In this compelling discussion, Jarvis Jay Masters shares his extraordinary journey as an inmate on death row at San Quentin. He reveals how he turned to Buddhism and meditation to cope with his harsh reality, spending over three decades in solitary confinement. Jarvis opens up about unlearning harmful masculinity, embracing personal growth through writing, and the transformative power of mindfulness. His insights into navigating extreme challenges offer a profound perspective on hope, resilience, and the quest for freedom.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Jarvis Masters' Path to San Quentin
Jarvis Masters recounts his difficult childhood, marked by abuse and foster homes.
He describes his path to San Quentin at 18 after multiple crimes and escapes.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Shedding the Tough Guy Persona
Jarvis Masters describes re-evaluating his life and shedding the "tough guy" persona.
He discusses the influence of Melody Ermachild and books on masculinity.
insights INSIGHT
Shared Stories and Scars
Jarvis realized that telling his story helped him connect with others in prison.
He discovered the similarity of their experiences and the shared scars from similar pasts.
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That Bird Has My Wings is a powerful narrative of Jarvis Jay Masters' life, from his childhood with parents addicted to heroin and an abusive foster family, to his life of crime and imprisonment, and finally to his embracing of Buddhism. The book is a testament to the human spirit's capacity for redemption and transformation, even in the most challenging environments.
The Buddhist on Death Row
How One Man Found Light in the Darkest Place
David Sheff
The Buddhist on Death Row chronicles the life of Jarvis Jay Masters, who has spent decades on death row in San Quentin State Prison. Despite a tumultuous early life and a conviction for murder, Masters discovered Buddhism and underwent a profound transformation, becoming a respected Buddhist teacher and advocate for peace. Through his story, David Sheff explores themes of redemption, compassion, and the power of mindfulness in the face of adversity.
Finding freedom
writings from death row
Jarvis Jay Masters
In this stirring collection, Jarvis Jay Masters explores the meaning of true freedom on his road to inner peace through Buddhist practice. He recounts his life as a young African American man surrounded by violence, his entanglement in the criminal justice system, and his commitment to nonviolence and peacemaking following an encounter with Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. The book offers a vision of hope and the possibility of freedom even in the darkest of times.
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Today we have a truly incredible episode about how to meditate in hell. You’re going to meet a man named Jarvis Jay Masters, who I interviewed from his cell on death row at San Quentin prison in California. Any of us who meditate do our best to apply it to life’s ups and downs — but this person has been applying it in some truly extreme circumstances.
Jarvis has now spent more than three decades on death row, including more than two decades in solitary confinement. Shortly after Jarvis’s death sentence, he became interested in Buddhism, and started developing a rigorous practice under the tutelage of a Tibetan lama, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. Jarvis has now written and published two books about his life, Finding Freedom and That Bird Has My Wings. Both feature forewords by the renowned meditation teacher Pema Chödrön, who has been on this show, and his second book was endorsed by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and also by Oprah Winfrey, who selected the book for her famous book club last year.
Jarvis’s current appeal sits before a federal judge as we speak. A decision on his future could be reached any day.
Heads up there are frank discussions of suicide and domestic violence in this conversation.
In this episode we talk about:
His childhood
His road to prison
How he unlearned traditional (and harmful) aspects of masculinity
How he began to write, and the impact that had on him and his standing in the prison
How he meditates in a noisy prison
The details of his meditation practice
His off-the-cushion practice of ‘engaged Buddhism’ with his fellow inmates
How he prepares for the possibility of release–and for the possibility of execution
10% Happier with Dan Harris 
