A Place of Practice

7/30/2019 A Place of Practice

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BIONA Books Proudly Presents:

A Place Of Practice

By Carlton Carr

Other BIONA Books

IntroductionBy BIONA Director Stephen L. Klick

You are about to read a very special book. Mr. Carlton Carr is aremarkable man; in fact, he is one of the great Dharma heroes of ourera although it is clear to the people around him that he does not thinkof himself in these terms. This book is exceptional because it tells thestory of a courageous man but it is perhaps even more remarkable forthe things the author doesnt choose to tell us. There is no bitterness

to be found here and yet Carlton has fought the good fight against asystem that has tried to crush him and break his spirit. He could havebeen freed much sooner if he had simply stopped trying to spread theDharma but he decided instead to work for the sake of all sentientbeings. It is not always easy or comfortable to do what is right,sometimes there is a price that has to be paid but it is essential thatwe follow our conscience and behave in what we consider to be amoral manner. Carlton decided that it was more important for the
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dharma to be taught than it was for him to experience personalfreedom a little sooner and because he made that decision hispersonal ministry has flourished and blossomed.I have experienced some of the same hostile attitudes that Carlton hasbeen forced to deal with. BIONA is located in approximately the same

geographic area, the North American Midwest, a region known to therest of the United States as "the Bible belt." Our first few years herewere quite dramatic; sometimes we received death threats, while otherpeople offered to beat us until we saw what they described as"reason." We had the occasional phone call from sincere people whowere genuinely concerned and wanted us to know that we wereeternally damned for not attending the proper church. People feltentitled to knock on our door and tell us that we were not needed,wanted, or welcome in the area that we initially inhabited. There weretimes when I was concerned for the safety of my wife and child and wewere occasionally nervous about opening packages that came to the

office but we persevered and these unpleasant attitudes eventuallyfaded away.Unfortunately, this has not been the case so far for Carlton. He is livingin a controlled environment; one that has made the deliberate choiceto not play by its own openly stated rules. BIONA sends religiousmaterial to inmates all over the North American continent but we havenever encountered an institution quite like the one Mr. Carr currentlyinhabits. The problems have been enormous and yet he haspersevered and ultimately, he will triumph.

Authors Preface

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the numerous beingsthat have dedicated their time to teaching the Buddhas holy Dharma.This book deals with the reality of practicing the Dharma while living inprison because I am now, and have been for some time an inmate inthe Western Missouri Correctional Center. I hope that this book willbring benefit to all who are imprisoned in facilities around the world aswell as those that dwell in the prison of self delusion.

Chapter One

Maras Grasp


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My mother was a deeply religious woman who devoted most of hermarried life to the vain attempt of instilling these same spiritual valuesinto the mind and heart of my father. My father was not a bad or evilperson, however, he saw himself as a worldly man whose mainconcern was supplying us with adequate material comforts.

Occasionally, for my mothers sake (and to keep peace in the family) hewould devote a little time to religion but it was easy to see that he wasnever really interested in spiritual matters.I was raised in the Christian faith so I was given a proper set of moralguidelines to live by. When I was very young I was especially close tomy mother. At the age of twelve my father felt that my childhood wasover so he started taking me with him to his job sites to teach me toprepare to take my place in the working world. When I wasnt atschool, I was working with my father and I seriously began to resenthim because I never had "free-time." I often felt that I was nothingmore than his personal slave but later on into my teens I was able to

work at various jobs such as an underwater salvage diver, a carpenterand even a mechanic. My father gave all of these skills to me and I amnow very grateful to him for what he taught me.I do not propose to talk a great deal about my early years because Ihave already discussed some of these events in my second book, "TheSearch Within." I will say that I honestly felt myself to be a moralperson while growing up. The Christian religion was forced on me and Ideeply resented it because it seemed to me to be irrational andimpractical. When I felt in need of spiritual help I did all the things thatI had been taught but none of them helped me. After calling on god toassist me on numerous occasions without the slightest benefit or result

I became deeply disillusioned with the whole Christian Church. I gaveup on the idea of god and experimented with different spiritualpractices but none of them provided the support I needed. None ofthem seemed real to me. I finally decided that I could rely on no oneand nothing but myself.I had left home and found a fairly good job working as a diver. The paywas pretty good but I felt trapped. There was a void in my life andnothing seemed to help anymore. I was deeply disillusioned. In thepast I could find peace in the outdoors, camping and spending daysalone in the deep woods just thinking about things.I began to battle severe depression; my life seemed to be upside down

somehow. The harder I tried to struggle against these feelings theworse they became. I no longer felt satisfaction in the things that usedto make me happy. I was simply going through the motions of daily lifeand nothing was important to me anymore. It was one of the mostmiserable times of my life.It became apparent to me that some kind of change was essential so Ireturned home, thinking that a change of scene would doubtlessbenefit me. My father got me a job with the same company he worked
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for so during the week my dad and I worked out of town and spent theweekends with the family.After the first few months I began to make new friends and through myconnections to them I met a young woman and we began dating. Shewas quite different from anyone else I had ever met before. The plain

truth is that we were not good for each other. Instead of supportingeach other and being stronger together, we shared similar weaknessesand the resulting combination was more than merely unfortunate: itwas potentially disastrous.

