Monday

Prison Dharma Network Celebrates 20 Years of Service!

Florida Prison Retreat, courtesy of Prison Dharma Network on Flickr

Prison Dharma Network (PDN) is a contemplative support network that provides prisoners, and those who work with them, with effective contemplative tools for self-transformation and rehabilitation. The PDN network now includes over 75 member organizations and prison dharma groups of various faiths and over 2,500 individual members and supporters, many of whom are active prison dharma volunteers.

This year, Prison Dharma Network is celebrating its twentieth anniversary!

“I am delighted to hear that the Prison Dharma Network is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. The work that the Network has done on behalf of prisoners is wonderful. The Dharma is a way to help free sentient beings from suffering, and so bringing it to those who are experiencing the suffering of imprisonment is especially beneficial. In the short term it helps them quiet their minds, reduce the disturbances of the afflictions, and find peace, and in the long run it will bring them to lasting happiness. This is a tremendous service to them and all other beings as well. I hope that the Prison Dharma Network can continue to provide such beneficial service for many years to come.”

– Thrangu Rinpoche

NEW: Path of Freedom Apprenticeship Program
Now available as an online course and curriculum for PDN’s Dharma Mentors

Prison Dharma Network’s apprenticeship program is designed to train and certify faciltators to deliver the PDN Path of Freedom Program in inside prison programs as well as through the PDN Dharma Mentor correspondence program. The Path of Freedom (POF) program is a mindfulness-based, cognitive-behavioral and integral approach to self-transformation, personal development and leadership capacity development for at-risk and incarcerated youth and adults. PDN is always in need of qualified dharma mentors willing to work with prisoners via correspondence. Please visit the PDN website for more info about the Path of Freedom program or Dharma Mentor Project.

“I have been honored to serve as a spiritual advisor to the Prison Dharma Network since its founding and fully endorse the work they continue to accomplish. Through my own experience with prisoners, I have directly witnessed the transformative potential of prison meditation programs. Please support Prison Dharma Network in any way you can.”

– Acharya Pema Chodron

Matching Grant Campaign

Prison Dharma Network has received a generous matching grant that will help launch the next 20 years of providing service, programs, teachings, resources and community to prisoners and prison dharma volunteers. Please help PDN celebrate 20 years of supporting transformation for prisoners. All donations received in 2009 will be matched 100% by the matching grant provider and will allow PDN to provide transformational tools to thousands of prisoners.

Visit the Prison Dharma Network website for more information or to donate.