Dharma Rain Character

Still Point

Newsletter of Dharma Rain Zen Center

Portland, Oregon

Volume XXX Number 2

March-April 2005

 



by Randi Getsushin Brox and Gwen Kisei Martin

Web editor's note: Generosity behind prison bars; the photographs in the article below were taken in the mid 1940s by a Farm Security Administration photographer at San Quentin Prison during a Red Cross blood drive. According to the information with the photographs, over 150 prisoners volunteered to give blood to be sent to soldiers injured in the fighting in WWII. (From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection)

Introduction:

A prison is a place where it is easy to see the suffering of the world, access your heart of compassion, and develop a genuine aspiration to help others. It is necessary to be clear on one's motivation for doing this kind of work and acknowledge that some of it can be self-serving. The prison environment and some of the people we meet there (both inmates and staff) may easily "push our karmic buttons," making it a ripe terrain for personal practice. However, while it is true that you cannot help but grow in your own practice by doing this work, personal gain must at best be a secondary motivation.

Aspiration:

Most of the inmates we come into contact with recognize the importance of spiritual practice as a way to deal with their lives - past, present and future. With this in mind, our aspiration is to provide an environment conducive to support such a practice. It is important for us to create an atmosphere of mutual trust, a nurturing, peaceful refuge in a chaotic, sterile, and often hostile environment. We also want to offer them the opportunity to discover the relevance of Buddhadharma in their own daily lives. We encourage them to look at themselves deeply, take responsibility for their lives, and trust their Buddha nature. Above all, we want to help them to accept their situation, stop blaming others, and start to create a supportive community within their own environment. While there is a lot of proselytizing in prison, we consistently emphasize that everyone can benefit from Dharma practice, regardless of religious affiliation. People from various spiritual traditions - Christian, Vedanta, Muslim, Wicca, etc. - frequently practice with us.

Our first task upon entering our assigned meeting place, be it the carpeted classroom at the center of CCCF medium or the chapel area at OSP, is to quickly transform the space into a zendo complete with a modified Buddhist altar, instruments, zafus, zabutons, rolled up brown blankets, and chairs. Whenever possible we use our zabutons and chairs to create a circle rather than traditional rows. All our prison groups sit facing inwards in order to emphasize openness and communal practice rather than hermetic, solitary withdrawal.

Background:

Over years we have become convinced that for those of us who have made a longtime commitment to this practice, karma is the key, whether we are aware of it or not. In Getsushin's case the karmic link is very clear. She writes:

"On the last day of November 1981, my only brother was found in the hallway of a Swedish hotel with a bleeding stab wound in his back. He died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The incident of my brother's brutal and untimely death (he was thirty seven at the time) changed my life. I gradually distanced myself from the career-oriented, "comfortable" environment where I had lived for many years and started a spiritual quest that would lead me to the place where I find myself today.

"The opportunity to explore the karma created by my brother's death came unexpectedly in the form of an email about Frankie Parker, a Buddhist inmate on Death Row in Arkansas. I was drawn to Frankie's story, wrote him a letter, and had a correspondence with him until his execution August 8, 1996. When Kyogen asked me to respond to a letter from two inmates on Oregon's Death Row the following summer, I intuitively knew that this was an opportunity I needed to pursue. My bi-weekly visits with each of my two friends through a heavy panel of glass are still the deepest part of my prison practice and have become an integral part of my life.

"While the visits on Death Row continued, gradually other aspects of prison work were added as opportunities arose to start meditation groups, first in the general population at OSP, then a few years later at Coffee Creek. When we started our seminary program at DRZC five years ago, three inmates at OSP were permitted to sign up. One of the three dropped out early, another is now in his fifth year of Buddhist study, and the third has completed all the assigned work except two papers. While DRZC generously donates all relevant class tapes, the cost of books (discounted by Kyogen) is covered from our small 'Prison Account.'

"In the beginning, I was working alone, but eventually others were drawn to this practice. Hongaku and Kakumyo have acted as precentors on Tuesday afternoons at OSP, and a couple of years ago Kisei stepped forward with an offer to sew zafus and zabutons for the women at Coffee Creek. Her commitment quickly deepened, and she is today involved in all facets of our effort to create prison sanghas. She serves as precentor at our monthly Tuesday evening service at OSP and co-facilitates our ongoing bi-weekly group in the medium security section of CCCF. She has become the driving force in our effort to offer `Introductory Meditation Workshops' on a regular basis and bring the 'Jizos for Peace' project to our CCCF medium group. The result of this effort is a quilt of twenty-five panels with one thousand Jizos, which will be presented to Great Vow, along with a chain of origami from Death Row.