I am not blaming anyone else for the mess that resulted. I could haveturned away from an unsuitable relationship and I didnt have to spendmost of my free time with bad companions. I knew that I was on acollision course with tragedy and I simply didnt care. The only peoplethat I truly brought benefit to in this period of my life were the localbreweries. I was very supportive of them!

Beer helped me to think of myself as a "tough guy" and my newgirlfriend thoroughly approved of the change. If you could have metme a few years ago you probably would not have liked me; for thatmatter, I didnt like myself very much either. Like most people labeled"criminals" my worst crimes have been committed against myself.

The problem with being a "tough guy" is that there is always someonebigger, faster and stronger than you are. Throughout most of humanhistory men have devoted their lives to the mastery of variousweapons in an attempt to improve their chances of survival against

opponents who might have natural advantages due to size andstrength. It was an American inventor named Colt who developed whatcame to be known as the "Great Equalizer." The average modernrevolver has a trigger pull of two and one half pounds; this means thata ninety-pound woman can kill a two hundred and fifty pound manquite easily, and still have four or five rounds left over for extra targetopportunities. Thats progress!

Looking back with the advantage of hindsight I clearly see that drugsor alcohol truly change a persons character. While I was under theinfluence of alcohol my entire personality changed. People often

separate drugs from alcohol by putting them into different categories,but this is nonsense. Alcohol is a depressant and quite possibly thenastiest drug ever discovered by human kind. Its responsible for moredisease, general sickness, and death than every other illegal drug,even when the numbers for all the other illicit drugs are combinedtogether. Alcohol is more addictive than heroin and you can buy itlegally all over the country as long as you have a few dollars in yourjeans to pay for it. This is tragic for a lot of people, but there are also


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persons who can drink moderately over an entire lifetime and not haveproblems. I have no idea which category I fall into.

As a younger man the combination of beer and bad company led me toembark on a series of escapades that I considered merely rebellious,

but that I now realize were stupidly criminal. All crime is basicallystupid. Society exists so that human beings can flourish in safety. Weband together for mutual protection against the hostilities of aplanetary environment that can devour you if you make a singlemistake.

I know this because Ive spent time in the wilderness where onemisstep can be the difference between life and death. So many of uslive in cities now that we forget, or never learned how dangerous thisplanet really can be.

My first criminal act came as a result of my perceived need to bebigger and stronger than I was naturally. I decided to becomedangerous so that people who had as little judgment as I did at thetime would respect me.

I became dangerous by obtaining an arsenal of guns. Unfortunately Ichose to acquire them by breaking into a store and stealing them. Thiswas so easy to do that it stunned me. I felt that I had made animportant discovery; I could take whatever I wanted with noconsequences to myself.

This illusion was quickly shattered when I was arrested for the crime. Iwas placed on probation because I had no previous criminalbackgroundthis would have given many people the idea thatpersonal reform was in order, but I had a great deal of pride and Ibecame quite bitter at the way I was treated by the police authoritiesafter I was released back into the community.

I honestly do not know if I would have attempted to change my life if Ihad been left alone, but I never had the chance to find out. I becameone of the elements that must be policed from society for the good ofus all.

One year later I was more knowledgeable about police behavior andvery bitter. It was not a great surprise to me when heavily armed mendressed in blue surrounded my house. It did surprise me that after abrief interval, they packed up, returned to their vehicles and left. Whatdid this mean? I was soon to discover that new charges had been filedagainst me and that the police had left that day because they decidedthat I wasnt at home. I have no idea how they reached this conclusion.


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I suspect that they thought I would have shot at them if I had beenpresent, although I have never shot or killed any human being.

I concluded that discretion was the better part of valor so I left thearea, after thinking about it for a time I realized I did not want to spend

my time running from this kind of trouble, so I turned myself in.

A few hours of police hospitality quickly convinced me that I had beenover hasty in my judgment so I escaped. It was easy enough, but Icouldnt see spending the rest of my life running so I returned.Officially I was "recaptured."

I was sentenced to seven years in prison. The judge seemed to betelling me that I would be serving time not for what I had done, but forwhat I could possibly decide to do in the future.

Ive been around law enforcement officers and criminals for some timenow and to be honest, there isnt much of a difference between them.Both groups practice violence, both groups tend to see things fromonly their own viewpoint, both groups are feared and disliked and bothgroups are immature. No honest citizen seeks the company of eithergroup because theyre both feared for good reason. Socially they havemuch in common, probably because they spend so much time in eachothers company. While criminals as a class honestly feel that theymake more money, they seem to ignore the fact that they spend timein prison, and that convicts earn pennies per day, which pulls themback into the same class as the average law enforcement officer.

