A letter from Wayne Doty

Through my "harmony brother" Shinji Mark Blacknell, I've learned a lot about meditation which I strongly encourage all incarcerated or free individuals to try. Give it a fair chance because no matter where you're at it'll help, trust me, but you have to sincerely apply it in your daily life with devotion. This means developing a meditation practice and doing it every day. This is coming from a man who has been incarcerated most of his life and now sits on death row. Even as a child, I was institutionalized.

Before meeting Mark and learning about meditation, my life and mind were all over the place without any sense of direction, peace, harmony, or confidence in myself. My mind and personality were complicated. Now through meditation, I have gained a sense of inner stability by just sitting each morning and allowing my mind to act naturally without judgment. I started sitting over a year and a half ago for shorter periods but now sit for thirty minutes at a time and sometimes devote half days or more to it with Mark's guidance.

While meditating, we encounter stuff we simply can't control but somehow the meditation posture itself helps us find a sense of direction and deal with whatever comes up harmoniously. Instead of overreacting, we see, examine, and recognize everything from a whole different, more controlled, relaxed perspective. Mysteriously the blurred, scattered mindset I had before slowly began to become focused. I simplified every aspect of my mind no matter what was going on or where I was, which Mark taught me. Believe it or not, my life on death row has become so much easier and fulfilling. Now, I am open enough to want to help others without expecting anything in return. Mark taught me this.

Had I been given the opportunity as a young man to meditate, chances are I wouldn't be sharing all of this while sitting on death row. Forget about peer pressure, your past, society, or what others think about learning about meditation because it's your inner harmony, not anyone else's that matters. Let others see it working in you like I've done here, so they'll be hungry to learn about what makes you so happy wanting a piece of that harmony pie, cake, or pizza!

In a way, meditation has freed me. Physically, I'm stuck here until my last breath, but otherwise, I'm as free as can be in my circumstances. I still have much to do and learn. If possible, I need to find a way to apologize to my victim's families whose lives I forever altered. There's no way to make the guilt go away and I'm sincerely sorry and regretful for my actions.

It's gonna seem awkward, uncomfortable, and challenging at first, especially with the distractions and your schedules but I promise you'll be glad you gave it a chance.

Mark is a great leader and will explain everything, but really he shows us how to teach ourselves. Let's be real. How much harder could it be than sitting on death row waiting to be executed? I have no appeals or hope of freedom whatsoever. If I can meditate on death row, in these circumstances, surely you can meditate anywhere. You can do it and I encourage everyone to do so.

It's not about me, Mark, or anyone else. It's about every individual who's hungry to learn what inner harmony is all about and how to see and experience it, so life's much more peaceful and clear no matter where you are or end up. It's about being here right now, one breath at a time, and facing our specific circumstances as they are. That's Mark's message every time I've been honored to meet or talk to him, "Don't worry about this, that, or another thing. Take one breath at a time," he stresses. Please, take that first breath. Maybe, now more than ever the world needs us to do so.

Best wishes.

Sincerely,

Wayne Doty

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