"In the Winter of 2005, Kisei and Sabra will join me in the development and teaching of an experimental series of four classes on 'Radical Self-Acceptance from a Buddhist perspective' at CCCF minimum. Also, after participating as an alternate when Kisei or I had scheduling conflicts at CCCF, Suiho has taken the required Department of Corrections volunteer training and is looking forward to being more involved."

Kisei has prison karma of her own. She explains:

"I first became exposed (vicariously) to prison life when I was ten years old, and my mother began working as a nurse at the men's medium security facility near our home in Ontario. She worked at the same prison for seventeen years, and stories of her experiences with the inmates were a regular part of our family's dinner conversations. She always spoke of them with humor and exasperation, much like she would of us, her own children. She was soon referred to as `Mother' by the inmates because of the honest and fair way she treated them.

"One day, a man who had been in and out of the prison system for years, showed up on our doorstep shortly after he had been released. With my mother's encouragement, he graduated from an EMT program. After graduation he married a nurse he met on the job. My parents became godparents of the first of their three children. What I learned during those years was that prison inmates are people just like the rest of us, no better and no worse, who have made a mistake (or two, or three) that they were now paying for."

Prisons and Monasteries:

On the surface prisons and monasteries have certain aspects in common - a sequestered community of people living together for an extended period of time with limited contact with the outside world, a strict daily schedule punctuated by rituals, a hierarchical structure, and ample time for reflection - yet the two environments are at the same time diametrically opposite. While monasteries are set up to maximize spiritual practice in a supportive, compassionate environment, prisons are, in most parts of the world, institutions of punishment where acts of violence, humiliation, and cruelty are a part of everyday life. There are compassionate people to be found in prisons - among the staff, volunteers, and inmates alike - but the overall atmosphere remains one of dualism and suffering.

According to Katagiri Roshi, "Everybody, more or less, is protected by compassion, but we don't realize this. However, there are different degrees of protection by compassion. For instance, if we were members of a street gang, our situation would be different from those who are practicing here. If we practice here, we have more of a chance to be protected by compassion because people around us help our life. Still, compassion is open to everybody. We should realize this, awakening to this compassion. If we awaken to this compassion, we really appreciate others and give something to others too. We can really help others. This is actual practice." (Katagiri, Returning to Silence, pp. 166-67.)

Although it is true that "compassion is open to everybody," Dharma practice can be very difficult for incarcerated people. The environment is not conducive to a spiritual practice that encourages openness and trust in others as well as in our own Buddhanature. It would be foolhardy for a couple of volunteers to pretend that we understand what practice is like inside the walls. We are free to come and leave as we please, while they have to stay, sometimes for ten or twenty years, or even their entire lives. A few have been told that they are unworthy of life itself and will be put to death as soon as their cases have moved through the phases established by the legal system.

External and Internal Obstacles:

It takes courage for inmates to attend our groups. Many report peer pressure to stick with traditional Christian faiths. Some seem to be genuinely afraid of trying something different. One inmate informed us that she had heard that emptying the mind was dangerous, because it would provide the devil with an opportunity to enter. Could a Buddhist meditation practice possibly lead to hell? Then there are legal issues. Defense lawyers frequently discourage their clients from participating in the kind of open and authentic speech we encourage. Finally, sharing personal thoughts and feelings requires trust that what has been shared will not be used against you once you return to "population."

While the above problems are real, the most difficult part of Dharma practice in prison is psychological. Most of the people who come to our groups will initially express relief and gratitude for the peace they find when sitting quietly with us. If they continue to sit, however, difficult repressed emotions and distress will often surface. This is, of course, natural and happens to most people during the early stages of practice. Prison inmates carry more than their share of pain and sadness, frequently hidden behind a surface of either aggression or emotional withdrawal. For some, their lives can be so painful that even the idea of sitting still long enough to actually feel something can be overwhelming. They simply aren't ready to do this yet. When they do come and try, the pain can manifest in different ways: restless fiddling; a bored, defiant expression; an outburst of uncontrollable laughter; or simply getting up and leaving the room.

