Anicca-vijja

Artikel-Schlagworte: „Dhamma“

There is a new interview with S.N. Goenka on Vipassana and its benefits available at the Indian Express titled ‘You have to work out your own salvation.’ Although all interviews with Goenkaji are very inspiring, I like this one because it is reduced to its core essence of what’s important in Vipassana. Not only that he is very clear about the fact the he does not teach Buddhism, there is also no place for any Guru, and no other rites or rituals are involved. It is just pure science of mind and matter by observation ‘within.’  Thus, one confronts reality as it is. Enjoy it – and practice!

Photo courtesy prison.dhamma.org

Vipassana Meditation brings the opportunity to change heavy life patterns towards positivity. This is true not only for monks, nouns, and lay people from everyday life, but also – and especially – for people who did things they should not have done during their life time. In the context of prisons, Vipassana can play an important role. Not that it is only good for inmates to change their view on previous actions and to help them to perform positive and healthy actions in future. Furthermore, the whole organization can change. Sometimes it makes only a small difference whether one is a guard or an inmate.

To bring Vipassana into prisons is not an easy job. It seems that every time this happened it started from the inside – from within the prison. This great and healthy work to bring Vipassana into prisons is documented by three documentary movies:

• Doing Time, Doing Vipassana (DTDV) / German title: Zeit absitzen, Vipassana machen

• Changing from inside (CFI) / German title: Veränderung von innen

• The Dhamma brothers (TDB) / no German title available

All movies are available from Pariyatti, a non-profit resource dedicated:

to bring people into contact with the teachings of the Buddha.