The Buddhist on Death Row was an intriguing, yet sad book. Jarvis Jay Masters’s early life WAS a horror story, setting the tone for adulthood. Abuse, neglect, juvenile detention, but when it comes to imprisonment for a murder of a man, I believed by the end of the story that Jarvis was innocent. I may be wrong. I KNOW he was not given a fair trial. I am surprised that he has not been pardoned for good behavior over such a long period. While in prison, so many influential people helped him cope using Buddhist techniques. I am not, nor ever, will be Buddhist. However, the fact that these people taught him self-calming techniques and positive imagery to do better and be better, especially under the worst of circumstances, is amazing. I took offense to the sentence that Jarvis said that only Buddha saves, and Jesus doesn't. He has it backwards. As a Christian, I know that is not true. Only God saves, and I pray that Jarvis is able to read my review somehow one day and question himself once again about God. You see, Buddhism may have very well have given him an inner peace. But Jarvis is not going to reincarnate when he dies. I believe even he scoffed at that notion. Jarvis needs to have the hope of good AFTER dying, that this world is not all there is to offer. Christianity offers a world ever after, with a mansion to himself so great that no one on earth can envision it. Streets of gold. No sickness, no sorrow. Meeting your loved ones again. Buddhist beliefs have you turn into something else. I don't want to turn into a tree when I die. Christianity becomes alive in a person when he or she accepts God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It doesn't mean your life here on earth will be easy. It is the opposite, because Satan is fighting hard with God. Spoiler alert on this one: God wins. I have had many hopeless things happen in my life, and prayed and had miracles. If God doesn't answer a prayer, it may either be too soon, or not good for you. God can see into your future what you can't see. There is one prayer that God will always answer: to save you from a lifetime of Hell. You either choose God (the good side) or Satan (the bad side). This is a lifetime decision. You don't get do-overs once you die, which could be at any time, any day. It is important. You can be in prison, guilty as sin of killing 5000 people, but if you accept God - confess you are a sinner - and believe, you will go to Heaven. You will be in such a happy state, it can't even be described. You will belong. God your Ultimate Father will never reject you. He will never beat you. He will never neglect you. In fact, God will never do those things now. But if you lose favor and say you don't accept and believe in Him, you will be on Team Satan the rest of your life. Some people have seen glimpses of hell in near death experiences. You do not want to go. Extreme painful fire that will never kill you. Worms eating at you. Darkness, fear, snakes. You are always thirsty, and you will want to die, and can't. You will always be looking over at the land where people did love God and are rejoicing. Don't let that be you! I rated this book five stars, not due to religious beliefs presented, but because this book was raw, real, and Jarvis has become rehabilitated, even though the jury system won't at least let him go for that one reason. I also was fascinated with how Jarvis realized how blessed he was, even when he was not in a place where most would want to be. For instance, during the brief years he had kind foster parents, he noticed a bowl of fruit. When he grew up (as poor as his family was), they had a bowl of fruit for the children to eat. When he went to eat a piece of fruit that the foster parents had put out, it was the plastic fake kind. Jarvis felt let down, because even at his poorest, he knew he could get real fruit. Then, he described how one day he was in the back of a van, being transported to another prison facility. There was a traffic jam, so he sat up and observed. Everyone all around in their vehicles were observed to be showing stress in some kind of way, but Jarvis was happy to be there because most of his years were in solitary confinement where he didn't even see a blade of grass, and he was out and traveling, learning all the things he had missed, even about technology. I hope a sequel is written to this book with the title: Jarvis is Prepared For His Homecoming, about his after life to be with Christ (Jesus, God). ( )

This book tells us the story of Jarvis Jay Masters, a black man wrongly convicted of murder, currently doing time on Death Row in San Quentin, where he’s been since 1990.

Jarvis had spent decades in solitary confinement in the so-called Adjustment Center.

He had had a difficult childhood. He and his sister lived with their mother. He was scared of his mother who whipped him and took drugs.

He wrote a letter to her after her death, asking for her forgiveness, but what he needed was an apology from her, which he would never get.

At the age of 5, Jarvis and his sisters were taken to Child Protective Services where they were separated.

In one foster home, he was treated lovingly and taught to pray. But subsequent foster parents beat him up and he was sent to a Youth Detention Centre, where he was burnt and beaten and forced to fight with other children.

The prison system was “another hell”.

Jarvis’ lawyer, Melody, had had a difficult childhood herself, but studying Buddhism helped her heal.

Melody taught Jarvis to meditate, which helped him find moments of peace.

She gave him a pamphlet offering free writings by the lama Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche whom he then wrote to telling of his situation.

He read a book that asked the reader to ask themselves two questions every night. “If I die tonight in my sleep --- What have I done with my life? Have I been of benefit or have I caused harm?”

He knew he’d benefited no one and had caused immeasurable harm.

Chagdud Tulku told Jarvis his situation was a gift. He said he could use his circumstances for his betterment and to benefit others.

He told him meditation allows one to gain insight into our own mind and its projections.