Nevertheless, among the people who continue, major changes are very clear. Learning to deal with internal and external pressure in a new way helps them open up and relax into happier, more grounded people. Occasionally we have the opportunity to observe individuals who experience a genuine blossoming within the prison environment, be it in a tiny cell on Death Row or in general population at Coffee Creek. Conversely, we also see practice which may appear to be excessive and withdrawn, but which may in the long run become beneficial as well. Who are we to judge?

Most of our meditators are remarkably still, and display strength, composure, and great determination, both during zazen and in the discussion periods following a brief dharma talk or class presentation. While the men tend to be head-centered and the women more heart-centered, the questions and comments are almost always sincere, perceptive, insightful, and wise. Witnessing their courage and authenticity makes them easy to love, and it is no exaggeration to state that the time we spend in our prison groups is often the highpoint of our week. We always leave feeling uplifted, inspired, and full of gratitude. Some of our favorite people are those we have met in prison.

Conclusion:

Our attitude towards our own effort has changed over time. The delusion of creating community and changing lives has given way to a desire simply to sow seeds. Of course we would like all these seeds to grow into beautiful flowers or nurturing vegetables before our eyes, but we have gradually learned that our job is simply to throw out the seeds without any expectations of outcome. Our main function is to show up on schedule ready to provide a space conducive to practice. We are convinced that even for those who stop coming, something of what they have seen or learned will be remembered at a later time when it can be a benefit to them.

While bringing the Dharma to people in prison is important, we are fully aware that we are the ones who are benefiting most. In our prison sanghas we experience the truth of interconnectedness. As we sit together or share our stories, similarities are frequently more striking than differences. While some of us wind up in prison and others not, we have all created suffering, and we all need a consistent practice to help us change our karmic patterns. It is true that "there are different degrees of protection by compassion," and that the prison environment is not conducive to serious reflective work. However, interacting with inmates and watching their practice confirms that the opportunity for transformation is everywhere and that practice can be easy or difficult, whether living in heaven or hell. As Claude AnShin Thomas would say: "We are not different."

Volunteers Needed: We are looking for one or two people who could provide a link between the DRZC Prison Project and various transition projects that exist in Portland. Examples are WICS (Women In Community Service), Better People, and Phoenix Rising. If you are interested and would like to learn more about it, please contact Getsushin. E-mail: ranbrox@earthlink.net.

*Oregon State Penitentiary, located near downtown Salem, is the only maximum security prison in Oregon. It houses more than 2000 male inmates. Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville is divided into three parts: separate medium and minimum security prisons for women and an intake facility for male inmates. Women with "maximum sentences" are housed at CCCF medium along with inmates with lesser sentences. To date no woman in Oregon has received the death penalty.

by various Sangha members

Branches of pine, ice
tinsel adorning the dark -
stripped bare by the dawn.

----------Sallie Jiko Tisdale

 

Calling to mind the
Great Vow,
I spare you all
My poetry.

--------Kyogen Carlson

 

Another year marked:
a false distinction setting
my mind spinning,
accounting
for spent life on a giant scoreboard -

------------------one point
for compassion!
------------------penalty for the opposing team
for that act of arrogance!

------------------and the reckoning of the judges:
overall, was this one worthy
of the food she consumed?
But some spark of inspiration
bids me stand firm and reject the whole game -
I stride out -
I thumb my nose at the judges -
the crowd cheers -


and even so,
counting my year as well-spent
treasure simply in the very lively
living of it,
I remember the pronouncements
of the judges.
I remember the truth in them.
I sigh and beg forgiveness.

-----------Domyo Sater

 

Angular tossing of horns,
there is nothing to add.
This ox's neck and my hand,
familiar.

---------Kakumyo Lowe

 

Unborn
Aching joints
Undying
Wishing joy for all
Unborn
Watching the waves of dead bodies
Undying
Serving one cup of tea
Unborn
Just this
Undying
Just this

--------Gyokuko Carlson

 

woke up, head under tree
thank god I still have my practice
rooms for rent, inquire
hug good friend good_bye,
embers and wine glowed last night
rooms available cheap
the lighthouse well lit
the keeper could use coffee
rooms for rent, open home

----------faddah yuetsu wolf

 

The wind and clouds
make love over my head–
they do not mind that
I watch, for it is a
poetic resemblance of
each moment seeping
into a new day.
Boundless, leaping forth,
twirling upon the rock, a
stage, perhaps.
What sleeps below the
surface awaiting to
know just this time and place?