It seems to me that people of even moderate intelligence would dowell to avoid both occupations. There is a great deal of mentalsuffering involved for people who engage in either choice. Nobody intheir right mind wants to live or work in a prison. Police officers alsohave the same kind of health problems that the criminal class has toendure. They both abuse drugs and alcohol, and law enforcementofficers have the added risk of one of the highest suicide rates for anyjob.

This is the story about how I ended up serving time in prison. Ive spent

a lot of time thinking about this and I do not want to mislead you.Would the officers involved in this tell it to you differently? You betcha!The version I heard in court was wildly funny for its zany distortions,but maybe the men involved actually saw it that way.

As I said, police are very similar to criminals in many ways, they live intheir own special world, however, there is one major difference;officers always seem to see themselves as heroes of their own


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personal movie scripts. They also write the reports that are considered"factual."

I broke the law and I deserve to be where I am. I dont worry aboutjustice much anymore because cause and effect is quite impartial and

things always even out. I want you to understand who I am and where Icome from so that the rest of this book makes sense to you. The otherchapters deal with practicing Dharma while being in prison. Of course,there are many kinds of prisons. Someday soon Ill be walking out ofthe door of my prison. I hope that you have the same good fortune.

Chapter Two

The Prison Environment

The society within a prison is a direct reflection of the civilization that creates it. Time

spent in a Missouri Prison means exposure to violence, hatred and ridicule from

undereducated prison guards who firmly believe that all inmates require continual

punishment for whatever crimes they committed or were at least convicted for. This goesa long way to explain why so many prisoners are dumped back into society only to re-

offend and return to prison.

If your pet dog wets on your carpet, you might smack him with a rolled up newspaperand teach him that what he did was wrong. If you want to eradicate your problem you

teach the animal to go outdoors to eliminate waste products. You do not lock the dog up

for years and beat him every few hours during that time period or what you end up with is

a crazy animal.

Most prison inmates are socially maladjusted to a certain degree, but many could be

helped to return and become productive members of society if that were the goal of theprison system. At the present time, those inmates that successfully rehabilitate

themselves do so in spite of the system that they are exposed to.

Some prison inmates simply dont belong here at all; they are innocent victims of social

injustice. These persons suffer in ways that are beyond my poor descriptive powers.

Society used to make a joke about this saying that, Prison is full of innocent people,

But the recent development of DNA techniques has demonstrated that, in fact, people aresometimes wrongfully convicted.

Ive noted with some interest that prosecutors often fight to keep these people in prisonanyway. After all, they had their trial and they lost their casethey were convicted. It

seems strange to me that there is no public outcry against this kind of immoral behavior.

Ive also noted that prosecutors who are caught lying in court, or who are detectedsuppressing evidence receive no punishment for their actions, although it is considered a

crime for a citizen to behave in the same manner.


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Of course, some inmates are deeply disturbed beings and will probably never experience

rehabilitation in this lifetime, but the current system we have in place seems perfectlyhappy to discard thousands of lives every year like so much unwanted trash.

Many of the people being discarded are poor, or belong to disenfranchised minorities.Oddly enough, there are no rich, powerful white male prisoners here; they have their own

special institutions. All of these factors play a big role in the mindset of the average

Missouri prisoner. For instance, when President George Bush Jr. described his childrensabuse of cocaine as merely youthful indiscretions the people here serving mandatory

time for the same offence were deeply affected and embittered.

The first day a new convict arrives his life is changed forever. The first thing thathappens to the new arrival is public humiliation. He is striped naked in front of hundreds

of people, guards and prisoners, comments are made, many of them of a sexual nature.

Many prisoners become sexual predators and this is their first chance to examine

potential victims. Guards do not discourage this behavior, and often participate in thefun. Nobody works in a prison for the money, which is negligible.

Inmates are placed in roughly three categories, violent, semi-violent and passive. Each

group is housed according to the assessment of the guards, but these people are not kept

separate from one another. This system encourages tragic abuse.

When I first arrived I was assigned to a Level Five camp, which is maximum security.

We were locked into cells for twenty-two hours per day. We had one hour for meals,

twenty minutes each for breakfast, lunch, and supper.

I will not inflict on your sensibilities a description of what passes for food here, but I will

add that the entire community could greatly benefit if the basics of sanitation andnutrition were roughly understood and practiced.

The other hour was supposedly reserved for recreation, after spending twenty two hoursin a cell that measured eight by twelve, this should have been the period of greatest

happiness but the system seemed to be created to cause as much friction and violence as

possible. Somewhere between two hundred and fifty to three hundred prisoners were

released at a time into an area that held one television set and four phones. There was nosupervision in this area and there was no time limit set on phone use. This inevitably led

to violent confrontations, which amused the guards to no end. I soon realized that this

was their period of recreation, not ours. The guards hugely enjoyed violence, as long asit wasnt directed at them.

