“We are prisoners undergoing a life sentence. Imprisoned by our own minds, we are all seeking parole, being hostages of our anger, fear, and desire. Is there anyone who doesn’t crave at some point in time or another to take something that is not his? Is there anyone who doesn’t wish at least once to hurt the one who hurts him? It is a thin line that separates us from these people who stare at us from inside this cage. The same things that do not go beyond the threshold of our thoughts have crossed, in there case, the threshold of action. But still, we are alike. Inside our heads, we are all potential criminals.”
The above is a quote from the sound track of the documentary video. The word “cage” in the quote refers to a battery of cells in India ’s largest prison, known as the Tihar jail. The video shows the story of how the visionary head of this institution, Kiran Bedi, succeeded to transform this notorious jail into an “oasis of peace”. The tool she used was an ancient meditation technique called Vipassana (Mindfulness) as taught by S. N. Goenka. The video tells the story of the self-transformative power of Vipassana. Most of all, the video tells the story of the prison inmates, who chose to undergo profound change from within as a result of completing a 10 day intensive course in this meditative discipline.
Q & A followed the video presentation. An audience of 32 attended this documentary and discussion at the University of Waterloo.