Non-action is the source of all action. There is little we can do for peace in the world without peace in our minds. And so, when we begin to make peace, we begin with silence--meditation and prayer.

Peacemaking requires compassion. It requires the skill of listening. To listen, we have to give up ourselves, even our own words. We listen until we can hear our peaceful nature. As we learn to listen to ourselves, we learn to listen to others as well, and new ideas grow. There is an openness, a harmony. As we come to trust one another, we discover new possibilities for resolving conflicts. When we listen well, we will hear peace growing.

Peacemaking requires mindfulness. There is no peace with jealousy, self-righteousness, or meaningless criticism. We must decide that making peace is more important than making war.

Peacemaking requires selflessness. It is selflessness taking root. To make peace, the skills of teamwork and cooperation are essential. There is little we can do for peace as long as we feel that we are the only ones who know the way. A real peacemaker will strive only for peace, not for fame. Glory, or even honor. Striving for fame, glory, or honor will only harm our efforts.

The objective of this paper is to report some of the pressures and problems related to assisting people on Death Row. All the incidents are related to my experiences with one person. Know that each person and state are different and as such, don't take anything stated here as a hard and fast rule.

Also, be aware that whatever I say may be warped by my own experiences and prejudices which I am sure will creep into parts regardless of my attempts to be general in nature and neutral in presentation.

Buddhism is growing in the United States. The death penalty is a reality. This is no attempt to validate or condone it. Our precepts are very clear and any discussion on that is pointless in a Buddhist forum. The reality is that Buddhists are going to find themselves helping people on Death Row. There needs to be some discussion on this subject if we are to build on our individual experiences to help those that call on us as a group or individual.

Legal business is for legal people. There are two sides to every case and any uninformed observer will most likely become befuddled listening to arguments on their points of view. There is a second issue of mixing church and state. Both require more time, energy, and effort than I have available to invest.

Medical problems are for medical people. I do not pretend to understand mental illness. I do know that at any time, an expert can be called upon to testify as to possibilities of any situation. They will all put their hand on the same bible, take the same oath and come to different conclusions with identical facts. Also, time will compound and confuse the equation. So, what was true yesterday may or may not be true today.