If you dont intend to be sexually molested, you must fight to defend yourself. After thishas happened four or five times the predators leave you alone. The punishment for

fighting another inmate is one day in The Hole (Solitary Confinement.) However, if

you choose to sleep through head-count you are locked away for one or two months in

solitary confinement. The message is soon absorbed; Violence is good, passive


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resistance is very bad.

I watched people change in appalling ways over a period of time as this system took holdof them. It really surprised me that those persons who actually tried to change in a

positive manner were actively discouraged. The problem wasnt the inmates, people

settled into groups where they were accepted and understood. However, the guardsseemed to have a vested interest in keeping people unhappy. There are some deeply

disturbed men currently working in the prison system. Anyone who changed very much

in a positive way soon found himself in trouble. A little bit of religion was all right if youdidnt take it too seriously, and if it was the right kind of dogma.

My first year locked up was spent observing prison life and battling severe mental

depression. I read, lifted weights and tried to cope with a system that dehumanizedeveryone involved with it on either side of the bars.

Things kept getting worse for me; I found no joy in anything at all anymore and soon

even my friends began to notice the difference in me. My best friend tried to preach theBible to me in an effort to instill some hope in me but that had absolutely no effect at all.

I didnt know it yet, but I was about to hit my psychological rock bottom point. From

here there would be nowhere for me to go but up. I was about to discover who I really

was and why I was here in the world. In a short time I would discover my mission in lifeand everything would change.

Chapter Three

The Unfolding of the Lotus

There are many possible entrances to the path of truth. During the early days of myprison life I had learned that I could turn my talent for drawing into a profitable sideline

by tattooing inmates.

Every convict has some kind of side-job or scam that allows him to earn extra money.

Of course, actually money is not permitted so a kind of barter system has developed over

time. Cigarettes are a valuable form of currency so everybody uses cigarettes, even if

they dont smoke. Anything of value can be and is used for barter.

If you work in the laundry, even clean uniforms can become part of the complex deals

that exist. Most inmates get fresh clothes a few times each week, but some convicts arehigher in the prison social order and want clean clothes every day. Having these clean

clothes pressed and starched of course sets the individual apart. It is a mark of distinction

that proves his special status and demonstrates his power.


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To get these uniforms many things can be exchanged, candy bars, cigarettes, illegal dope,

weapons, or possibly even simple intimidation. This is only one example of the jailhouse

economic structure.

I mention all of this because it was my talent for tattooing others that led me to the

Dharma. It seemed like more misfortune when I was caught in the middle of performingmy artthe result was sixty days in the hole.

I was now at one of the lowest points in my lifeI seemed to be living in the blackest pitof despair. I seriously began to consider suicide as a solution to my endless problems.

Many people envision the hole as a place of quiet solitudeits more like an angry war

zone. Inmates spend their time yelling abuse at the guards, flooding their cells by

deliberately backing up the toilet in their cell, ripping up paper and throwing it about, orthe big favorite, keeping milk until it sours and then throwing it all over the units floor.

I didnt really need sixty days of this nonsense to drive me even crazier than I was

already. I now realize that there is a point in the human mind that represents the lowestpossible state. Sometimes its necessary for us to reach this condition before we began to

fight back. I hit my personal bottom during my first week in the hole and stayed there,exploring the depths until the end of week three.

It was in my last week that something amazing happened to me. I had a dream. It was apeaceful dream about walking on a road, the details arent very important really; it was

the amazing tranquility I experienced that so impressed me. The dream ended with my

discovery of some kind of flower that I had never seen before. While the memory of the

flower stayed in the back of my mind, it was the peace I felt that really impressed me atthe time.

When I was returned to the population my best friend approached me because he wanteda tattoo for his birthday. We had seen a program on the Discovery Channel that showed a

picture of an oriental dragon and he wanted that dragon badly.

I tried to draw it on paper, but couldnt get it right, so we went to the library to look for

oriental artwork. We searched through numerous books but had no luck. I then decided

to try the encyclopedia and to my surprise I discovered the flower that I had dreamed

about. This was kind of a weird experience but it was also exciting.

The flower was a Lotus Blossom, which in Buddhism is the symbol of cause and effect. I

knew a little bit about Buddhist koans from my friend, Winston, (See, The Search

Within) but I had never encountered a Lotus Flower.

I now became intensely interested in Buddhism and quickly read all of the booksavailable on the subject. However, there wasnt a great deal of information. I did learn

about the four noble truths and the eightfold path, as well as the basic teachings on

Karma and Rebirth.
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Since I had exhausted the teachings available in the library, my next step was to visit the

chapel in search of more books. I found one. It was written by a professor who studied

Buddhism from the outside as academic research, but it did contain some sutras, which Igleefully copied and studied.

It was at this point that I began my practice of reciting the three jewels (See, TheSearch Within) and I made a small shrine in my cell with a picture of the Buddha as the

centerpiece. I began to seriously practice everyday and my mind began to heal.

