To stop thinking, for prisoners, when the mind is too overwhelming, can bring calm, but you can’t stop thinking completely. It is better to have an object than not to have an object, otherwise the person may get spaced out. Being spaced out in meditation can cause dullness and also destroys the wisdom and intelligence. It can cause rebirth as an animal. The highest you can achieve is the formless realm, with empty sky consciousness and nothingness, according to His Holiness Zong Rinpoche, abbot of Ganden Shartse. He was like a great, ancient Indian pandit, a great yogi, Heruka, with high tantric realizations of the path.

Another way to stop thinking of the past is mentioned in the preliminary teachings in the Mahamudra teachings. To stop thinking of the past and the future, just look at the nature of the mind, look at the mind, look at the face of the mind, that’s it. The whole mind is watching the mind. At that time, when strong desire, anger, attachment, all those delusions arise, you distract the mind from those. The mind becomes neutral. Of course, before that meditation, if you make a bodhicitta motivation for the benefit of others, then it becomes complete virtue. Without a bodhicitta motivation, even if you just do this meditation, it’s useful; it distracts the mind away from arising delusions. That can be useful because it brings calmness. This is a preliminary for the Mahamudra meditation.

First, you have the nine-round breathing meditation. The other practice is you breathe out, breathe in, and just sit. All the negative emotional thoughts, anger, attachment, the selfish mind, and negative imprints are banned from this world, like black smoke, then disappear. As you breathe in, you can visualize Chenrezig, or generate Buddha, and all the qualities: omniscience, power, and compassion, then you receive all the qualities with white light. As you breathe in, they go inside through your whole body to the heart, and you try to feel compassion for all living beings. That is very important for actualizing the path. Then, think, I have the power to help others to the state of omniscience. After compassion then I will reach omniscience, and will have all the knowledge to help others, then the power to help others, to do perfect work for sentient beings.

Depending on the person, if the person cannot accept Buddha, then just say enlightened beings. You don’t have to say Jesus; some people may not be Christian. Only say Jesus if the person is Christian. Some people have an open mind, but it is always better to phrase things according to their mind, so you can always ask if they have a religion or not. But if it’s because of another reason that they can’t visualize Buddha, you can say Jesus, but you have to describe the qualities of Buddha, having omniscience, free from all defilements, having omniscience and compassion for all beings, and perfect power. That way you might use the name Jesus but actually the recognition is of Buddha. In reality, the person is relying on Buddha. So, you might not use the word Buddha, but you are describing the meaning of Buddha. Then, do the meditation. Otherwise, you can say the highest path, and the universal, highest, most powerful enlightened being. If you say Buddha it’s particular to Buddhists, but if you say most enlightened and fully awakened, then it’s universal. The meaning is important.

You can do that three, five, or ten times, then the mind becomes very calm and relaxed. Then the mind is watching the mind, with no past or future, just watching the mind, just concentrating on the mind. Then from Mahamudra meditation you go to emptiness and look for the object to be refuted, how you feel the I, and from that you go straight to meditation on emptiness. That’s the Mahamudra technique. Of course, you can start with the guru entering the heart, but to do this you need an initiation, Instead of thinking of the heart, they can practice the mind watching the mind, and then examine what is the nature of the mind. While they are looking at the mind, they can think how they are seeing the I, who is meditating, and can they find it or not. Sometimes, practice looking for the I with them, in the meditation; this interests them, it’s like research.

Some of the prisoners have mental problems, so if they are paranoid, maybe they can do this breathing. If they are paranoid, you have to tell them that what they believe is not true.

Whatever problems they have, they can look at them like a dream, because when you die this life becomes like a dream. It happens just like that (snaps his finger) and is gone. So if they can think that now, in daily life, problems and fear disappear and peace and happiness arise. They should do that as much as they can.

Some prisoners maybe were using drugs and then, when they go to jail, they cannot get them any more, so then their minds become very agitated. All those problems and sufferings are the same. Whatever problem you see in prison, what caused them to be caught and put there is their desire. It is not actually the police who put them there, but desire. Also, whatever suffering you have comes from desire. So, this is very useful for you too. All the problems there come from desire. A very good meditation is the shortcomings of desire. And a very good meditation on the lamrim is the shortcomings of delusion and attachment. This is very good for renunciation of samsara. I am sure helping in the prison also helps you, that it helps your renunciation.

Good books you can give the prisoners are:

Becoming Your Own Therapist
Transforming Problems into Happiness

Maybe some prisoners might want to chant mantras? If so, then they can chant OM MANI PADME HUM, Medicine Buddha, the Heart Sutra, also prayers such as the Foundation of Good Qualities and the Three Principals of the Path, depending on the situation. You can make them into songs, then they enjoy them.