Ep. 34 Dharma Behind Bars: 35 Years of Buddhist Prison Outreach

Episode Highlights:

35 Years of Prison Dharma – Gary Allen shares his decades-long experience bringing Buddhist teachings to incarcerated individuals.

•Correspondence-Based Dharma – The power of personal letters and structured courses in reaching prisoners.

•Anger & Patience – Why teachings from Shantideva on patience and anger are essential in prison.

•Challenges of Prison Work – From administrative hurdles to the evolving perception of Buddhism behind bars.

•Long-Term Impact – How Dharma transforms lives in prison, creating lasting change even beyond release.

Gary Allen shares his decades-long experience bringing Buddhist teachings to incarcerated around the United States, Canada, and South Korea. He is the Co-Executive Director of the Mindfulness Peace Project, which provides programming for prison inmates and veterans. He’s authored secular mindfulness books for inmates (Discovering Sanity) and for veterans (Warrior’s Heart). He has two degrees in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University and has published five books of poetry, most recently Transmigration Suite from Antarabhava Press. He’s been working for the past 20 years on a four-volume book on Indian tantric master Tilopa and the origination and practice of Vajrayana.