Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal

Mukti Prasad Pandey

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11

| Peer-Reviewed

Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal

Mukti Prasad Pandey

Published in International Journal of Law and Society (Volume 5, Issue 3)

Received: 25 May 2022 Accepted: 13 June 2022 Published: 28 July 2022

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

Vipassanā meditation has been historically practiced in many sections of society. By practicing this meditation technique, many householders have achieved mental peace and improved their day to day life situation. Research has demonstrated that vipassanā meditation works well not only among common householders and various sections of society but, also among jail inmates. Research studies in the past have shown that vipassanā has brought positive changes among inmates, which helps in jail reform. Recently, several studies have revealed the positive effects of vipassanā meditation on lay-practitioners. A mixed method has been used to analyze the behavioral changes of Nakkhu Jail inmates in nine different areas of their daily life before and after vipassanā meditation. Empirical results reveal that vipassana meditation helps to develop positive and optimistic attitude; reduce anger, irritation and anxiety; make self-correction of behavior; improve physical and mental health and purify their mind and character. A pair t-tests is used to compare the differences in means before and after vipassanā mediation of same inmates, and the result shows that there is significant difference of means in seven areas. With this, the research reveals that the vipassanā meditation can be used as an effective tool for jail reform in Nepal.

Published in	International Journal of Law and Society (Volume 5, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11
Page(s)	242-250
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Vipassanā, Inmates, Effect, Jail Reform, Meditation, Technique

References

[1]	Auty, Katherine M. (2021),"Meditation in Prison", Farias, Miguel, David Brazier and Mansur Lalljee (ed.) Oxford Handbook of Meditation, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, pp. 820-837.
[2]	Bedi, Kiran (2002), Its Always Possible: Transforming on the Largest Prisons in the World, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers (p) Ltd, pp. 297-318.
[3]	Chandiramani, Kishor, S. K. Verma and P. L. Dhar (1995), Psychological Effects of Vipassanā on Tihar Jail Inmates, Igatpuri: Vipassanā Research Institute (VRI), pp. 17-18.
[4]	Goenka, S. N. (2003), Meditation Now: Inner Peace Through Inner Wisdom (A Collection Commemorating Mr. Goenka's Tour of North America April to August 2002.), Igatpuri: VRI.
[5]	Goenka, S. N. (2011), The Great Buddha's Noble Teaching: The Origin and Spread of Vipassanā, Igatapuri: VRI.
[6]	Himelstein, Samuel (2011), "Meditation Research: The State of the Art in Correctional Settings", International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 55 (4) pp. 646-661.
[7]	Kela, Akanksha (2003), "Vipassanā Meditation: its Role in Prison Reform and Reintegration of Prisoners into Society", (Capstone Paper), https://www.vridhamma.org/research/Role-of-Vipassana-in-Prison-reform-%26-reintegation-of-prisoners-into-society.
[8]	Kumar, Sri Tarsem (1994), "Vipassanā Meditation Courses in Tihar Jail", Vipassanā its Relevance to the Present World (Seminar Paper Collection), Igatpuri: VRI, pp. 56-57.
[9]	Perelman, Abigayl M., Sarah L. Miller, Carl B. Clements, Amy Rodriguez, Kathryn Allen and Ron Cavanaugh (2012), "Meditation in a Deep South Prison: a Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Vipassanā", Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 51, pp. 176–198.
[10]	Phillips, Jenny (2008), Letters from the Dhamma Brothers: Meditation Behind Bars, Washington DC: Pariyatti Press, pp. 199-204.
[11]	Raja, M. (1994) "Vipassanā Courses in Prisons," Pagoda Seminar, Igatpuri: VRI, pp. 97-99.
[12]	Ronel, Natti, Noa Frid and Uri Timor (2013), "The practice of Positive Criminology: a Vipassana Course in Prison", International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 57 (2), pp. 133-153.
[13]	Singh, Ram (1994), "Vipassanā in Jails: an Historical Review", Vipassanā its Relevance to the Present World (Seminar Paper Collection), Igatpuri: VRI, pp. 33-39.
[14]	Singh, Ram (1997),"Vipassanā in Government: an Effective Instrument for Change and Reform," VRI Series No. 101, Igatpuri: VRI, pp. 2-3.
[15]	Tuladhar, Kuldharma Ratna (1997), "The Spread of Vipassanā in Nepal", Pagoda Seminar, Igatpuri: VRI, pp. 53-54.
[16]	Vipassanā Research Institute (2006), Records of Emperor Ashoka [Samrat Ashok ke Avilakh], Igatpuri: VRI, pp. 50-53.
[17]	Vipassanā Research Institute (2005), Central Jail Jaipur: the First Jail course (kendriya Karagar Jaipur: Vipassanā ka pratham jail siwir), Igatpuri: VRI.
[18]	Vipassanā Research Institute (2011), Supreme Ascetic Mr. Ram Singh [Param Tapaswi Shree Ram singhjee], Igatapuri: VRI.
[19]	Vora, Raghuvir L. (1994), "Jail Course and Vipassanā", Vipassanā its Relevance to the Present World (Seminar Paper Collection), VRI, pp. 40-43.
[20]	Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) Nepal, "About Vipassanā Course Operation"(Letter issued for Nepal Vipassanā Center, Ref. No. 141 Issue Date: 2078/09/27 [11 Jan 2022], Decision Date 2078/09/26 [Secretary Level].
[21]	Vipassanā Research Institute (VRI),"Vipassana in Prisons-History and Spread" https://www.vridhamma.org/Vipassana-in-Prisons-History-and-Spread, 2022 March 28.
[22]	Nepal Vipassanā Center, "Vipassanā Meditation", https://np.dhamma.org/en/about/, 2022 April 07.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Mukti Prasad Pandey. (2022). Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal. International Journal of Law and Society, 5(3), 242-250. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Mukti Prasad Pandey. Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal. Int. J. Law Soc. 2022, 5(3), 242-250. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Mukti Prasad Pandey. Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal. Int J Law Soc. 2022;5(3):242-250. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11,
  author = {Mukti Prasad Pandey},
  title = {Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal},
  journal = {International Journal of Law and Society},
  volume = {5},
  number = {3},
  pages = {242-250},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijls.20220503.11},
  abstract = {Vipassanā meditation has been historically practiced in many sections of society. By practicing this meditation technique, many householders have achieved mental peace and improved their day to day life situation. Research has demonstrated that vipassanā meditation works well not only among common householders and various sections of society but, also among jail inmates. Research studies in the past have shown that vipassanā has brought positive changes among inmates, which helps in jail reform. Recently, several studies have revealed the positive effects of vipassanā meditation on lay-practitioners. A mixed method has been used to analyze the behavioral changes of Nakkhu Jail inmates in nine different areas of their daily life before and after vipassanā meditation. Empirical results reveal that vipassana meditation helps to develop positive and optimistic attitude; reduce anger, irritation and anxiety; make self-correction of behavior; improve physical and mental health and purify their mind and character. A pair t-tests is used to compare the differences in means before and after vipassanā mediation of same inmates, and the result shows that there is significant difference of means in seven areas. With this, the research reveals that the vipassanā meditation can be used as an effective tool for jail reform in Nepal.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal
AU  - Mukti Prasad Pandey
Y1  - 2022/07/28
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11
T2  - International Journal of Law and Society
JF  - International Journal of Law and Society
JO  - International Journal of Law and Society
SP  - 242
EP  - 250
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-1908
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11
AB  - Vipassanā meditation has been historically practiced in many sections of society. By practicing this meditation technique, many householders have achieved mental peace and improved their day to day life situation. Research has demonstrated that vipassanā meditation works well not only among common householders and various sections of society but, also among jail inmates. Research studies in the past have shown that vipassanā has brought positive changes among inmates, which helps in jail reform. Recently, several studies have revealed the positive effects of vipassanā meditation on lay-practitioners. A mixed method has been used to analyze the behavioral changes of Nakkhu Jail inmates in nine different areas of their daily life before and after vipassanā meditation. Empirical results reveal that vipassana meditation helps to develop positive and optimistic attitude; reduce anger, irritation and anxiety; make self-correction of behavior; improve physical and mental health and purify their mind and character. A pair t-tests is used to compare the differences in means before and after vipassanā mediation of same inmates, and the result shows that there is significant difference of means in seven areas. With this, the research reveals that the vipassanā meditation can be used as an effective tool for jail reform in Nepal.
VL  - 5
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Mukti Prasad Pandey

