New path ahead – YiLan State penitentiary visit

Over two hundred female prisoners listened to Ven Jian Dan’s talk tentatively

Invited by Taiwan’s YiLan State penitentiary, Ven Jian Dan visited the prisoners on August 21 to provide guidance and support. Before his talk, the warden met with Ven Jian Dan to thank him for his visit. The Warden mentioned that the spread of illegal drugs has caused many social issues. Especially, once addicted to drugs, the rehabilitation is extremely difficult. Many prisoners complete their sentence and reenter the society, only to be addicted to drugs. Working hard to fight against such a vicious cycle has proved close to mission impossible. However, the correction system still holds hope for these people. Ven Jian Dan praised Warden and compared what they are doing as a practice of that of a Bodhisattva – never give up on anyone out of compassion.

Venerable Jian Dan spoke to the prisoners and used the analogy of making a path to illustrate how we can follow an existing path or create a new one. For example, if you keep walking on the same path on the lawn, day after day, eventually you will create a path and will always follow it. Our way of thinking and our habits are cultivated overtime as well. If we continue to repeat how we think or how we act, we will always follow the same pattern, just like how we will always follow the same path. As a habitual being, once we are used to things a certain way, it is not easy to change it. The only way to escape from the habitual thinking and action is to make a change. It requires courage. However, in order to start a new trail, you need to start walking on a different path. We should cultivate goodness of mind, try to help each other, and face life challenges with patience and perseverance. Get rid of the old past and walk a new tomorrow for yourself.

Poster created for Ven Jian Dan’s visit