Zazen and Rehabilitation from Violence

"Meditating day in and out in seclusion-- was something like standing before God telling him everything that I'd done, and genuinely being sorry for it. All my past surfaced-- the guilt -- the shame, the moments of anger...I gained the strength to face myself and learn more of myself. Never before had I experienced anything like this."

Willie Carroll in The Dhamma Brothers


I recently read a remarkable book, The Dhamma Brothers, which describes the evolution of a Vipassana meditation program in a maximum security prison in Alabama. Eighteen inmates participated in a 10 day retreat in the prison gymnasium, with 2 Vapissana teachers. The book is a collection of letters from the inmates over the course of 4 years which describe the profound effects of daily meditation practice on these men, most of whom were in prison for life. If you are pessimistic about the effects of meditation on the lives, moral insight, and habits of anyone, this book will completely turn your ideas on their head. Read it, see the documentary.