By Govindanandini Dasi
In 2012, I was casually looking at Dandavats.com when, for the first time in my life, I came across the words “ISKCON Prison Ministry”. I felt curious to know what it was all about. I began to read their article, appealing the readers to become volunteers to correspond with prison inmates and send them Srila Prabhupada’s books! I was instantly attracted to the concept of Prison Ministry and to their appeal. I was attracted because I could see in it a great opportunity for a genuine service, a selfless service, and also a humbling one.
Genuine, because it would help a most helpless and desperate person. Selfless, because there was no way my mind could find a possibility of any subtle benefit in return from the inmates. And humbling, because no one would know of my service unless I mentioned about it and thus there was no scope for my mind to find pride. Plus, with its flexibility, it would perfectly work for my schedule!
The Prison Ministry director, mother Bhakti-lata, approved me, but there was one other approval I needed –my spouse’s. I was concerned that he would oppose the idea of me corresponding with criminals, but eventually he got convinced that it was safe using the spiritual name and a post office box address.
In the past five years, I was able to write to about three dozen inmates, at least once. The turnover is high. Some of the inmates do not continue to write and read for long, while others correspond for many years. A couple of inmates who were enthusiastically corresponding, reading, and asking questions suddenly stopped and never wrote back, mostly because they were released and got busy with their world. Initially that disappointed me.
But gradually, my disappointment was replaced by compassion. Through their letters, I got some understanding about their prison conditions, their struggle to obtain and store books, limitations on food choices and an extremely negative surrounding for pursuing spiritual practices. Understanding and considering all this, even if they attempted to read one book and responded, that now seemed incredible.
This understanding kept me going. I reminded myself to be just an instrument and nothing more. Here I was learning a practical lesson from Bhagavad Gita’s teachings“—be detached from the fruits of your labor” and “do not expect anything in return”. Over time, I am able to maintain a serious and continual long-term correspondence with 5-7 of them.
Many times rewards come in many pleasant and sometimes unexpected ways. Sometimes, inmates write back saying he/she was able to overcome a negative feeling, was able to chant and feel peace, or was moved by a recent reading of a book. They express their gratitude in the simplest way, yet it is so touching. Sometimes they write poems or draw beautiful artwork which reflect their meditation. Some inmates crochet or knit items and mail them just to express love and gratitude for Prison Ministry volunteers. Sometimes, someone asks such nice questions upon their readings, questions that show they really read and meditated on the subject matter.
Looking back, I feel that through these exchanges, I am more benefited than I am helping them. The reason is that I get to closely analyze destiny and human nature thus helping me learn my own lessons. Here are a few examples:
When we take birth, we carry along a blue print of our destiny that we created in our past lives. In that blue print, there is a package deal of some good and some bad fortune. As we go on, the destiny simply unfolds. As I get to study the variety of destinies of the inmates, I ask myself, “If I don’t try to maintain the mode of goodness, if I don’t adhere to the principles of bhakti, could I end up building an unfortunate destiny for my next life?” I shudder at that thought and I get more fixed up in my devotional practice.
In this material world, it is natural that we all, as embodied souls, make mistakes and get reactions. Even though on the absolute level they are all mistakes, our reactions are seen as mild or strong in a social system. Due to their misfortune, the prisoners pay dearly for their errors. I ask myself, “Do I want to live a life full of reckless mistakes? Just see, I may end up in a serious reaction like them.” I again shudder at this thought and become serious about the moral principles I learn from the Gita. I also share a few examples with my teenage daughter and ask her to learn the same lessons I learn. These examples become thousand times more effective for the young than theoretical teaching.
The stories from the rich Vedic literature suggest that a wise person learn from the pains and mistakes of others, so that he does not have to experience them himself. While corresponding with inmates, I get a realistic understanding of their blunders and pains, and I tell myself to become more fixed in devotional practice to Lord Krishna, so that by Krishna’s grace I may not have to experience some of them in the journey of my soul. I feel that this is a priceless benefit, which keeps me motivated to continue this humble service.
Govindanandini lives in Plainsboro, New Jersey with her husband and daughter.
NOTE:
This article is just a part of IPM NEWS, our bi-monthly electronic newsletter. To read whole issues, please go to: http://www.iskconprisonministry.org/
If you wish to receive it in your mailbox, simply email me at iskconprisonministry@gmail.com with "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.
More excerpts of inmate letters and also their artwork are available on our website at: www.iskconprisonministry.org
_______________________
WANT TO HELP?
3 Donation Options
1) Send check or postal money order to:
ISKCON Prison Ministry
PO Box 2676
Alachua, FL 32616
2) Donate through PayPal at: www.paypal.me/IPM
3) For automatic, monthly donations, you can do so on our website (with the PayPal button), or through your bank “Automatic Bill Pay” option, which is free and easy.
We can send you a tax deductible receipt at the moment of the donation or at the end of the year, as you wish. ISKCON Prison Ministry
PO Box 2676
Alachua, FL 32616
Comments