sessions there. That was how the Taipei Center was invited to start a one-year rehabilitation program, held once a week in the Sindian Treatment Center. This program, called “Choose a Holy Lifestyle, and Be Our Own Guardian Angel,” hopes to use the power of spiritual practice so that these addicts, who have lost their way in the sojourn of life, can quit drugs more successfully and find a direction for their life, choose a holy lifestyle and become their own guardian angel. As a result, the society will become more peaceful and harmonious.

After careful consideration and planning, the Taipei Center decided to present the program in two categories: spiritual practice and professional knowledge. In the spiritual practice sessions, inmates are taught the Convenient Method of meditation already being practiced in many prisons, detention Centers and correctional Centers in Formosa, as it has been widely acclaimed to help stabilize the emotions and elevate the spirituality of the inmates. Also, selected videos of Master’s worldwide lectures are shown, to imbue in the inmates a positive and optimistic way of thinking and attitude that points to the brighter side of life. For the second program category, professional knowledge sessions, the courses include hygiene and health, human relationships, career planning, exercise, legal knowledge, group entertainment and musical courses. Each course is led by fellow initiates who are professionals in their field.

The Opening Ceremony and the First Course

On July 6, 20 fellow initiates went to the Treatment Center for the opening ceremony, which was attended by about 50 inmates. The Chief Warden, Mr. Zhang Bo-hong, mentioned in his opening speech: “You cannot quit drugs successfully just relying on your own power. Once you are addicted, it is very difficult to quit. Just take tobacco smoking, for instance. Once you are addicted to tobacco, it is extremely difficult to quit smoking. It is even more so in quitting drugs. Drug addiction is not merely a problem of the body, but also of the mind and soul. It is because of the negative force in your heart that you are unable to quit drugs. Therefore, you cannot just quit drugs physically. The spiritual discipline is also very crucial.”

Chief Warden Zhang went on to say that he had made an overseas study and observation in Japan. There, they were using an inner contemplation method to help the drug addicts practice introspection, thus achieving the effect of quitting drugs from the motivation of the heart. He hoped that, through the Convenient Method meditation taught by the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, the inmates would be liberated from their habit of relying on drugs. After the simple but solemn ceremony ended, fellow initiates could feel Master’s love and blessing had permeated the Treatment Center.

The following week, on July 13, fellow initiates again went to the Treatment Center to officially commence the program. Fifty-four inmates attended the first lesson with the main professional topic being legal knowledge. Brother initiate Li Ming-ling, a legal consultant, talked about the clauses in labor contracts related to the labor laws. He explained to the attendees the difference between taking leave and going on strike, the trial period, the labor contract and termination of employment. It was hoped after attending this lesson that the inmates would be able to perform their work more smoothly after they returned to society. Sister initiate Li Chuan-ying, a lawyer, spoke and informed the attendees in a lively and interactive way about how the law deals with drug offences. She also reminded the attendees that the fairest law is the law of the universe.

After the legal lesson, the attendees watched a video of Master’s lecture, “Listening Inwardly to Our Self-Nature,” spoken at Taoyuan. Many attendees found the personal experiences narrated by the fellow initiates very interesting. Some of them even followed the video and hummed along with the song “Stars at the Top of the Sky.” They became so deeply immersed in Master’s simple yet profound teachings that they did not notice that it was time to end the session. The Convenient Method teaching session was held amid a tranquil atmosphere. When the meditation ended after twenty minutes, all the attendees were surprised that time had passed so quickly.

As the planning of the program and teaching staff of the course were professionally arranged, and its effect was outstanding, the Treatment Center authority was impressed by our sincere intent. Furthermore, the meditation sessions coincided precisely with their objective of “quitting drugs from the heart”; therefore, they hoped that we could arrange more classes, including an English language class to improve the inmates’ ability to converse in English. In addition, they hoped that the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association would take over the session time that had originally belonged to another group. They even expressed their wish that fellow initiates could come every day to meditate with the inmates, so as to stabilize their mind and thus help them to quit drugs.

Fellow initiates are very grateful to Master for giving them the opportunity to do this meaningful work. Hopefully, blessed by Master’s love, after these inmates leave the Treatment Center, they will forever distance themselves from the temptation of drugs to choose a holy lifestyle, be their own guardian angel, and eventually embark on glorious new life!

Chief Warden Zhang Bo-hong of the Sindian Drug Abuser Treatment Center giving a speech for the opening ceremony of the counseling course.

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