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The Buddhist on Death Row:
How one man found light in the darkest place
David Sheff, Simon & Schuster, 2020
David Sheff is the #1 bestselling author of Beautiful Boy, which described the world of addiction as no book had before. With The Buddhist on Death Row (available August 4, 2020), Sheff offers a fresh view on the tenets of Buddhism and the evils of the criminal justice system through the story of Jarvis Jay Masters, who has been imprisoned at San Quentin since 1981. After being accused of conspiring to murder a prison guard in 1986, a criminal investigator offered to teach Masters breathing exercises to help him deal with the rage, anxiety, and panic as he prepared for his trial. Figuring he had nothing to lose, he tried meditating and likened it to the George Clinton lyric, “Free your mind and your ass will follow.”
The son of parents challenged by substance abuse and violence, Masters’ horrific early life made his imprisonment at nineteen all too predictable. How he went from there to enlightenment is anything but predictable—a uniquely uplifting, fascinating story. Masters became one of America’s most respected Buddhist practitioners during his two decades in solitary confinement at San Quentin. And his Buddhist practice has helped him do something extraordinary—cultivate a meaningful life in a place which would seem devoid of hope. He has transformed his own life by embracing compassion, forgiveness, and the deep value of every moment. More remarkably, he has defused conflicts among prisoners, defended inmates who were vulnerable to attack, instructed young prisoners in nonviolence and challenged them to rethink their definitions of manhood. Reaching across the deepest prison divide, he has even counseled a guard who’d planned to kill himself. But despite this transformation, and the fact that most of those who testified against him in his original murder trial have since recanted their testimony, he still resides on death row. His most recent appeal in 2019 was denied by the California Supreme Court, and his case now moves to the federal court.
Sheff does a brilliant job of reifying Masters’ gradual but profound transformation into a bodhisattva—someone dedicated to reducing others’ suffering. Over the course of three years, Sheff made more than 200 trips to death row, recorded more than 150 hours of conversations, and spoke with Masters for countless hours by phone. Though not a Buddhist himself, Sheff learned a multitude of lessons from all the time he’s spent with Masters, which he shares with readers. Among those lessons: our astonishing capacity for change, the value of letting go of goals and embracing processes, and how to face pain head-on and rise above it, rather than avoiding it. This is a profound book about one man’s capacities for learning, enduring, and ultimately, inspiring others—capacities we all share.
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Reviews
Here’s what others have to say about The Buddhist on Death Row:
“This book shows vividly how, even in the face of the greatest adversity, compassion and a warm-hearted concern for others bring peace and inner strength, which is a true source of joy.”
“This profound, gorgeous book displays the miraculous human capacity to find redemption, and even joy, no matter who or where we are. Jarvis Masters’ story proves that we are all united by our suffering and by our potential to help others who suffer.”
“This book celebrates a life that defines liberation; a freedom not gained by guns and gangs, prison breaks and murder of guards, but by discovering the wisdom of sitting with one’s breath, persisting in Buddhist practice, and opening to a belief in the perfection of the Universe as well as to the lovingkindness of other sufferers and practitioners. A deeply useful book. A reminder that we can be free, regardless of where we are placed.”
“This is a beautiful, profoundly spiritual book, and a page-turner. Jarvis Jay Masters’ transformation, from an unloved child of violence and poverty to Buddhist teacher on Death Row, is thrilling. Reading it changed me, threw the lights on, opened and gentled my heart. I’m going to give it to everyone I know.”
“I’m a friend of Jarvis Masters, so I know the truth of this book, but I want to hail its power. I believe it will encourage many people to examine their own lives and their unrealized potential for awareness, generosity, commitment, and courage.”
“An inspiring book about how meaning can be found even in—perhaps especially in—adversity. It’s a study of Buddhism, of criminal justice, of the ways people connect with each other, and it’s written with deep feeling and verve.”
“An indelible portrait of an incarcerated man finding new life and purpose behind bars.”
“Sheff captures the difficult, powerful realizations Masters gained as a result of his practice, leading him to become a comforting, beneficial presence to his fellow inmates. In an epilogue, Sheff asks readers to consider how one’s perspective can turn a situation of 'sadness, pain, and regret' into 'light and joy and love.”