Jarvis should meditate at least twice a day even when it was difficult. He should allow himself to feel doubt, confusion, anger, and fear.

The lawyers said his trial had ben a travesty and he’d win an appeal. But he never did.

Lisa Leghorn was an assistant and interpreter to Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche,

Lisa came to San Quentin to visit Jarvis.

At first Jarvis couldn’t even meditate for five minutes but eventually he could sit for two hours or more.

Lisa advised him “The only way out is through.”

He saw his mother being beaten mercilessly by his father. He retrieved these memories while meditating.

As a little boy himself, Jarvis took care of, and loved, his little brother, Carl. But one morning he found Carl dead in his crib.

Lisa and Chagdud Tulku were drawing Jarvis deeper into Buddhism.

Meditation had become the centre of his life.

Lisa taught him basic yoga postures and mantras.

He integrated them into his daily practice. When he preceded meditation with prostrations and repeated mantras, time and space disappeared. He disappeared.

Rinpoche comes to visit Jarvis. He is “a man with long silver hair in a topknot and a silver band, wearing scarlet robes and a crimson silk shirt”.

Jarvis is in “the hole”, i.e. solitary confinement, so he’s not permitted to sit together with Rinpoche.

Rinpoche knows about the hole. Some Tibetan prisoners were forced to dig holes in the ground and climb in. The hole was their prison, and they lived in it. When they died, they were buried in it.

But Chagdud Tulku was fortunate and escaped. He said “We survived by study, prayer, and meditation.”

Chagdud says “It is your karma to be here. You are fortunate to be in a place where you can know humanity’s suffering and learn to see the perfection of all beings and yourself. Learn to see their perfection.”

Rinpoche reminds Jarvis to meditate every day.

“Practice and open your heart, and your mind will follow.”

Rinpoche came to San Quentin to perform an empowerment ceremony. By taking certain vows Jarvis would formally become a Buddhist.

But Jarvis thought “A Buddhist is supposed to end suffering, but what about the suffering I caused?”

When the guards came to take Jarvis to his meeting with Rinpoche, Jarvis thought they were taking him to his execution.

Later, he realized he HAD walked to his death, the death of the person he’d been.

Chagdud Tulku bestowed on Jarvis the protection of a benevolent, all-loving manifestation of the Buddha – Red Tara, the mother of liberation.

Jarvis realized that if he had not been charged with the murder, his life would not have changed – he would still have been violent.

So that was why San Quentin was a gift.

Without the sentence he would have been in a body bag, or put someone in one.

He never would have meditated or have learnt about Buddhism, would never have met Rinpoche or Melody.

“The death sentence that could kill him had given him life.”

His short story “Scars” was published and his poem won an award. Also “Scars” was accepted for an anthology comprising the work of African American writers.

Many read Jarvis’ book “Finding Freedom”. His San Quentin mailing address was published on the flyleaf and many wrote to him.

He replied to every letter.

Pema Chodron, a Buddhist nun, was presented with his book and found it profound. They began communicating.

Pema visited him and “perceived his thoughtfulness and cheerfulness” and found him funny.

She visited him whenever she was in the area and instructed him.

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche has taught her that people shouldn’t try to transcend whatever they struggled with because pain, sadness and despair are useful – people have to experience the bad feelings in order to heal.

Jarvis had used meditation to transcend the pain he’d always had but now Pema challenged him to go back to the worst memories and intentionally meditate on them.

The goal is not to transcend the past but be there fully, then it will lose its bility to harm you or control you.

Pema helped Jarvis to process the death of his little brother, Carl.

It is now Jarvis’ karma to help people.

Pema is a famous Buddhist writer and I’ve read and loved several of her books. She helped Jarvis find out what to do with the rest of his life.

He woke at between four and five each morning and did prostrations and yoga, then meditation. Many Buddhists use malas, small strings of wooden prayer beads, when they meditate.

Jarvis wasn’t allowed to have an actual mala but he made his own by poking holes in aspirin tablets and stringing them onto a thread he’d pulled from a sock.

In the yard he approached and communicated with inmates who seemed isolated or troubled.

He had deepening connections with prisoners and friends –his life was full and rich. But in 2002 he was told that his teacher Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche had died.

He asked himself what he’d done to help others, since he felt he hadn’t prevented suffering, he’d caused it. But he realied he was asking the wrong question. The right question was “What can I do now?”

This is an inspiring book, wonderfully written and providing much detail about Jarvis’ life and transformation.

As far as I know, Jarvis is still doing time on Death Row. This is a book I would recommend to everyone. ( )

audio nonfiction (7.5 hrs)
man spends most of his life on death row (for a murder for which he was framed) at San Quentin, uses meditation to deal with past (many serious traumas and guilt) + becomes a Buddhist disciple and helps others in unexpected, significant ways while awaiting appeals/death sentence. ( )

I was not familiar with Jarvis Jay Masters before reading this. What an incredible human being. This book is equally heartbreaking and inspiring. ( )

So great. Simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. The power of meditation is no joke. ( )