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Publication of a book by a convicted serial killer angers families of his victims.
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Greg Laychak/ The Observer
Ven. Yin Kit Sik sits on the floor of the converted three-car garage “mini meditation hall” that is the temporary Po Lam meditation centre. The Buddhist nun uses teaching and
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Giving prisoners tools to help themselves
By Greg Laychak The Observer
Mark recently got out of prison after serving four and half years, with a good part of that time in Agassiz’s Mountain Institution. He is out now, has moved to the interior, has a bank account and a driver's license, and is trying to start a new life. It’s not easy for people in Mark’s situation: those who have committed a crime and have done their time, but now have to reintegrate in a society that is not always keen to accept them. But Mark is equipped with something not many former prisoners—or those who have never
served, for that matter—have. He has meditation and mindfulness. “Spirituality is within yourself,” Mark says from his new residence in the B.C. mountains. “It's what is going on within me. If I'm in touch with that I'm more focused, I'm clear-headed, I'm motivated I'm willing I'm honest with myself, and the humility starts to slowly settle in and it gets better from there.” When he gets into a bad situation, Mark says he now knows how to deal with his mounting anxiety that could make things worse. It’s something that would have been difficult just a few years ago. And it’s all due to the guidance of one smiling Buddhist nun who
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is hidden in plain sight just off of Highway 1 in Chilliwack. The Venerable Yin Kit Sik, also known as Sister Jessie, estimates she has helped more than 500 prisoners in the Lower Mainland with her discussions and teachings of vipassana meditation. “My purpose of going in there is to help them bring clarity and purity to their own minds,” says Ven. Yin Kit. “I cannot do it, I am the medium. I can only teach, but [those] guys have to do it.” And though prison might not seem like the ideal place to practise meditation, the 60-year-old nun says it’s potentially a better spot than most. Because it's so routine and
regimented there are fewer distractions than in the “mundane” world. So if a prisoner can find time, he can dedicate that time to the practice and help himself change. “A prison is a prison, but it's more mental than physical,” Ven. Yin Kit says. “Change your prison cell to become a meditation cell.” Looking at the ideal future of the prisoners—where Mark is now, released—she sees that prison time as an opportunity to build the central core of their tree, not just the bark. “It's rainy and stormy outside, you have to gear yourself up right now, right here,” Ven. Yin Kit says. “You're here anyway. Where are you going to go?” Continued on 3
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