The Buddhist on Death Row was an intriguing, yet sad book. Jarvis Jay Masters’s early life WAS a horror story, setting the tone for adulthood. Abuse, neglect, juvenile detention, but when it comes to imprisonment for a murder of a man, I believed by the end of the story that Jarvis was innocent. I may be wrong. I KNOW he was not given a fair trial. I am surprised that he has not been pardoned for good behavior over such a long period. While in prison, so many influential people helped him cope using Buddhist techniques. I am not, nor ever, will be Buddhist. However, the fact that these people taught him self-calming techniques and positive imagery to do better and be better, especially under the worst of circumstances, is amazing. I took offense to the sentence that Jarvis said that only Buddha saves, and Jesus doesn't. He has it backwards. As a Christian, I know that is not true. Only God saves, and I pray that Jarvis is able to read my review somehow one day and question himself once again about God. You see, Buddhism may have very well have given him an inner peace. But Jarvis is not going to reincarnate when he dies. I believe even he scoffed at that notion. Jarvis needs to have the hope of good AFTER dying, that this world is not all there is to offer. Christianity offers a world ever after, with a mansion to himself so great that no one on earth can envision it. Streets of gold. No sickness, no sorrow. Meeting your loved ones again. Buddhist beliefs have you turn into something else. I don't want to turn into a tree when I die. Christianity becomes alive in a person when he or she accepts God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It doesn't mean your life here on earth will be easy. It is the opposite, because Satan is fighting hard with God. Spoiler alert on this one: God wins. I have had many hopeless things happen in my life, and prayed and had miracles. If God doesn't answer a prayer, it may either be too soon, or not good for you. God can see into your future what you can't see. There is one prayer that God will always answer: to save you from a lifetime of Hell. You either choose God (the good side) or Satan (the bad side). This is a lifetime decision. You don't get do-overs once you die, which could be at any time, any day. It is important. You can be in prison, guilty as sin of killing 5000 people, but if you accept God - confess you are a sinner - and believe, you will go to Heaven. You will be in such a happy state, it can't even be described. You will belong. God your Ultimate Father will never reject you. He will never beat you. He will never neglect you. In fact, God will never do those things now. But if you lose favor and say you don't accept and believe in Him, you will be on Team Satan the rest of your life. Some people have seen glimpses of hell in near death experiences. You do not want to go. Extreme painful fire that will never kill you. Worms eating at you. Darkness, fear, snakes. You are always thirsty, and you will want to die, and can't. You will always be looking over at the land where people did love God and are rejoicing. Don't let that be you! I rated this book five stars, not due to religious beliefs presented, but because this book was raw, real, and Jarvis has become rehabilitated, even though the jury system won't at least let him go for that one reason. I also was fascinated with how Jarvis realized how blessed he was, even when he was not in a place where most would want to be. For instance, during the brief years he had kind foster parents, he noticed a bowl of fruit. When he grew up (as poor as his family was), they had a bowl of fruit for the children to eat. When he went to eat a piece of fruit that the foster parents had put out, it was the plastic fake kind. Jarvis felt let down, because even at his poorest, he knew he could get real fruit. Then, he described how one day he was in the back of a van, being transported to another prison facility. There was a traffic jam, so he sat up and observed. Everyone all around in their vehicles were observed to be showing stress in some kind of way, but Jarvis was happy to be there because most of his years were in solitary confinement where he didn't even see a blade of grass, and he was out and traveling, learning all the things he had missed, even about technology. I hope a sequel is written to this book with the title: Jarvis is Prepared For His Homecoming, about his after life to be with Christ (Jesus, God). ( )

audio nonfiction (7.5 hrs)
man spends most of his life on death row (for a murder for which he was framed) at San Quentin, uses meditation to deal with past (many serious traumas and guilt) + becomes a Buddhist disciple and helps others in unexpected, significant ways while awaiting appeals/death sentence. ( )

I was not familiar with Jarvis Jay Masters before reading this. What an incredible human being. This book is equally heartbreaking and inspiring. ( )

So great. Simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. The power of meditation is no joke. ( )

spectacular, riveting ( )