The Dhamma Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Dhamma Brothers is a documentary film released in 2007 about a prison meditation program
at Donaldson Correctional Facility near Bessemer, Alabama
. The film concentrates on four inmates, all convicted of murder. It also includes interviews of guards, prison officials, and local residents. It includes reenactments of the inmates' crimes. Music for the film is by Low
, New Order
and Sigur Rós
.
The film has been compared to an earlier documentary, released in 1997, titled Doing Time, Doing Vipassana. That film documented a large scale meditation program at Tihar Prisons
in India with over a thousand inmates using the same meditation retreat format.
The film is directed by Jenny Phillips, a cultural anthropologist and psychotherapist, Andrew Kukura, a documentary filmmaker, and Anne Marie Stein, a film-school administrator. Phillips also released a book in late 2008 based on followup letters with the inmates, titled Letters from the Dhamma Brothers: Meditation Behind Bars (ISBN 1-92870-631-2).
The meditation program taught was Vipassana
meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka. The first ten-day intensive at the prison occurred in January 2002 with twenty inmates. The film includes material from the second ten-day intensive meditation retreat held in May 2002 with thirty seven inmates and a follow up three-day retreat and interviews in January 2006. Each retreat consisted of a rigorous daily schedule and was held in complete silence. Convicted murderer Grady Bankhead described the retreat as, "tougher than his eight years on Death Row."
of the prison complained to administrators that he was losing his inmate congregation. In December 2005, the prison administration changed and the meditation program was allowed to begin again.
The film also includes interviews with local residents who provide statements that are negative about the meditation program, perceiving it as anti-Christian. One resident compared Buddhism with witchcraft.
Prison contemplative programs
Prison contemplative programs are classes or practices that are offered at correctional institutions for inmates and prison staff. There are measured or anecdotally reported benefits from studies of these programs such a stress relief for inmates and staff...
at Donaldson Correctional Facility near Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a city outside of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States eight miles west of Hoover. The population was 29,672 at the 2000 Census, but by the 2009 U.S...
. The film concentrates on four inmates, all convicted of murder. It also includes interviews of guards, prison officials, and local residents. It includes reenactments of the inmates' crimes. Music for the film is by Low
Low (band)
Low is an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993. As of 2010, the group is composed of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker , both founding members, and Steve Garrington ....
, New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
and Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
.
The film has been compared to an earlier documentary, released in 1997, titled Doing Time, Doing Vipassana. That film documented a large scale meditation program at Tihar Prisons
Tihar Jail
Tihar Prisons , also called Tihar Jail and Tihar Ashram , is the largest complex of prisons in South Asia. It is located at Tihar village, approximately 7 km from Chanakya Puri, to the west of New Delhi, India. The surrounding area is called Hari Nagar.The prison is maintained as a...
in India with over a thousand inmates using the same meditation retreat format.
The film is directed by Jenny Phillips, a cultural anthropologist and psychotherapist, Andrew Kukura, a documentary filmmaker, and Anne Marie Stein, a film-school administrator. Phillips also released a book in late 2008 based on followup letters with the inmates, titled Letters from the Dhamma Brothers: Meditation Behind Bars (ISBN 1-92870-631-2).
The Meditation Program
Director Jenny Phillips was largely responsible for the meditation program's inception at the prison. Phillips had previously studied prison culture in Massachusetts. In 1999, she heard that prisoners at Donaldson were practicing meditation and she then organized the first ten-day intensive retreat there in January 2002. Phillips believes that was the first time a ten-day retreat had been held in a maximum-security prison such as Donaldson.The meditation program taught was Vipassana
Vipassana
Vipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...
meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka. The first ten-day intensive at the prison occurred in January 2002 with twenty inmates. The film includes material from the second ten-day intensive meditation retreat held in May 2002 with thirty seven inmates and a follow up three-day retreat and interviews in January 2006. Each retreat consisted of a rigorous daily schedule and was held in complete silence. Convicted murderer Grady Bankhead described the retreat as, "tougher than his eight years on Death Row."
Controversy
The meditation program at Donaldson was shut down shortly after the second meditation retreat. According to New York Times reviewer Whitney Joiner this was because the chaplainChaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of the prison complained to administrators that he was losing his inmate congregation. In December 2005, the prison administration changed and the meditation program was allowed to begin again.
The film also includes interviews with local residents who provide statements that are negative about the meditation program, perceiving it as anti-Christian. One resident compared Buddhism with witchcraft.
Reception
Jack Brown of the Valley Advocate rated the film four stars. Julia Wallace of the Village Voice said of that the film contains "cheesy, half-assed re-enactments of the inmates' crimes."Awards
- Tied for Best Feature Documentary at the Wood Hole Film Festival 2007
- NCCD Pass Award Winner 2007
External links
- Official movie web site
- The Dhamma Brothers: Vipassana Meditation in Prison, audio interview on Buddhist Geeks
- Grady Bankhead's Personal Web Site