Springhill

Sunday September 18, to Springhill Prison for the annual celebrations at the Buddha Grove there. It was the last to be attended by the present Governor Dr Peter Bennett, who is due to retire shortly after nine years as Governor of Springhill and Grendon Underwood. He has always been very friendly and encouraging to the Buddhist Prison Chaplaincy Angulimala, and in particular he has a good word to say about us at the celebration. This year we had a record attendance, and the event was led by a record number of monks.

I do think Buddhism has a great deal to offer prisoners, and its hugely impressive when one meets a former inmate whose life has been turned round by his contact with Angulimala. An ex-prisoner who was at Springhill for this year's event had been inside for 25 years, during the last half of which I had been corresponding with him. He's now in a flat of his own and picking up the threads of independent living.