Home > Our Community > Philanthropic Projects > Prison Project

Prison Project

Question. What is the Prison Project? How did it start?

Answer. The Prison Project was started by Baba Muktananda in 1978 in Hawaii when he turned to one of his Swamis and said, "Take Siddha Meditation into prisons everywhere."

In 1979 a conference was held at the Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland. More than 100 devotees came to plan this mission and started going into prisons all over the country. In 1981 Baba gave the Siddha Yoga Correspondence Course (now In Search of the Self) to the Prison Project to distribute to prisoners. It is his prasad (spiritual gift) and the primary vehicle for people in prison to receive the Siddha Yoga teachings and the grace of the Guru. He gave it with the promise that they would receive everything from studying the course. "Everything" means Shaktipat and liberation. The Prison Project is a way to cooperate with Baba's promise. The work of over 150 trained program coordinators and sevites is to bring the Siddha Yoga teachings and grace of the Siddha Yoga lineage to inmates who do not have access to the form of the Guru.

Question. What is the Prison Project doing?

Answer. In addition to the work of providing the course, there are two other main aspects of the Prison Project. The first aspect is involvement with centers, which grows in importance continually. An interested center with available resources can adopt a local prison. The relationship with the prison can be as simple as occasionally donating Siddha Yoga books to the library. Or, it can involve having trained program coordinators holding satsang in the local facility. If you are interested in getting involved, contact the Prison Project office in Oakland.

Question. How does it work?

Answer. The Course is the heart and the foundation of the Prison Project. The In Search of the Self home study course goes out to over 6000 inmates per month. Basically, the course gives to devotees in prison what the Guru gives us through the agency of ashrams and centers. It links them dynamically to the transformational wisdom of Siddha Yoga Meditation and the grace of the lineage of its masters.

Question. Can transformation really happen in prison?

Answer. The most eloquent testimony to the transformation of devotees in prison is their own words. Please see the letter from an inmate, which is a small sample of the hundreds of letters the Prison Project office receives every month. These powerful expressions of devotion, gratitude and inner freedom speak for themselves.