“I have been volunteering at Ma’asiyahu prison for five years, and before that I volunteered at a hostel for released female prisoners. I came to study the Dharma out of a personal crisis that also led me to study Psychology and want to help and influence.

Coming to Ma’asiyahu every week, sitting with people who have gone through mental and physical hardships, is not just walking the path. It is being the path.

I am a member of a Sangha for many years. Receiving, absorbing, learning, progressing, and passing it forward to additional people who need the path. Receiving and giving – that is the motion, and that is Dharma for me.

The participants at Ma’asiyahu move me anew at every moment. Seeing the change, even the slightest, evokes wonder and joy. A participant who shares that he no longer struggles with himself during meditation, that he has learned not to judge himself when he’s not ‘concentrated enough’, when his attention wanders. Another participant, who was only busy with bodily aches and complaining about the
conditions, starts to hear birds and talks about inner peace, which can also be clearly seen externally. Another participant who says that he noticed when writing to his daughter, that he is asking her to not judge or criticize, a quality he is practicing in the group.

The greatest satisfaction and excitement is to hear some of the participants who support other inmates with mental problems, talking about how they practice meditation with them, hearing them use the words they hear and internalize during our shared meetings. They pass forward the mood of the group.

And that is Dharma, being of benefit to the world. I have had the privilege of being part of this project and passing the Dharma forward.”