Meditating Prisoners Less Violent

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BESSEMER, Ala. -- Deep inside an overcrowded prison with a reputation for mayhem, convicted killers, robbers and rapists gather in a small room. Eyes closed, they sit silently with their thoughts and consciences.

Their everyday life is just outside in the hall — a cacophony of clanging steel doors, yelling and feet shuffling along cold concrete floors. The noise never really ends; peace is at a premium in Alabama's toughest lockup.

Despite a history of violence at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, which is named for a slain corrections officer, the prison outside Birmingham has become the model for a meditation program that officials say helps inmates learn the self control and social skills they never got in the outside world.

Warden Gary Hetzel doesn't fully understand how the program called Vipassana (which is pronounced vuh-'POSH-uh-nuh) can transform violent inmates into calm men using contemplative Buddhist practices.

But Hetzel knows one thing.

"It works. We see a difference in the men and in the prison. It's calmer," he said of the course that about 10 percent of the prison's inmates have completed.

The word Vipassana means "to see things as they really are," which is also the goal of the intense 10-day program using the meditative technique that dates back 2,500 years.

Vipassana courses are held four times a year in a prison gymnasium, where as many as 40 inmates meditate 10 hours a day. Most sit on cushions on the floor, while a few use chairs.

To Read More Click Here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110202/ap_on_re_us/us_prison_meditation

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[Brine1206]

@UncontestedTruth Don't put the pussy on a pedestal man....meditation is much more powerful than pussy.

[Chris12163]

Wow very interesting. Christian groups always stop shit that dont go against their teachings.

[MsOobii]

If they meditate with good intentions it will sort things out for the most part. Anger is not always easy to deal with.

[Brine1206]

@oodlesofosz I apologize then for my thoughtless comment (I just removed it) as it is truly unfounded. I know of people whose lives have been made much more productive and positive through Christ......I'm in the slow process now of learning to control the negativities which move from my mind to my mouth at times.

[oodlesofosz]

@Brine1206 I never said I am against the meditation, my fault was with you claiming that help cannot be found in Christ. Anyway, peace.

[Brine1206]

@oodlesofosz The Chrisitan group sought to stop the program. Do you hear about Vipassana meditators trying to squash Christianity? I am through with this conversation though as it is leading nowhere and the tone is argumentative....all that I can say from here is live and let live.....may you truly be happy in this life as you mature, may you find deep bliss and contentment.

[oodlesofosz]

@Brine1206 But nobody is being force fed anything. The Christian group disapproved of meditation, not stomp it out. Are you saying the Christian group force fed beliefs to a bunch of hardcore criminals and the poor criminals were terrified out of their wits that they gave it and folded? ROFL, literally.

[Brine1206]

@oodlesofosz you. In fact, I encourage you to keep on doing what you're doing. Study and understand the bible, be as Christ-like as possible, yet please, there is no need to bash something which you seemingly have no experience or understanding of.

[Brine1206]

@oodlesofosz Oppress! That's right! When someone wishes to force feed their dogma down the throat of others and block out anything from getting in, that's oppression (think of Constantine here in regard to the Pagans here). Live and let live is my basic message here. So you disagree with meditation....simple solution, don't do it! I don't (fully) believe in your bible, therefore I don't follow it completely (similar to many folks who claim to be Chrisitan.) I hold no negativities towards

[oodlesofosz]

@Brine1206 Oppress? Who is being oppressed? This form of meditation is not approved in Christianity, therefore no "positives" that people may claim come out of it can be accepted if you believe the Bible to be 100% inspired of God. If you want to talk about why this form of meditation is frowned upon I'll happily have that discussion with you.

[Brine1206]

@Brine1206 PS. You already meditate in a way when you pray if you are truly fixing your mind on Christ. As for the Christian myth thing, I apologize for the strong wording, yet I always wondered why those who are saved appear, act, speak, and manifest no differently than those who do not make that claim.

[Brine1206]

@oodlesofosz Indeed, people have found peace through Jesus. The numbers aren't truly important though. The point is that Christian groups are constantly striving to oppress other groups they see as threatening; the examples are many and scattered throughout history and the present day (as spoken of in this video.) What is wrong with prisoners meditating, there are documented, beneficial effects from "blanking out their minds for 10 hours a day like a vegetable."