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Ihave two Sanghas in my life. My home Sangha is a group ofmostly working, middle-class people like myself who have discoveredThay’s writings or have attended retreats with him. Myother Sangha is composed of inmates at a nearby men’s maximumsecurity prison who have difficulty even acquiring Thay’s books.On Friday mornings I sit as a volunteer with the prisonSangha, hopefully providing support and encouragement to theinmates as well as the official leaders, a nun and her assistant fromthe Syracuse Zen Center. Recently we held two partial day sittings— the first in the history of the prison — during which the menwho gave the Dharma talks spoke of the immeasurable comfortand strength they drew from our small but committed prison group.While my home Sangha plays a central role in my life, the prisonSangha has also become a place of deep motivation and supportiveconnectedness. It has offered me valuable Dharma lessons,companionable meditation, and regular guidance in mindfulness.If that is true for me, think how true it must be for my incarceratedDharma brothers who have very little else in their lives.sangha BEHIND BARSphoto by Juan Carlos del RioI believe I am contributing to the real meaning of Sangha:a broad community of people walking the same path —whether we call ourselves Catholic or Sufi or Jew or ZenBuddhist, whether we are in prison or on the outside. Insuch a Sangha, there are no stone walls.Thus I think a great deal about Sangha building in prison,wondering how to create a supportive Buddhist community withinthose tall, thick stone walls. One way, I believe, is to maintain contactwith Sangha on the outside, but prison regulations make thatvery difficult. Those of us from the outside try to bring in materialsfrom our home and affiliated groups: magazines, newsletters,and thoughtful writings. We have to get permission for any itemswe bring; in addition we must arrange several days in advance tohave everything listed on a gate pass. We are in the process nowof getting approval for several volunteers so that they can visit theSangha as embodied proof that those on the outside care and knowabout the men. The process includes forms, background checks,fingerprinting, and a great deal of time.The Nail That Sticks UpWhile maintaining the strength of our little prison Sangha iscrucial, equally important is the effort to reach out and includeother inmates in our practice and our services. Prison regulationsin New York declare that each inmate may designate only onereligion and attend only one type of service. This is, of course,rather antithetical to the way Thay has taught us to think of theSanghaBuildingWithinPrisonBy Nancy Lee Koschmannthe Mindfulness Bell 19