I was discovering that I could exist in this unpleasant environment in a state of mental

peace. In a short time my friends began to notice a big difference in me and they wanted

to know what had happened. This simple beginning was the start of my teaching

ministry.

However, I was hungry for more information and there was nothing available. I looked

in a Kansas City Phone Book and found the address for an organization called SGI. I

wrote to them asking for books or material that they could give me so that I couldcontinue my studies. I never heard a word from them.

Weeks later, a group in Kansas City called Buddhist Information of North America

(BIONA) sent me a letter saying that the SGI had forwarded my letter to them and that

they would send me all the material I needed. I requested a few Suttas that I had heardabout and later that week I received them!

The person I was writing to at BIONA turned out to be the director, a man namedStephen Klick. I wrote to him asking for more teachings, and he sent meThe Heart

Sutra and The Diamond Sutra. This was the beginning of my studies of the Mahayana

Teachings and they had a dramatic effect on my life and practice.

Of course all students should study both Theravada and Mahayana texts because they are

the profound teachings of the Buddha and we need both kinds of teachings to become

successful practitioners.

At this point I received another letter from Stephen telling me that he would start a

continuous study course for me that would be centered on the teachings ofThe

Threefold Lotus Sutra and the writings of his teacher, Nichiren. He sent me a copy ofThe Threefold Lotus Sutra and some writings ofNichiren calledGosho.

As I studied and practiced my faith began to become strong and I was resolved to followthis path. I became determined to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.

I was beginning to transform inside from a hardened convict into a golden lotus flower

blossoming in the new morning sun.

Chapter Four
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The Tattooed Bodhisattva

After a few months I had acquired a fairly extensive Buddhist library inmy cell. I devoted all of my time to the Dharma. Even my art reflectedthis as I drew nothing but Bodhisattvas or Dharma related symbols. My

teacher will not take money from students, nor will he acceptdonations. I wanted to offer something back to him to show mygratitude and he told me that an example my artwork would be anappropriate gift.

Ive sent him two handkerchiefs, which I spent a great deal of time onand he was very grateful. [Ive seen them, and they are very beautiful!I am going to ask him to do some artwork for the website BIONAWebmaster]It was enormously difficult to practice in a situation where noise anddistraction was the rule, rather than an exceptional occurrence. My

teacher lives in a world of silence but it was seldom quiet here. I nowbelieve that overcoming this hardship has made my mind and practicestronger.

I learned that noise is not a distraction unless you allow it to disturbyour mind. Noise simply is. You can learn a great deal from observingsound. It has a beginning, middle, and end like all phenomena. Thesounds that once annoyed me actually helped me to advance in myDharma practice.

The things my teacher had begun telling me about the four noble

truths suddenly became clear to me. The first noble truth is that life issuffering because it is not satisfying. It is fragile and temporary. This isan easy thing to understand in the situation I was in. However, thenoise factor suddenly made clear to me what Steve was telling meabout the second truth.

The Second noble truth is expressed as the origin of suffering, butwhat I now directly realized is that extra pain is caused in the mindbecause we struggle against the nature of whatever reality weexperience. Yes, life is inherently suffering, but we make things worsebecause we cling to mental fantasies and become attached, instead of

accommodating ourselves to things as they actually are. The thirdnoble truth is that peace or happiness is not dependant on ourenvironment. You can be happy anywhere because, as my teacherexplained to me, "It is not what happens to us, it is how we respond tothe things that happen to us that makes us happy or miserable." Thefourth noble truth is the eightfold path that shows us how to practice ifwe truly want to end suffering. (See "Walking on the Path" for moreinformation about the Eightfold Path.)
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As my understanding of the Dharma grew, Steve made it clear to methat teaching is not an honor it is a responsibility. It is really the nextlevel for any advanced student that wants to continue to learn anddevelop spiritually.

I accepted the fact that helping others to free themselves from themorass of suffering was my next task, but how was I to accomplish thisin such a hellish environment? I had to find a method that would allowme to reach others, but prison is a completely different kind of societyso methods considered normal on the outside simply wouldnt workhere.I tried talking to inmates who were obviously in deep states ofsuffering, but my first efforts met with little success. I decided that Ineeded something solid that would show I knew what I was talkingabout before anyone would take me seriously.

So I focused my energies on writing a book, which my teacherpromised he would make available to others if it turned out. My effortswere well rewarded when BIONA published "Walking on the Path." Thebook did well in the world outside of these prison walls and has nowbeen read by thousands of people.

Im glad that it was able to bring benefit to English speaking people allaround the world, but my ministry needed to be centered on the prisonpopulation because these people are societies discards, and to me thiswas intolerable.

My first book gave me a voice that other inmates could suddenly hear.I had something substantial that I could place in their hands. It alsoshowed them that they could accomplish things while sitting in a cell.

