Meditation for Prisoners

By Lewis Elbinger

MEDITATION FOR PRISONERS I started studying meditation because I firmly expected to go to prison as a result of my refusal to participate in the Vietnam War. I knew instinctively that I would have to find resources within myself to prepare for and protect from long hours of boredom, hostile strangers and oppressive situations. These studies took me around the world and, although I never actually entered prison, I gathered what I needed to arm myself against the sudden deprivation of material comfort and freedom.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK This book contains 31 meditations, one for each day of the month. Use the meditation that corresponds to the date of the month. Find a comfortable place and read the introduction and meditation once. Then say each line of the meditation aloud if possible, silently if necessary. Concentrate on the meaning. Close your eyes, quiet your mind, watch your breath, observe your thoughts and, most importantly, follow your intuition. THE MIND TURNS TO LIBERATION

I write for those few brothers and sisters who are forced by circumstance to contemplate the meaning of liberation. I write with a sense of camaraderie because everyone is, in some sense, a prisoner. True, for most people imprisonment is self-imposed. Nevertheless, once imposed, the mind turns to liberation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Dec 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781982258306

Lewis Elbinger

LEWIS ELBINGER is a multidimensional grandfather, yogi, poet, artist, retired diplomat, planetary citizen and dedicated evolutionary. He hitchhiked from Scotland to India in 1968 when he was 21 years old and has been a world traveler ever since. He studied yoga and meditation at the ashram of Swami Muktananda in Ganeshpuri, India. Lewis and his Indian friend Sri Harish Karun co-founded the East West Ashram Trust, a spiritual retreat in the foothills of the Himalayas. After a 28-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service that included 16 assignments in ten countries, Lewis retired in 2011.

Book preview

Copyright © 2020 Lewis Elbinger.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

844-682-1282

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Author photo credit: © Douglas Elbinger/GettyImages

ISBN: 978-1-9822-5832-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-5831-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-5830-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020922319

Balboa Press rev. date: 12/09/2020

CONTENTS

MEDITATION IN PRISON

THE MIND TURNS TO LIBERATION

THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS

THE REALIZATION OF JOY

HOW I GOT STARTED

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

THE LOTUS POSITION

1: GETTING OUT

2: CONFRONTING EVIL

3: PAIN

4: COURAGE

5: GRATITUDE

6: PROGRESS

7: WORK

8: PLAY

9: TIME

10: FRIENDS

11: STRIVING

12: VISION

13: BEAUTY

14: SANITY

15: FORGIVENESS

16: WONDER

17: LAUGHTER

18: REST

19: PATIENCE

20: HUMILITY

21: HONOR

22: RESPONSIBILITY

23: LANGUAGE

24: MUSIC

25: NATURE

26: FREEDOM

27: HEALTH

28: MONEY

29: UNDERSTANDING

30: THE PEAK

31: STARTING OVER

MEDITATION IN PRISON

WHEN I SIT IN MEDITATION, it is