Dharma in Hell

I was drawn to this book because of my meditation practice and chosen path of serving in jails and prisons as volunteer mentor.In the Forward, Bo Lozoff drew an effectively powerful comparison with life in prison and those who work and dedicate lifetimes as volunteers, such as he and his wife have done, to the Greek legend of Sisyphus... rolling a huge boulder up a mountain, watching it roll down, then trudging down the mountain to roll it up again and again. He states, "For all our devotion, for all our efforts to change and humanize the system, the prison system doesn't get better, it just rolls back down to the bottom and, in fact, gets worse.""Dharma In Hell, The Prison Writings of Fleet Maull" was a quick read for me because of my genuine interest in meditation behind walls, how it affects inmates on the "inside" of their minds, techniques they use to still their minds amidst unfathomable chaos, terror, unceasing noise, danger and in general non-spiritually-oriented living conditions. I am overwhelmed with awe at Mr. Maull's willingness and ability to surrender to his numerous Buddhist teachers' pleas for Fleet to accept his responsibilty and follow his practice in prison on the path of service to becoming "enlightened."Chapter 1 - Practicing in Prisons and Charnel Grounds:"Charnel grounds are Indian and Tibetan cemeteries for the poor where traditionally yogis have gone to meditate on death and impermanence." He continues to explain in depth the reason meditating in charnel grounds is necessary for "yogis determined to liberate themselves," in order to come to terms with one's fear of death and the unknown and let go of earthly attachments. I felt a bit squeamish reading the particulars on the decaying bodies with wild beasts preying on the corpses, yet also fascinated, wondering if I could claim liberation in such a setting or run screaming. Because Maull made a strong, credible connection to the charnel grounds and made it come to life in vivid and reverent terms, it ran as a theme throughout the book, underscoring the impermanence of the brutal day-to-day life inmates remarkably, sometimes wholly, survive.This book is an inspiration. Believing that Fleet Maull transformed his formerly self-focused life into a life of service on a path of love and inner awareness, finding humor and joy in the smallest and simplest rewards is a testament to what men and women can accomplish behind high walled off shame-based living quarters or in dark, scary cemeteries where bodies lie in the open air decomposing, I take comfort knowing that we all have the opportunity to choose a life of meaning, to heal our wounds in order to be of service to others.I appreciate that Mr. Maull chose a lighter touch regards the in-depth nightmares of prison life, his "equanamous" approach, creating balance and focusing more on his meditation practice and hospice service was of great benefit to me. I especially connected with the final chapter, The Path of Service - I have been a volunteer mentor for nearly 20 years in prisons and jails, so as I read Mr. Maull's beliefs concerning what giving service is, I found myself questioning my own intentions, asking what my real reason is.When I come across a book that is understandable, well organized, thoughtful and provocative and the writer's heartfelt words and purpose resonate, hauntingly, in my mind and heart, enough to cause me to question myself by going deeply inside to find the answer, then the reward is a gift of further learning, being touched by someone else's humanity which in turn helps me to stay on my path of living "fully and properly."If you have an interest in any type of meditation, volunteerism, prison/jail life, recovery, hospice or generally are curious about how someone dramatically transformed his life while serving a 14-year prison term, I suggest you read Dharma in Hell.You can discover more about Fleet Maull's current work with his non-profit, Prison Dharma Network [...]Not only did he transform his own life on the inside, inside... now that he's outside, he is helping countless others on the inside to liberate themselves.Thank you, Mr. Maull.Pie DumasAuthor & Life Coach

Being Buddhist, I'm interested in how someone does their Buddhist practice in a trying environment such as a prison. My interest in buying this book was to know specifics how the author did it. However, this book is mainly a collection of articles written by the author for periodical publications and only talks about generalities--none of the day-to-day trials and tribulations of Buddhist practice. Nonetheless, I would recommend the book even though one does not really get a sense of the Hellish nature of his environment and how his practice was done in that environment.

I was drawn to this book by the desire to know how the author managed to develop a meditation practice in prison. His story is inspiring and motivating. I have had a desire for years to help those in prison. This book has given energy to that desire.

Fleet Maull shows by example that one can make a life even in extremely difficult circumstances. This book gives insight into life in prison as well as into profound Buddhist teachings. Very well written.

Excellent book by Fleet Maull covering prison meditation and hospice work. Fleet Maul was in prison for a number of years and used that time to meditate, start meditation groups and also work in prison Hospice. He is one of the core people doing engaged mindfulness and prison dharma. Important reading!!!

Fleet Maul writes with a clarity and directness about life in prison and how practice in prison might be like. It's an inspirational book for all uf us who practice in our everyday lives - be it outside or inside prison walls. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs to look with new eyes and an open mind at their practice.For me as a dharma mentor to a prisoner at the Pelican Bay Prison in California and without any experience of my own of doing time inside a prison this book has certainly given me some idea about what it can be to practice inside.

An honest and fascinating collection of thoughts and experiences. This book is immensley rich in wisdom. I am eager to read more of Fleet's writing.

This is a remarkable and inspiring and brutally honest description of one person's prison experience. His transformation is evidence that discipline, courage and commitment to meditation practice combined with service to others makes the difference between a life of meaning or a living death. If this model could be introduced to prisons everywhere, the whole system could become a living model for us all. Thank you Fleet Maull for all you do and have done.

Written simply and directly this book has such a ring of truth. Fleet Maull has walked the journey therefore the teaching is clear and beautiful.

A very inspiring book about someone who turns their life of drug smuggling around in prison by practicing Buddhism. Recommended.

Fascinating account of Fleet's experiences in prison. Written with honesty. A must for anyone who is working in service supporting others. Very inspiring.

I am very grateful that you send books to Poland, this is a great chance for us to develop social sciences.