The Buddhist on Death Row caught my attention for two reasons; I have been studying Buddhism for the past few years and I’ve had a passion for prison work for decades. Author David Sheff did an amazing job writing this book. I read it on my Audible app and narrator Michael Boatman did an excellent job. His voice is perfect for the serious ambiance of this story.

Jarvis Jay Masters is serving his life on San Quentin’s death row. He was only 19 years old when he was convicted of robbery and sent to San Quentin. After serving 22 years in prison, he was accused of murdering a correctional officer. Admittedly, Jarvis made a lot of poor decisions; he followed unhealthy leaders and held a belief system that only brought him layers of suffering. His story is one of many that illustrates how broken our criminal justice is. He was wrongly accused, convicted, and sentenced to death. While many people continue to fight for innocence and release from prison, the criminal justice system continues to fail.

However, if it weren’t for this false accusation, Jarvis never would have discovered the practice of Buddhism. David Sheff chronicles Jarvis’ introduction to a meditation practice that led to him meeting and developing a student/teacher relationship with Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. Jarvis took his formal refuge vows with Rinpoche. He often shared how meaningful the red tara has been to his practice, which I is why I chose to photograph the cover of this book with my white tara. I know they carrying different meanings, but I don’t own a red tara. Lol 😂 Jarvis also developed a very close relationship with Pema Chodron. I highly admire Pema and was thrilled to have a glimpse into their relationship through this book. Learning about all of the writing, educating, and mentoring work Jarvis has done during his incarceration is inspiring. His story is definitely worth reading. I devoured the audiobook in a matter of days.

I appreciate Jarvis’ story being told and feel honored to have read it. The personal growth he has experienced is remarkable and admirable. He is such an inspiration. I hope this book will find its way into the hands of many incarcerated people. One does not have to believe in Buddhism to adopt the values of this belief system so that it may aid in overall personal growth. I also hope this book finds its way into the hands of people who work, in any capacity, in the criminal justice system. It’s important for us to be thoughtful of how we treat others, especially those incarcerated. We do not have to buy into the us versus them mentality.

I look forward to reading Jarvis’ books: Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row and That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row.

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