The Inner Prison, Koans and Freedom, Online

The Inner Prison, Koans and Freedom is a four-week online course offered through Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, taught by Dario Doshin Girolami and built out of his experience teaching meditation at Rebibbia Prison in Rome. The premise is direct: an actual prison is the starting point for examining the confinement people create in their own minds, with koan practice as the working tool.

The theme

Koans — the short dialogues, questions, or stories used in Zen practice to cut through habitual thinking — anchor the course. According to the description, the teachings weave together stories of inmates at Rebibbia with Buddhist wisdom, and participants examine the nature of freedom. What the listing does not provide is any teacher background beyond the prison-teaching experience itself; no biographical or lineage information has been published.

Logistics

The course runs October 10–31, 2026 and takes place online, so the center's physical setting doesn't come into play. Tuition is $101 and registration is handled on sfzc.org, the San Francisco Zen Center website. A few practical questions remain unanswered in the listing:

• Whether sessions are live, recorded, or both
• How often the group meets over the four weeks
• Whether any prior meditation or koan experience is expected

If any of these matter to your decision, check the registration page for updates or contact the organizers before signing up.