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In one sense all work done at The Three Jewels may be considered "outreach" since it is the feeling of dissatisfaction with this material world/realm, created by our egocentric mind, that triggers the desire for a spiritual practice in the first place. The Three Jewels provides needed sustenance for all spiritual seekers by teaching about the causes of dissatisfaction/suffering and the means for ending removing them.
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The Three Jewels offers many opportunities for community service. Many generous volunteers oversee the bookshop, assist with outreach, organize and deliver community service programs and help in many other ways to advance the mission of the Three Jewels.
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Several Three Jewels community service programs are described below:
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| After-School Outreach |
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Three Jewels provides a space for After-School Programs to bring their students to experience the calming and energizing effects of ancient Yoga practices. Yoga offers youth of all ages a chance to settle their minds after the school day through a specific series of asanas (poses), and pranayama (breathing) exercises. Three Jewels Instructors work in union with established after-school programs to bring another alternative activity into their lives.
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| Spiritual Recovery program |
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This meditation program, dedicated to addiction recovery, is based on the 12 step process with additional Buddhist meditation techniques to help those in recovery understand and eliminate the root causes of addiction and enhance each individual's potential for gaining happiness and helping others.
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| Hospice Program |
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Three Jewels volunteers provide friendly visitation as trained
hospice volunteers through the Cabrini Hospice located at 1st
Avenue and 19th Street. The hospice volunteer program, dedicated
to Buddhist principles of of love, integrity, equanimity and
service. For further information on training and service opportunities please contact the Three Jewels.
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| Prison Project |
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Three Jewels volunteers visit the Bedford Hills Women's Correctional Facility in upstate New York every four weeks. Senior student Al Alotta has developed a course on "Mind, Heart, Wisdom and Practical Philosophy" for the "Down on Violence" program at Bedford. The program includes workshops and meditations on exchanging self with others, watching the thoughts, and visualization along with Haiku poetry writing.
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Besides regularly scheduled visits to Ossining, over 90 prisoners around the country taking correspondence courses on Buddhism and meditation, sponsored in conjunction with Asian Classics Institute (link). These courses are given free of charge and are graded by volunteers.
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