Who We Are
Buddhist Prison Ministry provides the prison population with transformative tools and wisdom from the Buddhist tradition using accessible language and an interfaith lens, with the aim of fostering greater connection and ultimately interconnection with all forms of life.
Our programs and courses help participants and the people they live with develop deeper awareness, insight, kindness, understanding, forgiveness, spaciousness, inner and outer serenity, and compassion. The inner and outer peace cultivated will aid in the reduction of recidivism, increase of pro-social activity, and lead to a balanced life both inside and outside the walls.
Mission
statement
REv. Susan Shannon
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Rev. Susan Shannon, M. Div., BCC has been “married to the Dharma” since 1971, studied Chinese Buddhism in Taiwan, finally taking refuge with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1979. She is an ordained an Interfaith Chaplain and Minister and was endorsed by the Nechung Center as a Buddhist Chaplain in 2012.
This authorized her to teach, provide services, and spiritually serve the men in San Quentin State Prison and Death Row. Susan led multiple rehabilitative programs in San Quentin as well, including Victim Offender Education Group, Houses of Healing, Guiding Rage into Power, Veterans Healing Veterans and more. All Susan’s work is grounded in the fields of Restorative Justice and Emotional Literacy. Susan furthers her prison work through the Buddhist Prison Ministry, spreading the Dharma in prisons across the United States, as well as teaches dharma to seminary and dharma students.
Jeff Marcous
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Jeff Marcous is a Bay Area resident and retired founder of SF based Dharma Merchant Services, a B certified provider of merchant accounts conceived to be a vehicle for right livelihood. Jeff served as board chair of Washington, D.C. based Green America which promotes environmentally aware and ethical consumerism and also served on the board of the Tricycle Foundation, which publishes Tricycle - the Buddhist Review magazine. He has experienced first-hand the challenges, trauma, and needs of the incarcerated community as a 10-year volunteer with the Buddhadharma Sangha: a SF Zen Center program and received Jukai along with other inside residents in 2015.
Suzanne Lucas
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Suzanne began as a homework buddy/volunteer for BPM in early 2021. As a long-time student of Buddhist teachings, she immediately recognized the sincerity, authenticity and tremendous dedication of incarcerated learners.
Since then, she’s become “knitting needles to Susan's yarn” —offering support to whatever needs to be done to propel the wonderful activity of BPM, including graphic design and writing.
She also facilitates workbook study-groups using BPM’s Course materials, which allows volunteers/others an opportunity to study, practice and learn Buddhist essentials in a group setting. More about Suzanne.
Casey Rae
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Casey Rae is an interfaith chaplain, ordained ngakpa in the Yuthok Nyingthig lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism, and a certified mental health counselor. He serves individuals in prison and through post-release integration and is completing Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at the Pacific Institute for Essential Conversations.
Casey is the author of William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock ‘n’ Roll (University of Texas Press), Music Copyright: An Essential Guide for the Digital Age (Rowman & Littlefield), and the forthcoming Dead Dharma: The Grateful Dead and the American Quest for Transcendence (Oxford University Press), and a contributor to Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.
Before entering chaplaincy, he worked in music, law, public policy, and higher education as a music licensing executive, federal policy advocate, and professor at Georgetown University and Berklee College of Music. More about Casey: casey-rae.com
Beverly matsuishi
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Casey Rae is an interfaith chaplain, ordained ngakpa in the Yuthok Nyingthig lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism, and a certified mental health counselor. He serves individuals in prison and through post-release integration and is completing Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at the Pacific Institute for Essential Conversations.
Casey is the author of William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock ‘n’ Roll (University of Texas Press), Music Copyright: An Essential Guide for the Digital Age (Rowman & Littlefield), and the forthcoming Dead Dharma: The Grateful Dead and the American Quest for Transcendence (Oxford University Press), and a contributor to Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.
Before entering chaplaincy, he worked in music, law, public policy, and higher education as a music licensing executive, federal policy advocate, and professor at Georgetown University and Berklee College of Music. More about Casey: casey-rae.com
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Founder and Senior Lama of Sukhasiddhi Foundation, a Tibetan Buddhist center in the Shangpa and Kagyu lineages.
With gratitude to her gurus, Lama Palden transmits, trains, and mentors students and clients, passing on the teachings and practices that enable one to reach complete awakening. She has a lifelong interest in Comparative Mysticism and Inter-spirituality. Lama Palden also worked for years as a licensed psychotherapist, and in addition to teaching, now does Spiritual Counseling at the intersection of the spirituality and psychology. Her book, Love on Every Breath, is on the practice of Tonglen.
