Jarvis Jay Masters, Shambhala Publications, 2020
There are many forms of liberation—some that exist at the mercy of circumstance and others that can never be taken away. In this collection of stories, essays, poems, and letters from death-row inmate Jarvis Jay Masters, he explores the meaning of true freedom on his road to inner peace through Buddhist practice. He reveals the life of a young man surrounded by violence, his entanglement in the criminal justice system, and—following an encounter with Tibetan Buddhist teacher H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche—an unfolding commitment to nonviolence and peacemaking. At turns joyful, heartbreaking, frightening, and soaring with profound insight, Masters’ story offers a vision of hope and the possibility of freedom in even the darkest of times.
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You can order Finding Freedom in paperback or e-book formats from the following online retailers:
IndieBound (supports independent booksellers)
Book Depository (best for international orders)
Original edition
Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row was originally published by Padma Publishing, a small Buddhist press, in 1997. It was reprinted seven times until it was reissued by Shambhala Publications in 2020.
The Human Kindness Foundation also published its own limited version of the book for free distribution to juvenile detention centers, jails, and prisons throughout the U.S.
Reviews
“This is one of my favorite books, which I have often referred to in my teachings. I am delighted that it will have a wider publication now so that more people can read these wonderful heartfelt stories.”
“It is a privilege and joy to read Jarvis Masters’s account of his spiritual struggle to find freedom at the edge of life. Everyone should read this book.”
“An inspiring, even exhilarating teaching on the life of a peacemaker in the midst of rage and despair, and in the shadow of the execution chamber.”
"Finding Freedom is a deeply moving, life-affirming memoir....Jarvis Masters traces his remarkable spiritual growth. His book is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit and the talent of a fine writer."
“As he finds some measure of freedom inside a maximum security prison, Jarvis teaches me how to find freedom in my unfenced life.”
How many of us have wished that prisons could become monasteries, places of regeneration? This awesome memoir from Death Row proves that they can be so, whether there is administrative support or not. When Jarvis Masters choice to makes the transform himself , no prison can confine him; outward conditions lose their power to degrade and terrify the heart.
This book touches on all aspects of prison life but finally focuses on the process by which Masters reclaims himself, using Buddhist practice and writing to bring forth his own responsible, resolute, fearless, courageous and loving qualities. The book is beautifully written, simple and direct, a pleasure to read. The power of his practice and expression are such that those of us who live in what's relatively understood as freedom must say to ourselves, 'If Jarvis Masters can do this, then maybe we can, too.
Letters from Educators
teaching Finding Freedom
(This is a sampling of many more letters like this from educators around the country that have poured into San Quentin since 1997, when Finding Freedom was first published)
Excerpts from 11th graders’
letters to Jarvis
From Bravo Medical Magnet High School, Los Angeles, CA, 2005
(This is a sampling of thousands more letters like this from students around the country that have poured into San Quentin since 1997, when Finding Freedom was first published)