For three years, a team of three people has been visiting the Women’s Prison in Ezeiza, Argentina, holding workshops that feature Prem Rawat’s “Words of Peace” videos in Spanish and printed material published by TPRF. This is their story.

Every Tuesday we set off to prison—so the inmates at the Women’s Prison in Ezeiza can listen to Prem Rawat’s message. Ezeiza is 30 km from Buenos Aires, in an area where the federal prisons are located.

It’s a long way before we meet, carrying our bags with printed materials, batteries, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, cookies, and, when we can afford it, Walkmans for the inmates. We take a bus, then a train, and finally we meet in Liniers. There we take a town shuttle.

Finally, we reach our destination. We are announced and welcomed by guards and other prison staff. Once we are allowed to enter, we walk quietly past banging gates, doors, jail cells. Some inmates are doing their morning tasks in the corridors or open halls. Someone sees us and yells, “I’m finishing my work now and going to the Words of Peace workshop. Wait for me!” Someone else calls out, “I’m coming! Please don’t start without me.” Even the priest of the prison is curious about the workshop, so we stop and give him written material.

While we’re setting up, one participant tells us, “Thank you for coming and that you keep coming. So many workshops have started here, but then they stop.” Another says, “I feel sad and depressed. I don’t know how to get back to happiness. Since I’ve been here, I don’t want to wake up, but now, on Tuesdays, I’m happy to wake up, knowing that I’m going to come to listen to Prem Rawat talk about peace.”

Soon, 25-30 inmates arrive. Some come with enthusiasm; others have dragged themselves in, but they all come ready to listen. We welcome them, thank them for coming, offer some cookies, and hand them the materials they have requested. Cassettes and batteries go to those who listen to Prem Rawat during the week on Walkmans.

Then the event starts. It is a one-hour DVD of Prem Rawat speaking at a university, guest of honor as an Ambassador of Peace. They listen carefully. They smile, nod their heads; occasionally they laugh or cry. A woman says loudly, “This guy is a genius. I wonder where he gets so much wisdom?”

When the DVD finishes, it’s time for interaction. Some of them make comments about the video. Some write a message to Prem Rawat on a sheet of paper that we email him. Some write comments to him in a book of expressions:

-“Today, you made me cry, touching very deep in my heart.”

-“Once a flower opens to the sun, it can never go back to its bud stage…that’s me. Thank you for your message.”

-“Prem Rawat, in this place where everything is darkness, where everybody is locked up, you brought the key for my inner peace. My body lives in darkness, but my spirit lives in freedom.”

-“Dear Prem Rawat, Once I was locked up here in prison, my life became meaningless. I felt lifeless. Then I started listening to your message, little by little. Now I am in touch with my life again. Thank you.”

Soon, they leave, smiling and repeating over again and again, “Thank you for bringing this message. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” A few stay longer to help us with the takedown.

The workshop is over for this week. We walk along the corridors once again to the noisy sounds of banging gates, doors, jail cells, voices. We walk out silently, reflecting on the comments we have heard, our hearts feeling full of gratitude.

Not too long ago, one of the inmates was grounded for misbehaving and wasn’t allowed to communicate with anyone for 10 days. A friend managed to get to her cell and slipped some printed material of Prem Rawat’s message under the door. When she came to the workshop, she told us, “This material was the only thing I had. I read it over and over again. I understood a lot more in this time of darkness. Please give me more material and some tapes. I just want to listen to Prem Rawat and learn from him.”

Last Tuesday, we came across the prison director as we were leaving. He stopped and said, “Do you know how much your workshop means to these women? It is very difficult to persuade them to attend a workshop. But the Words of Peace workshop has the highest attendance of all. There must be a reason.”

We leave the prison, and on our way back, we make plans for next week’s event. We agree to meet again next Tuesday… and the next, and the next, for as long as we can. We remember one inmate’s comment: “Prem Rawat, I hope you can come here someday so that I can meet you. You give me so much without even knowing me, without receiving anything back. Thank you.” {sharethis}