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Visit to Prison in Maryland
MCI is a maximum security prison in Maryland, where more than 1,000 inmates live within fortified grounds surrounded by barbed wire fences and multiple layers of doors that only staff can open. In America, there are about 2 million prisoners, of whom 75% are people of color and 85% are involved with drugs or alcohol; in California, over the past 20 years, 16 new prisons have been built but only one university. Every day, as described by an inmate, they must:
- Wake up and be counted 6 times a day
- Work twice
- Eat three meals
- Walk around the yard twice
The Dharma talk took place from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the prison chapel with about 150–200 people, including inmates, staff, and Buddhists. Thay Nhat Hanh began with the poem “For Warmth” and then guided:
- Breathing in, the mind becomes calm – breathing out, a smile blooms on the lips
- Walking meditation: with each step, freedom is possible, cultivating freedom in every breath and step
- Mindful eating: eating in silence, focusing on the present moment
Through this gentle method, many inmates felt peace right after half a day of practice, giving rise to compassion for their fellow inmates and even affecting the prison staff. At the end of the session, the atmosphere was deeply moving as inmates stood up and applauded, many vowing “from today I will practice compassion” and asking for books to continue their practice. Thay promised to return or to send a Plum Village Dharma teacher to support them, and also planned to write a manual for practice in prison so that inmates could organize their own mindfulness groups and reduce their suffering.