Advisory Committee
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Jane Hirshfield is an internationally known American poet, essayist, and translator, known as 'one of American poetry's central spokespersons for the biosphere' and recognized as 'among the modern masters,' 'writing some of the most important poetry in the world today.' A 2019 elected member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, her books include numerous award-winning collections of her own poems, collections of essays, and edited and co-translated volumes of world writers from the deep past. Widely published in global newspapers and literary journals, her work has been translated into over fifteen languages.
Among her dozens of other literary accolades, Jane is also the editor of the groundbreaking Women in Praise of the Sacred anthology and is so happy we are lifting out Buddhism for Women this year.
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Mary Robinson, MA, CT, is currently in Private Practice in Madison, NJ where she works with individuals coping with grief and loss and other life transitions.
A CNN Hero, Mary is the Founder and former Executive Director of both Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss in Mountainside and Newark, NJ, and Good Grief, Inc. in Morristown and Princeton, NJ, two of the largest and nationally recognized youth and family grief support organizations in the country.
Mary has a BA in English, an MA in Applied Psychoanalysis, and is a Certified Thanatologist. She is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, and a member of the Board of the Academy for Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis in Livingston, NJ.
Board of Directors
Steering Committee and content creation
Buddhist Prison Ministry operates almost exclusively on the incredible generosity of it’s growing team of volunteers. Inspired individuals greatly contribute to our content, podcasts, website, course design and helping manage/respond to the abundant mail that we receive! We are deeply grateful to each of our volunteers.
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Maryann O’Sullivan has volunteered at San Quentin State Prison in programs including the San Quentin Buddhadharma group, Coalition for Justice, Restorative Justice and Mindful Prisons. Ms. O’Sullivan has also volunteers at the Women’s Federal Correctional Institute at Dublin.
Ms. O’Sullivan worked for many years as a consultant on health policy efforts; her clients included: the California HealthCare Foundation; Consumers Union; the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health; the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative at Johns Hopkins University; the David and Lucile Packard Foundation; the Blue Shield of California Foundation; Children Now; the Compassionate Care Coalition of California; and the California Culture Change Coalition.
In 1987 Ms. O’Sullivan was the founding Executive Director of Health Access, a statewide consumer coalition that continues to advocate for quality and affordable health care for all and especially for health care services for low-income populations. She was also the founding Executive Director of the Campaign for Effective Patient Care, an education and advocacy organization that worked for policies to improve California patients’ health and health care through better use of evidence-based medicine. She served as the Consumer Education Officer for the California HealthCare Foundation’s Quality Initiative. Ms. O’Sullivan served as Director of Special Health Initiatives at Children Now.
Ms. O’Sullivan was the Founder and CEO of Preschool California a broad-based multi-year advocacy campaign to achieve voluntary preschool for all of California’s four-year olds. Ms. O’Sullivan was the founding State Director for Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, an organization of law enforcement leaders advocating for prevention programs for California’s young people. She also worked as an advocate for Consumers Union and California Common Cause.
Ms. O’Sullivan traveled twice to South Africa where she served as a consultant for the Advocacy Institute and the Kaiser Family Foundation training progressive health care advocates to influence the newly democratic South African government. Ms. O’Sullivan served as a lecturer at San Francisco State University teaching health policy and advocacy and is a member of the California Bar.
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Blaire Allison Embrey is a dedicated and multifaceted Creative Producer and Communications Manager. She has extensive training in the frameworks of Andean Mountain Shamanism, Yoga, Mindfulness, and ChildSpace (Feldenkrais Method). She has been working with Prison Yoga Project since 2020, hosting and producing their podcast and webinar series. Blaire took refuge in 2014, and is a devoted practitioner. She owes her life to the practice of meditation. Blaire brings to BPM her tech skills, prison experience, and networking skills.
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Avik Mukerjee has been in the banking profession for more than 20 years, in a variety of disciplines. He was also in the Air Force for several years in the 1990's. He is passionate about spiritual teachings, especially Buddhism and Vedanta, and applying them to all areas of life. He appreciates sharing the teachings and helping to make a difference to others in these teachings any way he can, whenever he can. Avik was BPM’s first volunteer, and has responded with wisdom, kindness and understanding to dozens of men and women who have completed our courses.
