Compassion and peace are not the first things that come to mind when thinking of prison life. But with the help of Venerable Robina Courtin, a number of prisoners across country have been able to find peace, and even happiness, during their incarceration.
Venerable Robina Courtin, a nun for over 30 years in the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, helped to create the Liberation Prison Project, which introduces prisoners to Buddhism. This project helps rehabilitate and provide spiritual refuge to interested prisoners through teaching compassion for others, meditation, and other important aspects of the dharma. The project intends to give prisoners tools to live productively outside of prison, and thus end the cycle of crime and violence that frequently brings people back into prison. The success of this project accentuates the need of rehabilitation on a grander scale; a service that our prisons fail to provide to inmates.
Perhaps the most surprising outcome of this project is that Ven. Robina Courtin successfully teaches happiness (and thus freedom) to people in prison. How inspiring that happiness can be found in such difficult circumstances!
Ven. Robina will be at BODY from January 30 - February 1 to give a series of lectures focused on happiness. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to meet such an important teacher of our time!
Artwork by a Liberation Project student
Click here to know more about the Liberation Prison Project.
-Keryn
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