Customer Reviews

Sitting Inside: Buddhist Practice in America's Prisons

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kobai Scott Whitney is a Zen Buddhist practitioner who is employed as Buddhist Chaplain for the state of Washington and who has also done time himself. As such he's ideally placed to write a book on Buddhist practice in America's prisons. The subtitle is potentially misleading, however. Rather than being a survey of Buddhist practice in American penal institutions, Sitting Inside is a practice handbook for inmates and prison volunteers alike.

For inmates, Kobai offers an overview of key Buddhist teachings such as the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths, introduces the practice of ethics (with specific reference to situations that inmates are likely to encounter in prison) and teaches 14 meditations that range from simple calming exercises to more existential reflections on, for example, "Who Is Sitting?" These teachings are likely to be helpful for anyone insterested in Buddhist meditation.

For prison volunteers, Sitting Inside offers insights into the unique pressures facing those in prison, as well as the difficulties that may arise in conducting meetings in the face of resistance by Christian chaplains, and potential pitfalls in relations with inmates. As a prison volunteer myself I am grateful to Kobai for hastening my learning.

Additionally, Kobai does an excellent job of highlighting the cruelties and shortsightedness of America's dysfunctional penal system, which has been accurately descibed as the "Prison-Industrial Complex" because of the way it has eveolved as a collaboration between politicians and business in order on the one hand to win votes by boosting incarceration rates and on the other to provide a cheap source of labor.

One oversight in the book is the lack of any guidance from prisoners and volunteers on the complex and difficult area of making the transition between prison life and the outside world. What can spiritual communities do to provide support for inmates after release? What are the difficulties that inmates typically face in trying to gain acceptance in a practice community? How does a spiritual group deal, for example, with accommodating a convicted sex offender, providing spiritual support for the parolee while protecting the group? Kobai's insights on these matters would have been most welcome.

Despite this reservation I would highly recommend Sitting Inside to all who are interested in meditation. Our own problems tend to shrink in significance when we encounter those less fortunate than ourselves, and our self-confidence can be increased by seeing others making positive changes in their lives in circumstances that are considerable less advantageous than our own.

This book would be an excellent help for anyone - buddhist or not - facing difficult circumstances

On the buddhist side - it was an amazingly clear summary of what being buddhist means and how to survive difficult circumstances. It is the book I have been needing for years. I cannot recommend it highly enough as a clear, compassionate explanation for all those interested in buddhism - whether or not they are going to prison. It set out clearly the basic tenets of buddhism (noble truths, eightfold path, the precepts, and includes a sutra) with explanations. It is rare to find this basic information in one book with very clear explanations

On the non-buddhist side it has many suggestions on how to deal with problems and with people - using imagination, relaxation, meditation, and, where necessary, action (including legal action etc).

The only downside is that it covers so much that on first sight some parts may seem irelevant to soem people - information for the prisoner on how to survive and stay at peace, to the wider faith community on how to deal with prisons, and to those who may be dying in prison.

I am a UK citizen - and even though the book was obviously based on the much harsher more punitive US prison system, it was still extremely helpful. I found the arguments for a more rehabilition orientated approach by the prison system very compelling.

Given the rotten over crowded and mean spirited conditions in our prisons, this book deals with how humans can survive this system of massive brutality with Buddhist practice. It is one of the few hopes for those within the system. A truly beautiful work by wonderful people working to help people survive the horrors of American prisons.

I ordered this book after years of sitting practice because I ran into some mindfulness teachers who are doing work in prisons, and I was curious. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the introduction alone is worth the price. It is peppered with wise reflections on prison life which also apply to those of us on the outside, and it also has a number of guided meditations. Just reading from it almost anywhere I open the book somehow deepens my knowledge of myself and the world. It would also be a wonderful thing to go to the Prison Dharma Network [...] and support the books behind bars project. Another step towards addressing the pervasive and growing violence in our world and adding more peace, one heart at a time.