The Monastery Without Walls, Behind Walls

It is estimated that over nine million women and men are incarcerated in the world. Many are kept in cells no larger than six feet by nine feet (approx. 1.8 metres by 2.7 metres). Some get no more than ½ hour outside each day.

Incarceration is a time for reflection and healing for may of the incarcerated. Unfortunately, most inmates are not given the proper tools to help them heal.

Meditation can help inmates centre their lives, get in touch with issues that may have led them to commit crimes in the first place, and deal with the stressors of their past and their daily lives in prison.

At the left are some links to articles and letters from prisoners around the world, relating how meditation has changed their lives in prison. Some of them discuss the difficulties of meditating in prison (i.e. noise and other distractions). Others discuss getting over their initial reluctance to try something new.

Discover more about these often-forgotten members of our community. You may begin to see their humanity, and you may begin to see that, in a sense, we all are imprisoned in some way. Discover the gift of meditation as it has helped the incarcerated, and as it can help you, too.