It was during my study of "The Lotus Sutra" that I started thinkingabout expedient means. The Buddha taught people according to theirlevel of understanding. How would Shakyamuni have reached the menin this prison? He would have had to take a unique approach to thisparticular segment of society, as conventional methods probablywouldnt have worked well. He would have been interested in seeing

results, not in whether or not the methods he used broke theconservative teaching mold. I now had an intellectual approach toreach inmates, but very few of the men in here are actually thecerebral scholarly type.

I decided that I must find a way of planting the seed ofNam MyohoRenge Kyo into their lives because it would eventually come tofruition in one lifetime or another if they would only sincerely make the
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effort to chant even one time. This Buddhism is the doctrine of plantingas well as of the harvest. The lotus flower is used as the symbol of thisteaching because the lotus produces seeds and fruit simultaneously.

Many Buddhists believe that you create a cause and then later receive

an effect. This is simply not the case. Cause and effect aresimultaneous; once you make a cause the effect immediately results,although the effect is often stored away as energy until the propercircumstances prevail.

Once again it was tattooing that gave me the opening I needed. I hadthe mantra tattooed on my back and the results were immediate.Inmates would stop me and ask what the words meant and I wouldthen have the opportunity to talk to them about it. It wasnt hard to getthem to repeat the phrase, especially after I explained that they couldget good things just by respectfully chanting the words.

I do not recommend this course of action on the outside world, andthere are probably teachers who will hear of this and feel that what Idid was wrong or disrespectful. My best response to this is that thetactic fit the environment and it worked. It was results I was looking forand I got them. My personal ministry began to grow. When I leaveprison I can always preach dharma with my shirt on, so this wontreally be a problem.

Tattooing also brought me what I really wanted most, a student whowould continue my work when I left here. I met another young man

who did tattoo work and we became close friends. At first it was onlythe tattooing that we shared in common that brought us together butsoon he was asking me about the phrase on my back and he became asincere dharma practitioner. His faith and resolve were soon testedwhen his beloved father died. His fathers death proved a valuabledharma lesson about the transitory nature of all phenomena.

The prison Dharma movement continues to grow at a rapid rate allover the North American continent. While there are some organizationsthat are supporting this movement the sad truth is that very fewteachers are willing to make themselves available to students in prison

and that Dharma materials are difficult to come by. It is my hope thatbooks like the one you are currently reading will open the minds andhearts of Dharma practitioners everywhere so that this challengingsituation can be overcome.

Chapter Five


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Climbing the Mountain

As the Buddhist Movement in our home away from home grew largerwe suddenly began to encounter difficulties. At first, we were told thathaving a room to meet and practice in was not a problem, and then

suddenly it proved to be impossible. This certainly was not due to alack of space, for other religious groups had rooms they werepermitted to use.

We began to meet in various cells for practice and study. Initially, thiswas not a problem. Then we were told that this would have to stop. Weheld smaller meetings in different places but this was also somehowwrong.

The men who showed serious interest in Buddhist practice weresuddenly moved into widely separated locations in different buildings.

Books that my teacher mailed to me were now being returned to him,although they had been previously approved.

Several of our members wanted to contact the American Civil LibertiesUnion and complain about this repressive behavior but I talked themout of it. Buddhism is a way of life and anger didnt seem like anappropriate response to me. When you encounter hatred the best wayto respond is with love and tolerance.

Steve told me that if you practice "The Lotus Sutra" and trulypropagate its teachings then you were certain to encounter

persecution. However, the prison communally is like a small village andit soon became known that we were talking about the ACLU.

I dont know if that was the reason for the sudden change, but we weretold that we could now form a prison Sangha. I immediately set to workon forming a set of guidelines that we could follow. We decided by voteto call ourselves the "Good Virtue Sangha." This was a name that Ithought could have been improved upon but doubtless it would havechanged over time.

We decided that we would follow the teachings of Nichiren and "The

Lotus Sutra." It was also decided that I would create a set of principlesfor the members of the community to live by.

This was the outline that I came up with.1. Following the Three Conditions--Each Member must undertake to:


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a. Be Filial and respectful to their parents and Teachers. Further, eachmember should develop compassion, vow not to kill any living thing,and observe the ten wholesome actions.b. Take refuge in the triple gem, obey the laws of the land, and alwaysbehave in a proper and dignified manner.

c. Generate the Mind of a Bodhisattva, properly understand the law ofcause and effect, and encourage others to advance on the path toenlightenment.2. Follow The Six Principles of Harmony:3. Following the Three Learnings:(See "The Search Within" for more details.)For the next few months this projects was approved several times andthen "totally out of the question." By the time the Chaplain took thenames of those who definitely wanted to participate the number ofmen willing to put their name on such a list had dwindled to ten.Convicts can be foolish about some things but if you have not yet

developed a sense of survival by the time you enter prison, you arequickly devoured.

