[Engaged] Prison Books Project

[Kokuu]

Dear all

This is a charity that does not require your money but rather donations of previously loved and no longer needed dharma books. It is mostly for sangha members in northern America but not necessarily so. I am thinking of finding used copies of books on Amazon.com and sending them that way.

The Prison Mindfulness Institute receives donations of books and sends them out to Prisons around the USA. Particularly required are basic teachings on meditation practice and introductory dharma. They also run prison meditation programmes.

https://www.prisonmindfulness.org/donate-books/

There are many inmates who have turned to the dharma and meditation to help turn their life around and cope with the prison environment. It is good if we can help them both inside and when they come out again.

Byōkan reminded me to include the following from their website to read before you donate:

Book Donations:
Paperbacks only please! No magazines! No CDs! Prisons do not accept these items.

If you would like to send us books, please use this contact form to send us a message:

https://www.prisonmindfulness.org/contact-us/

Please let us know what type of books you have to offer and we will email you back with information on where to send them.

Books on beginning meditation or mindfulness practice (examples: Pema Chodron, Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Cheri Huber, Jon-Kabat Zinn, etc) are needed most. We also have several requests for books on yoga (ones with drawn illustrations are best).
Thanks!

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-