WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FREE?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FREE? I found myself returning again and again to this question while reading two books out this fall. One is about and one is by Jarvis Jay Masters, a death row inmate who found his path to freedom through Buddhist practice.
In (Simon & Schuster), author David Sheff details the life of Masters, a Black man born into appalling circumstances rife with drugs, abuse, and neglect. As Masters grew older, he was incarcerated in juvenile detention and, later, San Quentin Prison for armed robbery. He was ultimately convicted for participating in the murder of a prison guard—a conviction based on questionable evidence that resulted in his sentence to death row. A criminal investigator introduced Masters to meditation, and