It had not escaped their notice that bad things were happening topeople considered Buddhist Leaders. Many of the men were quitepositive that I was doing extra time because of my activities. They arenot the only people who have expressed that opinion.

I wasnt worried about it. Steve pointed out that cause inevitably led toeffect and that the people who were behaving in this way would sufferfor what they were doing. Why should I be angry or resentful under the

circumstances? I honestly wish that they wouldnt have to pay anyconsequences at all for the things that have happened. I dont wantanyone to suffer because of my actions anymore. If there were someway for me to take this evil karma onto my own shoulders I would doso. My earnest wish is that all the people connected with this prisongrow into the best people that they can possibly become.

The department of correction was supposed to have made a decisionabout inmates being allowed to practice Buddhism at their lastmeeting. They felt that it would be impossible for our faith to bepracticed because of a lack of funds within the prison system. When I

pointed out that BIONA and other groups would provide all the neededmaterials free of charge this objection became somewhat silly. None-the-less this argument is still advanced.

After the meeting I was told that no decision had been reached. Theyintend to discuss this topic again and a decision will be announcedsometime near the end of summer. Since my release date is shortlybefore that time I now suspect that they hope that this problem will
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leave with me.

It is possible for a lazy man to sweep dirt under his own rug for a time.He then mistakenly believes that he has solved his problem and wonthave to make the effort to bend down and remove the mess. Of

course, eventually, what he ends up with is a huge mound that mustbe climbed if he wants to cross the affected area. In essence, he hassaved the energy he would have used bending over just so that he canexpend even more effort to climb the mountain he created himself.The Dept. of Corrections is smarter than the foolish man in this story;they simply lock the door of the room and convince everybody thatthere is no reason to go in there anyway.

Chapter Six

Final Thoughts

No conscious self-aware being wants to spend time being unhappy.The quest for happiness is so basic that all people unconsciously liveby this philosophy. Ive spent a great deal of time reading aboutphilosophic schools of thought and it seems to me that this is the heartof all human and animal behavior.

My teacher laughingly assured me that this makes me an adherent ofJohn Stuart Mill, a philosopher born in 1806. From my reading of theworks of Mr. Mill it seems that Stephen is correct, although it struck merather forcibly that John Stuart Mill did not write for the common man.He seemed to delight in long, obscure sentences that demandedcontinuous re-reading and the friendly assistance of a good dictionary.

Stephen told me that his works were written more for fellow academicsand were not intended for casual reading. This is most assuredly thecase.

It had always seemed to me that if you have something to say you canalways find a simple way to say it, assuming that you truly understand

what it is youre talking about in the first place.

There is enough confusion in the human mind and heart withoutpeople deliberately making things more complex then they need to be.It was Alvin Toffler who suggested that modern society is sufferingfrom too many changes coming at us much too quickly. Our species isat a crossroads and whether we climb to the heights or disappear intohistorical oblivion and vanish from the face of the Earth depends upon


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the choices we make in the next few decades.

The first chapters of this book dealt with my life and some aspects ofmy Dharma practice while engaged in a battle against social injustice. Ifreely admit that I broke the law and should pay some sort of serious

penalty for my actions. However, convicts are human and should notbe treated like demented animals. If youre going to support orendorse this kind of institutionalized brutality then it should notsurprise you when these men and women actually turn into madbeasts that return to severely bite you as often as possible.

Right now our 'free society' sends more people to prison than anyother comparable social system by a huge margin and we are nothelping or protecting these men and women at all. In fact, werebuilding more prisons.

While it is true that some people need to be locked away fromeveryone else that is not true of the majority of prisoners. Prisonshould be a place where you are trained to be a good citizen andtaught how to make an adequate living. When a person is freed, heshould repay society for the time, effort, and money weve spentteaching them to behave in a human fashion. Society should not payfor prisons, convicts should.

Why are there television sets in prison? People need to learn to readand understand fundamental things, like basic arithmetic. It isdownright simple to let people who already have behavior problems

just sit and mentally vegetate.

The current prison system is only one of the many things in our societythat does not make sense. Our food supplies are being heavily tainted,our good drinking water must be purchased in bottles because ofpollution and global warming is no longer a theory. You can see foryourself how our climate is changing.

The quality of life for the average citizen in the United States isdecreasing. Our industries have all emigrated. If World War Twohappened today we would be reduced to sending inferior hamburgers

and assorted junk food to aid our allies, because that is what ourcountry now produces. Of course, if we could have induced the fasciststo eat these things we would have ended the war in a bloodlessfashion, probably on our own terms, simply by broadcasting somethinglike, "Surrender now and well provide you with all the antacids youneed!"

Seriously, our society is drifting aimlessly into major trouble and


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nobody seems to actually be in charge. Half the population wont takepart in elections anymore, mostly because they dont believe that theirvote matters.

This kind of apathy is merely a symptom; it is a reflection of the life

condition of the people who live in our society. There is an intimateconnection between the individual and the environment. This is whymy first two books talked about the concept of Ichinen Sanzen. If thehearts and minds of the people who live in North America werehealthy, then our environment would reflect this.

