Buddhism, summary.

Essay by jaybrog January 2005

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Juvenile Hall Dharma by Soren Gordhamer is a story about an individual who was born and raised in Texas. His father, a psychologist, was an educated man interested in Buddhism. Under his father's influence the author got interested in Buddhism and got into a habit of meditation. Later in the story the author joined Spirit Rock Meditation Center Family Program and taught meditation classes to teens. One thing that appeared strange to me was that author's family was living in Texas, on of the Bible Belt states, and that his father had a respectable position in a society as a psychologist; yet, the family did not attend church services. As one can see from the story religion did not have a great influence on Gordhamer's life as a youngster. However, he was able to achieve an inner balance and to keep himself focused and motivated thanks to the meditation practices he had learned from his father's books and tapes.

Author describes a state of being "in the zone", which is using a power of the mind in various conditions. During his classes with young juveniles the author wanted to teach the kids the ability to achieve that state through meditation. These teens had broken lives and were already behind bars, but the government did little to fund programs that assured their positive development while in prison. So author's classes were making a change in these teens' personalities and lives in general.

After I finished reading I understood that meditation plays an important role in Buddhism teaching because it is one of the first steps in the journey of achieving nirvana. I have learned that meditation helps to gather inner strengths and a power of mind of an individual and to channel them into positive and productive actions. I could see...