Khentrul Rinpoche asks all his students to help others in need, by participating in community outreach programs. Giving back to the community as a group would not only enrich his teachings---which are all based on compassion--- but also enables a unique and fulfilling way to put our practice into action.

Volunteering in Hawaii's Prisons

Join Us. No experience needed. Just a compassionate heart.

Since 2018, KatogMatiLing has been volunteering in two Hawaii prisons, teaching weekly meditation and dharma. In 2019, we expanded to a third prison and added One-on-One Mentoring, which provides Compassionate Deep Listening.

Our Mission

Our Mission in teaching meditation in Hawaii prisons is to provide inmates with a tool for self-transformation and rehabilitation.

Why

We believe in the unconditional basic goodness of all human beings, and their potential for healing and transformation.

We believe that everyone wants to be happy and can achieve that goal by cultivating mindfulness.

We believe that mindfulness meditation practice cultivates a peaceful state of mind and body, enabling one to develop Wisdom and Compassion beyond stress reduction and anger management.

• Thoughts lead to actions.

• Emotions are experiential thoughts with color and texture,which can acquire an intensity that quickly leads to unskillful actions without mindfulness.

• When we are mindful, we can choose a wiser course of action, which leads to happiness for ourselves and others.

These are Buddha's teachings, supported by contemporary research using MRI brain scans on meditators. The scientific findings showed changes in the structure and function of the brain: the more a person meditates, the greater the change to improved attitude and behavioral control.

Our Programs

Meditation Classes

Our Meditation program is similar to those administered throughout the United States and in other countries, that statistically have been shown to reduce recidivism rates amongst its participants when compared to the general prison population. Each Sunday, a volunteer leads a one-hour mindfulness meditation session that is open to all inmates in the Hawaii state prisons (Halawa and Women's Community Correctional Center). Depending on the needs of the attending inmates, class content may encompass various types of sitting and moving meditation practices.

One-on-One Mentoring

In addition to group Meditation Classes , One-on-One Mentoring is offered at the Women's Community Correctional Center. In order to build trust, a volunteer mentor and her assigned mentee meet one-on-one for an hour, at least twice a month. This program is mainly about deep, compassionate listening, as well as meditation. Scheduling is flexible to suit the needs of both parties.

We welcome your participation. Please contact lily@katogmatiling.org to find out more.