A Buddhist Tradition Grows in an Ohio Women's Prison

For decades, initiatives like the Prison Dharma Project have brought meditation and Buddhist teachings to incarcerated people across the country, but the image of the inmates who participate in these projects remains almost exclusively male. Yet inside at least one women's prison, a tradition of Buddhist practice has emerged and continues to grow. On October 17, Kerry and Erica, two inmates at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, joined that tradition when they received the 16 bodhisattva precepts, in the fourth jukai ceremony held at the prison since 2012.