Otero County Prison Facility hosted Buddhist monks Geshe Thubten Jinpa and Geshe Losang Jinpa as part of the facility's Buddhist studies class on June 25.

Twelve inmates were expecting the visit for almost a month and a half.

This group of inmates are part of Buddhist study class that was held within Otero County Prison Facility every Thursday for the past four years.

The program is offered by a professor from The University of Texas at El Paso.

Buddhist Monk Geshe Thubten Jinpa was born in Nepal and recently joined the University of California Irvine as part of a scholar exchange program where he teaches meditation and Buddhist lecturing or counseling in various departments in the university community.

Geshe Thubten Jinpa keynoted the event.

Geshe Losang Jinpa was also born in Nepal. He was sent to Sera Jey Monastic University in South India to pursue the Geshe Degree program in advanced Buddhist philosophy where he received his Geshe (PhD Phil). He also appeared with Morgan Freeman in “Story of God” and was part of the movie “108 Yaks, A Journey of Love and Freedom.”

An inmate at the Otero County Prison Facility reportedly converted to Buddhism after the monk’s lecture, Otero County Prison Facility spokeswoman Nissi Jimenez said.

Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on twitter at @nicmaxreporter.