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The Dhamma Brothers

The Dhamma Brothers tells a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation as it closely follows and documents the stories of the prison inmates at Donaldson Correctional Facility as they enter into the arduous and intensive program known as Vipassana meditation. This film has the power to dismantle stereotypes about men behind prison bars.

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Product Description

Student health and wellness is a growing focus for my learning spaces. This guide for The Dhamma Brothers features resources on meditation and the brain, including an experiential lesson for beginning meditation. These lessons can be used with the film, which will increase their relevance, but the lessons can also stand alone.

Film runtime: 1 hour, 16 minutes

Film rating: Not rated. We recommend for Grades 7 and up.

Where to watch: The Dhamma Brothers is available on streaming platforms. Or buy the DVD.

 

The Dhamma Brothers Curriculum Guide

Lesson 1: Getting to Know the Dhamma Brothers (Film Literacy)
Lesson 2: Prison Writing (English Literature)
Lesson 3: Introduction to Buddhism and Meditation (Psychology, History, Religious Studies) 
Lesson 4: U.S. Prisons Today: A Statistical Study (Social Studies)
Lesson 5: Prison Programs for Rehabilitation and Treatment (Social Studies)
Lesson 6: Sentencing Disparities (Social Studies)
Lesson 7: Meditation and the Brain (Psychology, Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Neurology)
Lesson 8: Beginning Meditation (An Experiential Lesson)

Appendix: Full text and references for Dr. Jim Hopper’s Essay “Meditation Can Harness Key Brain Circuitries to Bring Healing and Happiness”

Preview Curriculum Guide

 

Facilitation Guidelines for Group Discussions

In this guide, you will find suggestions for leading productive conversations that broaden perspectives, encourage empathy, and build new paradigms for education. It is adaptable, flexible and useful for a variety of learning settings. We recommend pairing it with this film to create safe space for classroom engagement around these themes and subjects.

Preview Facilitation Guide

How to download your free resources

1. Click “Add to Cart” (top of page). 2. Click cart icon and select “checkout”. 3. Download your PDF(s).

 

Related Resources

Teaching about Criminal Justice? This film pairs well with Just Mercy and Safe Place.

Teaching about Meditation, Mindfulness and Buddhism? Learn more with our article on Introducing Students to Buddhism Through Film and Experiential Learning.

Put Lesson 6 on Sentencing Disparities into context with resources from our Black History Collection.

 

Sustainable Development Goals

Journeys in Film supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more about teaching with UN SDGs. This curriculum guide connects to the following SDGs.

Kelly green. White number 3 in the upper left hand side. Text beside it reads Good Health and Well-Being. White art below showing a jagged line and a heart. Magenta background. 10 in the left-hand corner. Reduced Inequalities beside the number. Central image on the magenta background is a not quite complete circle with equal marks inside.

 

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