The Buddha in Jail: Restoring Lives, Finding Hope and Freedom By Cuong Lu-Book Review
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Thank you C. Stella Becerril for a review copy of this book. My opinion of this book is my own.
Synopsis
Cuong Lu lets readers in on his journey to helping others restore their lives.
Lu shares his experience working as a prison chaplain. He discusses his own path of finding peace. He shares stories and conversations with the lives that he touched in the prison and how they touched his.
“What surprised me the most was not what I was able to offer the prisoners, but what I received from them. They confirmed for me that “happiness is a truth”, and that touching our own suffering is, in itself, a source of relief and happiness.” ~Cuong Lu
Lu taught Dharma to some of the prisoners and put them on a life-changing discovery. “Once they could see the suffering they were clinging to thanks to remaining still in the presence of trauma many were able to release the hold their suffering had on them and experience a profound happiness.”
Here are a few more highlights from the book:
“Violence can result from a lack of self-confidence. It’s difficult to see this, but when we stop believing in ourselves, we start treating others badly as well.”
“Buddhism is both a way of life and a religion.”
The Eight Folds of the Buddhist Path
1. Right View
2. Right Thinking
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Attention
8. Right Concentration
There are other elements of Buddhism discussed as well as awakening stories.
Are you living in your own jail cell? This book can enlighten you on freeing yourself.
My Thoughts
I truly admired how Cuong Lu was so open and honest about his journey and conversations with the prisoners. Reading the stories of those in prison and their path made me want to strive to always learn about someone else’s story. We never know why they made the decisions that they made in their lives. It also made me want to always strive to be a positive influence to others.
Reading this made me think of my own path to finding peace that I am still working on. I have really been thinking about exploring meditation and learning more about Buddhism teachings, and this book has helped me with a starting foundation.
I recommend this book if you want to learn more about finding hope and happiness for yourself and others.
About the Author (from Book Cover)
Cuong Lu, a Buddhist teacher, scholar, and writer, was born in Nha Trang, Vietnam in 1968 and emigrated to the Netherlands with his family in 1980. He majored in East Asian studies at the University of Leiden, and in 1992 was ordained a monk at Plum Village in France under the guidance of Thich Nhat Hanh. In 2000, he was recognized as a teacher in the Lieu Quan line of the Linji School of Zen Buddhism. In 2009, Cuong left Plum Villiage and returned to lay life in the Netherlands, where in 2015 he received his master’s degree in Buddhist Spiritual Care at Vrije (“Free”) University in Amsterdam.
Cuong is the founder of Mind Only School, in Goud, where he teaches Buddhist philosophy and psychology, specializing in Yogachara Buddhism combined with the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) School of Nagarjuna. Coung leads retreats and gives Dharma talks in Europe, the US, and Asia, and offers presentations to large organizations. He is the author of four books in Vietnamese and one in Dutch. This is his first book in English.