Faculty of Buddhist Studies, Lumbini Buddhist University, Lumbini, Nepal

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Mukti Prasad Pandey. (2022). Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal. International Journal of Law and Society, 5(3), 242-250. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Mukti Prasad Pandey. Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal. Int. J. Law Soc. 2022, 5(3), 242-250. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Mukti Prasad Pandey. Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal. Int J Law Soc. 2022;5(3):242-250. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11,
  author = {Mukti Prasad Pandey},
  title = {Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal},
  journal = {International Journal of Law and Society},
  volume = {5},
  number = {3},
  pages = {242-250},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijls.20220503.11},
  abstract = {Vipassanā meditation has been historically practiced in many sections of society. By practicing this meditation technique, many householders have achieved mental peace and improved their day to day life situation. Research has demonstrated that vipassanā meditation works well not only among common householders and various sections of society but, also among jail inmates. Research studies in the past have shown that vipassanā has brought positive changes among inmates, which helps in jail reform. Recently, several studies have revealed the positive effects of vipassanā meditation on lay-practitioners. A mixed method has been used to analyze the behavioral changes of Nakkhu Jail inmates in nine different areas of their daily life before and after vipassanā meditation. Empirical results reveal that vipassana meditation helps to develop positive and optimistic attitude; reduce anger, irritation and anxiety; make self-correction of behavior; improve physical and mental health and purify their mind and character. A pair t-tests is used to compare the differences in means before and after vipassanā mediation of same inmates, and the result shows that there is significant difference of means in seven areas. With this, the research reveals that the vipassanā meditation can be used as an effective tool for jail reform in Nepal.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Applying Vipassanā Meditation as a Jail Reform Technique: A Case of Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur, Nepal
AU  - Mukti Prasad Pandey
Y1  - 2022/07/28
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11
T2  - International Journal of Law and Society
JF  - International Journal of Law and Society
JO  - International Journal of Law and Society
SP  - 242
EP  - 250
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-1908
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20220503.11
AB  - Vipassanā meditation has been historically practiced in many sections of society. By practicing this meditation technique, many householders have achieved mental peace and improved their day to day life situation. Research has demonstrated that vipassanā meditation works well not only among common householders and various sections of society but, also among jail inmates. Research studies in the past have shown that vipassanā has brought positive changes among inmates, which helps in jail reform. Recently, several studies have revealed the positive effects of vipassanā meditation on lay-practitioners. A mixed method has been used to analyze the behavioral changes of Nakkhu Jail inmates in nine different areas of their daily life before and after vipassanā meditation. Empirical results reveal that vipassana meditation helps to develop positive and optimistic attitude; reduce anger, irritation and anxiety; make self-correction of behavior; improve physical and mental health and purify their mind and character. A pair t-tests is used to compare the differences in means before and after vipassanā mediation of same inmates, and the result shows that there is significant difference of means in seven areas. With this, the research reveals that the vipassanā meditation can be used as an effective tool for jail reform in Nepal.
VL  - 5
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download