Prisoners take path of enlightenment

Buddha: freeing minds from greed, hatred and delusion



A statue of Buddha has been erected in an exercise yard at Dartmoor Prison.

The statue's resting place is a specially created Buddha Grove outside the wing that houses sex offenders.

It is hoped the that the path of enlightenment will help prisoners back from the road to crime.

There are about a dozen inmates who are practising Buddhists. And come the summer the garden is expected to in use for both meditation and teaching.

"I had an e-mail from one of the principal officers here who had seen on my web site pictures of the Buddha groves in some of the other prisons," explained Buddhist Monk, Khemadhammo Mahathera.

"One thing that prisoners need is hope and also a symbol that things can be better and that one can in fact change oneself and become a better person," he added.



The path of enlightenment: the Buddha grove at Dartmoor Jail

The image of the Buddha signifies enlightenment - a means of freeing minds from greed, hatred and delusion - appropriate perhaps in a prison.

Buddhist Chaplain, Trevor Dunkley said: "We've been working towards it for some time now and I'm very relieved that it's finally happened and its a significant moment for the chaplaincy too, we're trying to work together between the faiths."

The garden sits alongside F-Wing and it also contains the Princess Diana memorial garden.

The granite stones were brought from a local quarry and there is pride in the fact the inmates have built the whole thing from scratch.

"The garden that we're in now was originally a derelict yard. It wasn't used for anything at all. It's been resurrected by prisoners. It's taken us about two and a half to three years now," said Mark Lacey, one of the prison officers.

The next prison in line to install a statue of the Buddha is likely to be the other side of Dartmoor - at Channings Wood.

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