----------Kenryu Jeffrey Binns

.

Awaiting
Witnessing seasons.
Inevitable changes.
Empty winter bird's nest.

----------Karen Sokyo Swallow

 

 

Dharma Rain Zen Center -Board Minutes Summary

13 January 2005

Present: Gyokuko Carlson, Kyogen Carlson, Gary Oshiro, Dosho VanSant, Kisei Martin, Kei'un Lewis, Genko Rainwater, Sherman Conventry, Shisei Niski Absent: Kat Strieby

The meeting began shortly after 7 pm

Welcome newly elected Director, Sherman Coventry!

1) Approval of Minutes from prior meeting

A motion to approve the minutes of the November 11 meeting passed unanimously.

2) Open Forum for Member concerns

None brought forward.

3) Date for next meeting: Thursday, March 10 at the Sangha House.

4) Director Elections and Board Officers: Shisei was re-elected to the Board and Sherman Conventry was elected to the position vacated by Jeanette Ryan. A motion to elect Genko Rainwater as Board President, and to re-elect Shisei Niski and Gary Oshiro as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively, passed unanimously.

5) Treasurer's Report

Gary presented financials through November. We're about $2000 in the red, which is $5,000 better than the prior year. $10K in our checking account still needs to be applied to the mortgage principal. The year-end fund-raising effort has netted roughly $6K, in addition to an anonymous donation of $25,000! The donation is unrestricted, but comes with a suggestion of using it for wheelchair accessibility. This has been examined in the past, and it would be no small effort to make the Zendo accessible, but this will motivate us to investigate it further. January is the month for the annual $4,000 payment on the Carlsons' loan to the Sangha for the down payment on the Dharma House, as approved by the Board two years ago. The Board is very grateful for the Sangha's generosity this year.

6) Membership Report

Due to computer glitches, the effort to contact members during their membership anniversary stalled a bit in the Fall, but with another person (Raika) available to help we hope to refocus in January. In general, raising awareness of membership at Sangha Circle, classes, and workshops seems to be beneficial.

7) Operations Report

Gyokuko presented a very detailed report on the Dharma House renovations. Almost all the work required by hired contractors is complete. We continue to look around the neighborhood for a property to replace the Sangha House, as we need something closer with additional residence and meeting rooms. We are focusing on basic cleanup and finishing small projects on the Sangha House so that it can be market-ready. Our realtor is working on a market assessment to determine an asking price and is also working with parameters supplied by Gyokuko to locate another property.*

The Zendo boiler had problems again during Rohatsu. The company that installed it is no longer in this kind of business, but Kyogen found another service vendor. The need for annual cleaning of the float control was only recently discovered, but the float is too finicky for this to be practical. Tai'an located an electrical (rather than mechanical) replacement controller, which he'll install. The service vendor will verify the installation, and Kyogen is arranging a contract for furnace maintenance in all our buildings.

On an unrelated note, staff training in First Aid/CPR and handling blood-borne pathogens should be scheduled sometime soon. The need to stock appropriate supplies on each floor of the Zendo was discussed.

8) Calendar Committee Report

Classes and events are planned and staffed through the end of Spring Term. Kyogen asked for feedback on summer activities. The general feeling is that a light, relatively unstruct- ured schedule works best. The next Forum is scheduled for Sun., Apr. 3.

9) Web Site redesign status

Kyogen presented a mock-up of a redesigned home page, which got a positive reception. Some of the labor of converting content to the new layout will be performed by DRZC.

The meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Joe Shisei Niski, Secretary

* A large house at 2605 SE Taylor went on the market recently; on Feb 3, DRZC made an offer to buy the property; on Feb. 4, our offer was accepted. Stay tuned for more details in a future newsletter.

 

 

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STILL POINT edit of 20 February 2005
edited for archives on 7 July 2005
Dharma Rain Zen Center Newsletter
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Volume XXX Number 2 March April 2005
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