The crisis we are experiencing is a direct result of our lack of moralbehavior. It is crucial for each one of us to wake up and develop intoproper human beings.

The actions that you take after reading this book will have a direct

impact on the future of the entire human species. If you do nothingthen your lack of effort will greatly contribute to the decline of humankind. Please dont think that what you do is unimportant. Every singleone of us must reform their lives if we are to have a viable future onthis planet. Everything you do matters because every action has somekind of effect on all of us.

Im not urging you to do something dramatic, like run for congress.People are overly critical of politicians, but these people are also areflection of our society. As my teacher points out in his books, politicalleaders are a product of our society, they arent a different species, nor

do they come from other planets. They are literally representative ofwhat we have created in each district, city and state. They are "we thepeople." As Walk Kelly wrote, "We have met and he is us!"

The change that you do need to make is to develop a loving heart. BartKlick, (the doughnut king himself!)wrote a wonderful book that bearsthe title, "The Loving Heart," and all of us would do well to read it. Ifyou develop a loving heart this will be reflected in the environmentaround us.

I remember a story my teacher told me about a young lady who

listened to him preach the Dharma one evening, she approached himafterwards and said, "I believe in all the things you were sayingtonight, but I have trouble with the concept of karma." Steve asked herwhy that was, and she said that most of the time cause and effectmade perfect sense, but that she couldnt stand the idea of blamingJewish victims of the Holocaust for the suffering that they had endured.He asked her, "Is it somehow better that they were totally innocent?Why is that better?"
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Of course, she was looking for someone to blame, someone she couldbe angry at, and if the Jews that died had made the causes that led tothat particular effect, it changed everything.

Steve emphasized to me that this was why it is important to do morethan merely believe in the Buddhas teachings. We must go beyondmere belief to the state of direct realization. When we realize thatvictims dont just happen then our mind is capable of being clear andwe are open to loving everyone.

If we cling to past horrors we could all be angry all the time. Why limityour anger to the Holocaust of World War Two? Many groups wereslaughtered before and certainly acts of genocide have beenperpetrated in our own lifetime. Ive met southern people who stilldespise Yankees for acts committed during the American Civil War.

Ive talked to black men who are still angry because their distantancestors were sold into slavery right after the American RevolutionaryWar.

If we all look back far enough into history we can find some reason tohate somebody for something! We need to let go of hatred and anger ifour species is ever to know peace. Has there ever been one day on thisplanet when no one was killed?

The day that this happens our species will have taken the nextevolutionary step and will have become mature. You can make this

happen by eliminating anger and violence from your own life. Whenenough of us have developed loving kindness as a way of life ourentire environment will change. This is so simple and the processbegins with you. If you close this book and walk away you are turningyour back on all of us. You really are responsible for the future of thehuman species.

Conclusion

My books seem to be getting smaller all the time. I tell myself that thisis because Im more concise. Probably this is merely a symptom of myinherent laziness. Other writers turn out books with hundreds of pages;perhaps they simply have more to say. I tried to pad this one with lotsof extra punctuation, but the BIONA Editors will undoubtedly removethe superfluous additions.Before I end this book, I would like to point


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out that you can be supportive of the Dharma work that is being donewithin the prison system.

If you would like to support the growing Dharma movement in prisons,there are practical ways you can assist the people doing this work. To

help prisoners in the United States you can contact:

Betty Lu BuckBuddhist Inmate SanghaP.O. Box 16Culp Creek, Or 97427-0016U.S.A.Betty Lu Buck is the founder of the Buddhist Inmate Sangha and isdoing wonderful work. You can send her money, dharma books,dharma tapes, dharma magazines or dharma equipment and she willsee that grateful inmates receive them and make proper use of them.

You can help inmates all over the world, including the United Statesand Canada by supporting the organization I belong to, BIONA. If youwish to support the BIONA Prison Programs please contact:

Stephen L. Klick12119 West 66th StreetShawnee, Ks 66216U.S.A.(913) 268-5722 (Kansas City Area)866.725.0900 (Toll Free in North America)

{These numbers are subject to change because BIONA grows larger allthe time and then requires more space, however, you can always findthe current numbers on the website, which is always:www.buddhistinformation.com}

BIONA Accepts Dharma Books, which are then promptly mailed toinmates. You can send money by arrangement if you talk to myteacher, Stephen L. Klick, provided that you make it clear that it is forthe inmate program. Otherwise, BIONA does not accept donations. Youcan also send gift certificates for local bakeries in care of "The

Doughnut King," Bartholomew M. Klick.

I would like to dedicate any merit attained by the writing of this bookfor the sake of all sentient beings. My earnest prayer is that all beingsbecome awakened and that they discover the path to peace andhappiness. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, NamMyoho Renge Kyo May all beings benefit.
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Carlton Carr

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