“Thank you for helping a few lost individuals hear the wonder
and beauty of the Dharma. I CANNOT BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW GOOD IT MAKES ME FEEL
KNOWING THAT SOMEONE OUT IN THE WORLD CARES ABOUT ME.”Dear Friends,
These words were written by Joseph, an inmate at California’s Calipatria State Prison. Since 1995, the IBS Prison Visitation Program has brought the peace and compassion of meditation instruction to some of Southern California’s most dangerous state prisons.
Our mission depends entirely on the generosity of Dharma friends like you, but the recession has made this more challenging.
If we all donate just a bit each month, we can keep the prison visits going. With this in mind I invite you to join the “$10 per month” donation program [Click here to Support ].
IBS Abott Master Heiguang launched the prison program after an inmate heard him being interviewed on the radio and sent a letter requesting he visit to teach the Dharma and meditation. Since then, we have shared the teachings with hundreds of prisoners, helping them transform their anger and self-destructive mind states into self-control and compassion -- benefiting themselves, fellow inmates, and society.
In 2007, Master Hueiguang sent his disciple, Ven. Xianzhong from India to San Diego to dedicate himself to the prison program, which has expanded to serve six prisons.
I have the great honor of accompanying Ven. Xianzhong as we drive several hours each week to serve inmates experiencing the karma of their past mistakes. We receive many letters describing the enormous difference these visits make.
“I no longer feel
lost or confused. IBS has been a big help in my life. Maybe one day I’ll
be able to help the next person as you are helping me.” -- Oscar, Centinela State Prison
Your monthly donation will help prison library expenses and our travel costs to reach the prisons. Please help if you can by setting up a monthly $10 donation or a one-time year-end gift. I know our Dharma brothers in the state prison system will be eternally grateful.
Amitofo,
Shirley Tam
Secretary, International Bodhisattva Sangha
