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Austin Shabhala Prison Project
We stand huddled together at the gate to the Terrace Unit of Gatesville’s Women’s Prison. It’s cold, and windy, a sharp contrast to the warm weather we left in Austin two hours earlier. Karuna, Miriam and I huddle together, and a guard shouts from the corner tower, "We’re looking for the person with the key." Finally, a guard appears, and we enter the outer gate, through the 12 foot high fence topped with razor wire. We sign in, the guard inspects our identification, and we enter the prison through a second gate.
The Terrace Unit, at a glance, could be a middle school from the 70's, a scattering of one story brick buildings, contained within a grassy area the size of a football field. A few guards in gray, and a few women in white uniforms walk here and there. We walk to the main building, which houses administration, the cafeteria, a clinic, and the libraries, following the yellow lines that circumscribe the route of all prisoners - no shortcuts here. Though we’re officially on the books as a Buddhist Chaplaincy program, we inform the guard that the prison chaplain has authorized this as an "open service", so anyone can attend. We’re assigned the smaller library unit, walls lined with a variety of well-worn books, and wait to see who arrives.
Becky and Lisa enter. We’ve met Becky before - I gave her meditation instruction two months earlier, and she’s been practicing, she says. Karuna has corresponded with Lisa, who tells us that her Thai mother was a Buddhist. Surprisingly, we learn that Jennifer, our main contact at the prison and a new but devoted practitioner, has been released - she’s 26 years old, now free and back in East Texas after 10 years in lock-up. Three more women arrive, Melanie, Patricia, and Rachel. All of the women are young, maybe early 30's at the oldest, most probably in their mid-twenties. We introduce ourselves, and go around our small circle talking about our religious roots, about what brought us here today. The women are shy, but gradually open up, seemingly helped by Miriam, Karuna, and I telling our own stories. It’s a diverse group - White, Black, Hispanic, Asian - Christian, Jewish, Atheist, Buddhist... And it’s clear that, despite our varied backgrounds, we’re all seeking peace of mind.
I talk a bit about meditation, and the women ask good questions. I stumble through the inevitable "what about reincarnation?" question. These women know suffering, and they want peace. Meditation instruction is given, and we practice a bit together. One woman says the silence makes her anxious, and I’m not surprised. It’s very quiet in the library; the people walking by in the adjoining hallway are silent, and I’m aware of the ticking clock and a bird singing outside. Days for these women begin at 4 a.m., loudly, harshly, and continue until 10 p.m. - TVs and radios blaring, doors slamming, yelling, talking... not the contemplative environment for meditation we all seek. This quiet time with us in the library is the eye of the storm for them.
We practice a bit more, and talk about the benefits of short daily practice, and Becky shares that it was difficult for her to begin practicing on her dorm, to set herself apart as "different." But she has persevered, and we talk about Warriorship, befriending our fears. Miriam gives walking instruction, and we circumnambulate the small library tables a few times - perhaps this will be a useful practice as they walk about the prison grounds.
We end with a few words on Basic Goodness, on our common ground as human beings, and we celebrate this in a communal bow to one another. We’ve overstayed our two hours, but the women linger to talk to us individually, before they leave for Sunday dinner, "green hot dogs," one laughs, served at 3:30. They discuss ways to practice and to invite women from other units to our visits, and we inform them of how to correspond, and of our next visit the second weekend in April.
The guard who opens the gates for us talks about fishing with her husband and children, and then we’re outside, walking toward the car. We’re out; they’re in. Our lives, in comparison, are so easy. It’s been a very tender day, and we are grateful.
Jake Lorfing, Austin Shambhala Center
Projects.
Buddhist Meditation Group, Terrace Unit, Gatesville
Contacts.
Karuna Ananda, (512) 266-7862, karunaja@yahoo.com.
Shambhala Center, 443-3263, www.austin.shambhala.org.
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