"It
was a great pleasure receiving Master's magazine. I couldn't help
but read it all the way through. I am still under the charm of your
visit (fellow initiate), and thus the charm of Master. That hour and
a half spent together was fabulous, and that very evening I started
practicing the Convenient Method of meditation that I had just been
taught. It was easy to get into a state of concentration and after
meditation I had the feeling of fullness and serenity. I practice
every day and also recite Supreme Master Ching Hai's name, which I
feel is so beneficial that even my sleep has a rejuvenating quality.
I can often feel Her benevolent presence...."
Meditation And
Jail
Initially,
it would seem that there is a fundamental conflict between the notion
of meditation and the purpose of jail. The jail world, primarily a
place of suffering, is designed to be devoid of every delight for
which ordinary people yearn. Constantly experiencing this suffering,
the prisoner tries everything he can to alleviate it. It is difficult
for him to realize that it is mainly due to the mind, and very few
prisoners are ready to hear this truth. On the contrary, it is much
easier to lose consciousness in front of the TV or to practice sports
to the point of exhaustion. The psychic behavior of the majority tells
its own tale, and only a few can bear solitude and face their own
thoughts.
The
majority is not interested in spiritual life, and is generally preoccupied
only in striving for survival in a jungle-like jail world. Some others,
because of this suffering, are led to a spiritual quest, although
only very hesitatingly in the beginning, but with increased vigor
as time passes. Then they attempt to meditate, which, to them, is
a very difficult phase, but full of promise.
Very
few prisoners have ever meditated prior to being in jail and the beginnings
are difficult. However, if they persist, it becomes a royal path opening
in front of them. As for me, I have been practicing meditation for
more than twenty years, so there was not any break when I became a
prisoner. I would practice meditation for several hours daily. Recently
I discovered Master Ching Hai's teachings and Her method of mediation
practice. Today I meditate according to Her teachings.
I
am trying to persuade some prisoners to take an interest in spiritual
life, but only when they ask questions about things like that, and
this is rare. They don't understand that I can be absolutely free
when locked in a prison.
It
is impossible to keep a vegetarian diet in jail; fish always takes
the place of meat. A jail is a violent place where everything can
be disrupted at any time, as quickly as lightning. If meditation were
practiced by a majority of the prisoners, I am sure that we would
see violence decrease. The main problem is that the prisoners that
are sentenced to long jail terms are younger and younger. Most of
the time they are ex-drug addicts and are therefore more violent.
Actually
the crime rate is not dropping and there are many repeat offenders.
If the system were to be improved, fellow initiates could give lectures
of Master's teachings and teach meditation to the prisoners.
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