
VZ’s Lifelines to Solitary group meets quarterly to support sangha members who correspond with persons incarcerated in our nation’s prisons. Our next meeting, on April 2 at 1:30, will feature VZ senior student Jesse Jiryu Davis, a longtime member of Dharma Song Zen Temple at Sing Sing Prison, and a founding member of the VZ NYC Jails Program. Jiryu will share his experiences and answer questions about in-person dharma practice with our incarcerated brothers and sisters. There will also be time for discussion of our own letter writing practice.
This meeting will take place in the regular VZ zoom room. No special link is needed. Everyone, group member or not, is welcome to join us for this informative and compelling discussion.
For more information about Lifelines to Solitary, contact Shuka at ninak223@aol.com or ChoGaku at marjoriesmccoy@gmail.com.
Dharma Song Zen Temple
In the Fall of 2004, the Village Zendo received a request from inmates at Sing Sing Correctional Facility for a teacher to come in and lead their Zen group. Answering that call, Roshi Ryotan Eiger has coordinated the Dharma Song Zen Temple, our sangha at Sing Sing, since early 2005. Every Sunday, teachers and students from the Village Zendo travel to Ossining, New York to meditate with our dharma siblings incarcerated there. Thanks to the efforts of this rotating team of volunteers, our sangha’s practice at Dharma Song continues to flow like the Hudson just beyond its walls.
For additional information, contact: prison-sangha@villagezendo.org
VZ NYC Jails Program
In the Winter of 2019, the Village Zendo was approached by the New York City Department of Corrections (NYC DOC) to meet with inmates who requested Buddhist services. As a natural extension of our work at Dharma Song Temple, this request led to the creation of the VZ NYC Jails Program. This program currently serves inmates at the Manhattan Detention Complex each month, with the aspiration to expand to other NYC Department of Corrections facilities.
For additional information, contact: prison-sangha@villagezendo.org