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Michaela Fleming, LMFT Program Creation, Homework Specialist: grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and is now living in Pacific Northwest. She was introduced to Buddhism and meditation in the late 70s and has been practicing, learning, and integrating the teachings ever since. She also is a Co-Member of the Loretto Community, whose collective mission is “to work for justice and act for peace.” As a licensed psychotherapist, Michaela accompanies others on their journey toward wholeness and deepened awareness of interconnection. In 2021, she received her Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certificate from the Greater Good Science Center at the UC, Berkeley and the Awareness Training Institute. In addition to her vocation, Michaela loves her being in nature, being with family and friends-both human and canine, hiking, and doing glass art.
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Amanda Tarkington retired from a career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta in 2013. She was a senior health communication specialist, translating the latest science into formats and delivery methods to foster adoption of healthy ways of living among the pubic.
She has been a practicing Buddhist for about 25 years, mostly in the Tibetan tradition. She began her studies at the Atlanta Shambhala Center, following instructions and practices taught by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham, and Pema Chödrön.
She moved to Orcas Island, WA after retirement and began creating her own way to study and practice. She now has a small, powerful and dear sangha on the island and takes frequent online and in person courses and retreats when possible.
She started working with BPM in May, 2024, reviewing homework and responding to students’ answered questions. She also works with Susan and Michaela in the BPM studio/office, going through the mail, strategizing best practices and appreciating her great luck at getting to do this work. She has said, ‘You know how when you’re studying and practicing and suddenly you get this huge updraft of joy from the dharma? That’s how it feels to do this work. I’ve come home, there are parades of celebration, and my heart is fuller. I have such gratitude to Susan, Michaela and all the people involved in BPM.’
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Barbara Juniper, has practiced Tibetan Buddhism for nearly 20 years, and a volunteer for BPM since April of 2022. Barbara has worked as a healer and counselor for over 25 years. She is passionate about supporting both men and women in connecting with their authentic expression and integrating all that they learn on the cushion into their daily lives. She holds and active role in creating BPM’s specific programs for women. She has been a caring, compassionate spiritual friend to many, many sangha members behind bars who have taken our programs.
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Sunil Joseph is actively engaged in teaching a restorative justice-based healing and accountability program within California's prison system. In 2021, Sunil achieved certification as a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher by completing the comprehensive 2-year program led by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Additionally, Sunil is a graduate of Bay NVC's 1-year Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Leadership Program in 2008. Sunil has been actively teaching NVC and Mindfulness based programs at Buddhist centers in Northern California since 2016. Sunil holds deep gratitude for the invaluable teachings he has received from a multitude of remarkable teachers. With genuine enthusiasm, he embraces every opportunity to guide and support individuals along their unique journey toward fulfillment and wellbeing as an Empathy Coach.
In addition to his role as an Empathy Coach, Sunil brings a wealth of academic and professional experience to his practice. He holds a Master's degree in Computer Science, complemented by a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering. Prior to answering the call to serve, Sunil enjoyed a 25-year corporate career in the field of software development.
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Eric has been a Buddhist meditation practitioner for over 20 years and gone through the depth studies program at Sukhasiddhi Foundation with Lama Palden Drolma. He has a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA and was co-owner of a real estate technology company (iHomefinder) for 20 years. Recently Eric has been doing design and development work in the mobile app field. Eric has been on the Sukhasiddhi Foundation board of directors for 5 years and served as board chairman for 2 years.
homework buddies / Kalyanamitra
Our growing team of volunteers include more than 25 homework buddies or kalyanamitra—the spiritual friend, companions. We are deeply grateful to each of our volunteers.
Gathering of the Light
An online tour of BPM
From BPM’s Founder, Rev. Susan Shannon:
“One of the most powerful gifts that has come out of Buddhist Prison Ministry’s skyrocketing growth is the affirmation of the power of altruism.
BPM’s first workbook was envisioned by a group of “condemned” men on San Quentin’s Death Row, who wanted to pay forward the wealth of transformative dharma work we’d done together over many years.
That this very thought of altruism—coming from one of the darkest places on earth—has now spread into prisons in every state across the country—gives truth and credence to the power of Bodhicitta, the Awakened Heart.
As Khunu Rinpoche wrote in his beautiful book “The Jewel Lamp: A Praise of Bodhicitta”:
The thought desiring to dispel
Every mistake from every sentient being
And to bring every being to full knowledge is bodhicitta.
Of all wonderful things, this is the most wonderful.