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Vendor
Fritz Agency
Christian Dittus
Original language
English

THE BUDDHA IN JAIL

Cuong Lu

Cuong Lu, a Buddhist monk who works as a prison chaplain in the Netherlands, writes about how facing suffering (non-denial) can be a source of happiness, reframing Buddhism's "first noble truth."

Cuong Lu was "one of the first Buddhist prison chaplains in the Netherlands. In The Buddha in Jail, Cuong shares his stories and teachings in the Dutch prison system, working with hardened criminals, mostly by sitting with them in deep presence. He was able to do that because he recognized the humanness and vulnerability of each of these very tough men. (...) Read these stories carefully, a few at a time, and apply them to our encounters with those who have acted badly, those we don't particularly like, and ourselves, for all these dialogues are taking place within each of us all the time." (from the foreword by Roshi Joan Halifax)

BUDDHA HINTER GITTERN
Meditation - das Tor zur Freiheit
Deutsch von Maike und Stephan Schuhmacher
[ HC Edition Spuren 08/2020]
Available products
Book

Published by OR Books

Comments

US trade paperback: Counterpoint. Netherlands: Unieboek/Spectrum;

In The Buddha in Jail, Cuong Lu demonstrates how to be in a helping relationship without getting caught in roles. As a prison chaplain, he did not attach to the idea of being a helper, or even of “helping.” He sat quietly, deeply present with each inmate, and saw each of them as a soul, not just their personality or their troubled past. By dwelling in love with each person, accepting them without judgment, one by one they transformed, and their recidivism was close to zero. I congratulate Cuong Lu for the depth of his prison ministry and this beautiful book. -- Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now and Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying