Developing peacefulness and compassion for winning in court and life - Jun Yasuda of Nipponzan Myohoji

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When Fairfax, Virginia criminal and DUI defense lawyer Jonathan Katz faces particularly challenging times in court, he often imagines that his peace teacher Jun Yasuda is to his right, his trial teacher Steve Rench is to his left, and his martial arts teacher is also right there. This Beat the Prosecution episode interviews Jon Katz's friend and peace mentor Jun Yasuda, who spearheaded making the Grafton, New York, Peace Pagoda a reality.https://www.graftonpeacepagoda.org (This peace pagoda is such an amazing place that Jon's friend's usually constantly overactive dog stood in quietness when first visiting the pagoda.)
Lama Surya Das has aptly pointed out that it is not enough to rage against violence if we do not also pursue peace within ourselves. Likewise, an effective criminal defense lawyer needs to find and develop internal peace so that anger, stress, and upset do not eat the lawyer alive; and so that the lawyer may think, see and hear clearly -- and show total compassion, teamwork and listening with their client -- on the road to pursuing the best defense.
Jun Yasuda is as tough as nails, having crisscrossed the nation on foot in even harsh climates, having fasted for peace and justice for days on end, and having set her own selfish interests aside for the greater good of humankind. She advocated for sanctuary in New York for American Indian Movement cofounder Dennis Banks when his sanctuary in California was cancelled. She dry fasted for a week for Mumia Abu-Jamal when he was still on death row. Jun-san's central prayer for peace -- drummed at a walking pace -- is Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo, which is the Odaimoku, the essence of the Lotus Sutra.
Jun-san briefly was in a lockup adjacent to Leonard Peltier's during the pendency of his trial where she went to support him. (Mr. Peltier's prosecutor ended up concluding that his prosecution and continued incarceration were and are unjust. https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/From-US-Attorney-James-Reynolds.pdf . His authoring appellate judge decades ago supported clemency for Peltier. https://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/download/Heaney.pdf )
Jun-san recognizes the importance of restorative justice as an alternative to the overgrown criminal justice system that she points out disproportionately incarcerates minorities and often uses inmates for free and cheap labor.
Jun Yasuda is a monastic with the Nipponzan Myohoji Nichiren Buddhist order. More about this remarkable woman, her strikingly serene peace pagoda in Grafton, NY, and her order's peace work is at https://www.graftonpeacepagoda.org .

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