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Blade Over the Heart: American Ninja

What kind of a Buddhist throws people down on the ground and carries a big stick? Ninja Stephen Hayes wrestles with our preconceptions and predjuces about what Buddhism“should”be.

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Attila S., Captain of Guards at Rikers Island Correctional Facility in New York City, walked into the prison mess hall. Four hundred inmates were sitting quietly, just like a coiled snake before the strike. There was none of the din and clatter of an average mealtime. The sharp taste of tin filled Atilla’s mouth - the flavor of fear. His senses lurched into full alert.

“Get out,” he commanded his subordinate guards. “This place is gonna blow.” At Rikers Island, you don’t second-guess your commanding officer. When the door slammed behind them, it seemed to echo one hundred times its normal sound.

The riot had begun.

Safe behind sealed doors, the prison warden locked eyes with Attila, who caught his questioning gaze like a pop fly. "Gut reaction," he said softly, nodding his head. "Gut reaction," the warden sighed. He lifted his arm and rang the alarm.

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