I have been inspired to write this book by a group of men I had the wonderful opportunity to meet during the summer of 2014 at two Texas state prisons. I am still humbled and in awe of the spirit with which these men practiced and sought out the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra, frequently referred to as simply the Lotus Sutra. Why is this book necessary? The state and federal prison population has skyrocketed over the past several years. While the number of inmates has grown, there has been only small contributions from Nichiren Shu to help prisoners face the challenge of practicing according to Nichiren's doctrines in that unique environment. I don't feel I have the luxury of ignoring the need, especially after what I experienced in Texas. What has emerged through the process of writing this book is not something to replace the Lotus Sutra Practice Guide but a book to be used perhaps in support of the program the Practice Guide outlined. This book I hope will be of the most benefit to the many inmates who may be desiring to practice Buddhism, any brand of Buddhism, and find themselves without a teacher to help them. This book is a guide to daily life as a Buddhist in a hostile and unsupportive as well as uneducated environment. This book is not intended to inform the general public about prison life. It is written solely for inmates. However, non-incarcerated individuals may enjoy and benefit from reading this book.
I have been inspired to write this book by a group of men I had the wonderful opportunity to meet during the summer of 2014 at two Texas state prisons. I am still humbled and in awe of the spirit with which these men practiced and sought out the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra, frequently referred to as simply the Lotus Sutra. Why is this book necessary? The state and federal prison population has skyrocketed over the past several years. While the number of inmates has grown, there has been only small contributions from Nichiren Shu to help prisoners face the challenge of practicing according to Nichiren's doctrines in that unique environment. I don't feel I have the luxury of ignoring the need, especially after what I experienced in Texas. What has emerged through the process of writing this book is not something to replace the Lotus Sutra Practice Guide but a book to be used perhaps in support of the program the Practice Guide outlined. This book I hope will be of the most benefit to the many inmates who may be desiring to practice Buddhism, any brand of Buddhism, and find themselves without a teacher to help them. This book is a guide to daily life as a Buddhist in a hostile and unsupportive as well as uneducated environment. This book is not intended to inform the general public about prison life. It is written solely for inmates. However, non-incarcerated individuals may enjoy and benefit from reading this book.
