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Following the execution of Frankie Parker in August of 1996, a Buddhist prisoner in the Arkansas Department of Correction, there were many that wished to homor him and the powerful influence that he had had on his local Little Rock Buddhist community. Prisoners and others from around the country and around the world had read of his plight as he faced execution and they wrote to us. Two steps appeared natural and seemed to fall into place as his legacy. The Ecumenical Buddhist Society in Little Rock, established what was first called the Jusan Prison Education Project to provide free books to prisoners as they could. Jusan was Frankie's spiritual name when he took refuge vows in the Zen Buddhist tradition. Since he had educated himself while in prison with voracious reading in all religious traditions and these books were made available to him through the kindness of others, it was felt fitting to make such books available to all that they might help. Secondly, in response to all of the letters that Anna Cox, a spiritual friend of Frankie's, received, she tried to write a communal response because she was unable to keep up with all of the individual letters that she had received. In response to that first communal letter and the return mail that it generated, the Dharma Friends newsletter was born. Rather than bearing two different names, the Jusan Prison Education Project gently merged under our Dharma Friends title. This became an ongoing letter to reach others with support, answers to questions, offers of healing information, and simple spiritual treachings and meditations that would support spiritual paths of all traditions. The newsletter was free to all prisoners who requested it and a subscription was, and still is, $15 for 6 months. At first, Dharma Friends was mailed out to about 18 subscribers and 40 inmates. Support for printing, mailing, and other costs was generated through subscription receipts and donations. For the first few years, accounting barely came out even. Gradually, with more and more inmate requests, the amount that was required each month to sustain the newsletter became unmanageable. More and more donations were sought and organizations such as the Darragh Foundation and The Ecumenical Buddhist Society have given generously in various ways. By Dharma Friends' 5th anniversary, issues were mailed to 330 individuals and about 30 subscribers. There were requests from chaplains who asked for their own copies and copies for their prison libraries. There were many inmates who had started study and meditation groups that used the newsletter as their study text and the meditations for their practices. Periodically, as was possible, free books were mailed to prisoners that requested them. Letters from inmates were almost unanimously positive and many said that it was Dharma Friends that sustained them and that the Dharma Friends community was their only family.
Now, in May 2005, as we write our 100th issue, our subscribers and prisoner recipients have grown to over 700. Those of us who volunteer our time and efforts to Dharma Friends are very grateful to have the opportunity to serve so many. We receive letters almost every day which tell us how this small community of Dharma Friends gives them guidance, and emotional and spiritual support. Anna Cox has volunteered for many years now as a Certified Religious Advisor in the Arkansas Department of Correction with inmates at all levels of the prison population and on death row. She holds ecumenical meditation groups, and offers support and non-denominational counseling. There are many in our Dharma Friends' community who write to and visit inmates in many of the prisons and on death row. There are many throughout the world who receive Dharma Friends and who have been long time spiritual practitioners of various traditions who write to those requesting more support on their journey. Individual readers aid and support each other with their letters of encouragement and experience that are published each month in the newsletter. There are those in other countries who print Dharma Friends off of our web page and distribute issues to prisoners in their area. There are also many in our Dharma Friends community who give public talks about prison issues and the death penalty issue.
Our Dharma Friends dream is to continue to make our newsletter available to every prisoner who requests it and through a community of those in prison and those outside of prison walls we grow to realize that we are all one family that can support and teach each other in so many ways. Within the realm of great compassion, we know we are all one and inseperable from each other.
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