How to Meditate in Hell | Jarvis Jay Masters
Dan Harris interviews Jarvis Jay Masters, a death row inmate at San Quentin, about how he applies meditation and Buddhist practices in extreme circumstances. Masters shares his difficult upbringing, path to prison, and how he uses engaged Buddhism to help fellow inmates and cope with his situation.
Deep Dive Analysis
11 Topic Outline
Introduction to Jarvis Masters and His Extreme Circumstances
Life on Death Row and Experience in Solitary Confinement
Childhood Trauma and Path to San Quentin Prison
Unlearning Harmful Masculinity and Finding Authentic Self
The Transformative Power of Writing and Storytelling
Strategies for Meditating Amidst Prison Noise
Jarvis Masters' Daily Buddhist Practice and Engaged Buddhism
Cultivating Relationships: Helping a Suicidal Inmate
Acknowledging and Managing Personal Anger and Injustice
Preparing for Uncertain Outcomes: Release or Execution
Redefining Freedom from Within Prison Walls
3 Key Concepts
Engaged Buddhism
A form of Buddhist practice that emphasizes active participation in the world to address suffering and help others, rather than solely focusing on solitary meditation. Jarvis Masters describes it as his path, involving direct interaction and support for fellow inmates and guards, often without explicitly proclaiming his Buddhist identity.
Dissolving Attachment to Noise
A meditation technique for dealing with external disturbances, such as constant prison noise. Instead of trying to block out or get irritated by the noise, practitioners acknowledge its existence but do not allow themselves to become attached to it, thereby grounding themselves in their own inner silence.
Developing Relationship with Outcomes
A mental framework for dealing with uncertain and potentially terrifying future possibilities. It involves acknowledging and feeling the fears associated with both positive (e.g., release) and negative (e.g., execution) outcomes, rather than just focusing on one. This holistic acceptance is believed to lead to a more centered and relaxed state.
6 Questions Answered
He copes by finding purpose through meditation, writing, receiving visits, and fighting his legal case, which allowed time to pass and gave him opportunities to discover himself. He also found strength by witnessing others succumb to despair, motivating him to choose a different path.
With the help of his friend Melody Ermachild, he read books and articles about masculinity, which helped him dismantle the expectation to suppress pain, hurt, or tears, and to constantly fight. He realized that being authentic and vulnerable was more accepted and allowed him spiritual grounding.
He learned to ground himself in his own space and silence, not by trying to block out the noise, but by not attaching to it. He was inspired by his teacher who meditated in airports, realizing he had no excuse not to practice amidst prison sounds.
Engaged Buddhism for Jarvis involves active participation in his environment, using his practice to speak directly to people for their benefit, including inmates and guards. He focuses on cultivating real relationships and embodying Buddhist principles through his actions rather than explicitly stating his religious affiliation.
He lives in the 'middle' of both possibilities, developing a relationship with both potential outcomes rather than focusing solely on the positive. He acknowledges and feels the 'terrorizing' fears associated with both freedom and execution, finding that this acceptance helps him sleep better and feel more relaxed.
For Jarvis, freedom is found in realizing and making peace with all potential outcomes, and in giving back to people. He sees it as 'moving the bars' and other obstacles out of the way, a process that applies to everyone, regardless of their physical location or material possessions.
15 Actionable Insights
1. Embrace All Outcomes for Freedom
Define freedom not by external circumstances, but by your ability to make peace with all potential outcomes of your life, without being attached to any single one, as this allows you to live in the present and sleep better.
2. Move Obstacles, Don’t Fight
When facing obstacles, rather than fighting against them, trying to destroy them, or yelling at them, seek creative ways to ‘move them out of the way’ or bypass them to experience greater freedom.
3. Practice Engaged Buddhism
Embody your principles through authentic actions and genuine relationships with everyone, including inmates and guards, rather than explicitly stating your beliefs, as this ’engaged Buddhism’ can make a real difference in your environment.
4. Acknowledge and Process Anger
To manage anger, acknowledge its presence without denial or immediate justification, give it space to exist for a limited time, and understand it is a temporary state that will dissolve.
5. Cultivate Authentic Relationships
Cultivate genuine relationships and be ‘real’ with people, emphasizing the broader impact of their actions on others (e.g., family) to help them understand the seriousness of their choices.
6. Challenge Harmful Masculinity
Challenge traditional, harmful definitions of masculinity (e.g., suppressing emotions, constant aggression) by reading, reflecting, and giving yourself permission to express emotions like crying, which fosters authenticity and better relationships.
7. Use Adversity for Self-Discovery
View challenging times and difficult circumstances as opportunities for deep self-discovery, allowing you to learn about who you are as a human being through practices like meditation and writing.
8. Meditate Amidst Noise
When meditating in noisy environments, don’t try to block out the noise; instead, acknowledge its presence without attachment, grounding yourself in your inner silence and choosing not to engage with distractions.
9. Dedicate Practice to Others
During your meditation practice, conclude by dedicating the benefits of your practice to the well-being of other beings around you.
10. Focus on Few Practices
Focus on a limited number of spiritual practices (e.g., Red Tara, Vajrasattva) rather than trying to master many, to deepen your engagement and understanding.
11. Schedule Meditation Wisely
Schedule your meditation practice for times when you are least likely to be interrupted (e.g., evenings) to ensure consistency and focus.
12. Create Conducive Space
Even in difficult or unpleasant environments, take initiative to create a clean and conducive space for your meditation practice.
13. Practice Gratitude from Observation
Cultivate gratitude by observing the ailments or difficulties of others and recognizing the blessings in your own life, even amidst personal challenges, to foster a sense of appreciation.
14. Offer ‘Wait’ Period in Crisis
If someone is contemplating suicide, ask them to wait for a short, specific period (e.g., a day or a week) before acting, to create space for reconsideration and intervention.
15. Reflect on Anger’s Potential
After an angry episode subsides, reflect on its potential negative outcomes and how quickly life can change, to reinforce the importance of managing it and preventing impulsive actions.
5 Key Quotes
If he can meditate at an airport, then I don't have no excuse for learning how to try that same thing in prison.
Jarvis Masters
If I can walk it, if I can talk it, if I can live with it, then I don't need to say it. And that's the beautiful thing about being a Buddhist. You don't need to claim it. You don't need to own it. It'll come to you.
Jarvis Masters
It only takes two seconds for your whole life to be what you're living and being on death row.
Jarvis Masters
Don't try to dig a hole under the bar. Don't try to knock the bars down. Don't try to yell the bars to go away or whatever. Just move it out the way. Find a way to move it out the way, those obstacles.
Jarvis Masters
Having all these things does not guarantee you one second of your freedom.
Jarvis Masters