IMPACT OF VIPASANA MEDITATION ON LIFE STRESS

IMPACT OF VIPASANA MEDITATION ON LIFE STRESS

CHANDRAKANT SRIMANT

Research Scholar, Department of Psychology, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga

ABSTRACT

All of us know that our life is full of stress. Each one of us faces a different mixture of many ways of getting adjusted to stressful situations. Many break down if the situation becomes intolerable. Even a previously stable person may develop temporary psychological problems and lose the capacity to gain pleasure from life. This breakdown may be sudden or it may be gradual.                 Most often a person recovers once the stressful situation is over, although in some cases there may be a long lasting damage to his personality and an increased vulnerability to certain types of factors that cause stress. Today’s stress can be tomorrow’s vulnerability. The vulnerability may result in psychological disturbance.

Key words: Vipasana, Health, Meditation, Stress, Nibbana

IMPACT OF VIPASANA MEDITATION ON LIFE STRESS

*CHANDRAKANT SRIMANT AND **S. P. MELKERI

INTRODUCTION:

Vipasana mentioned in the ‘Rig Veda’ the art of Vipasana was rediscovered by Lord Gautam Buddha.  The term Vipasana means ‘to see things as they really are’ and “insight into our self”.  The Rig Veda talks highly of this art; one who practices Vipasana in perfect way, comes out of all aversion and anger; the mind becomes pure.  It leads to inner peace, and those who practice it learn to share it with others.  According to Lord Gautam Buddha, ‘STRESS’ lies within us.  It arises as a result of our reactions to worldly events.  Once we stop reacting, we will no longer get stressed. Vipasana believes in the triumph of mind over matter. We can educate our mind to stop reacting to material objects through various ways.  Thus, we may divert our attention by attending spiritual talks, by engaging in leisure time activities, by taking drugs and other intoxicants.  However, the effect of all of these will be, at best temporary. Vipasana, on the other hand, teaches us how to attain Nirvana; how to achieve the pristine beauty of the mind and thus reduce stress. The word ‘Stress’ is defined by oxford dictionary as “a state of affair involving demand on physical or mental energy”.  A condition or circumstance (not always) adverse, which can disturb the normal physiological and psychological functioning of an individual.

* Research Scholar, Department of Psychology, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga

** Professor, Department of Psychology, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga

In medical parlance “Stress” is defined as a perturbation of the body’s homeostasis.  This demand on mind body occurs when it tries to cope with incessant changes in life. A ‘Stress’ conditions seems ‘relative’ in nature.  Extreme stress conditions, psychologists say, are detrimental to human health but in moderation stress is normal and, in many cases, proves useful. Stress, nonetheless, is synonymous with negative conditions. Today with the rapid diversification of human activity.  We come face to face with numerous causes of stress and the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

In a challenging situation the brain prepares the body for defensive action the fight response by releasing stress hormones, namely cortisone and adrenaline. These hormones raise the blood pressure and the body prepares to reaction to the situation. With a concrete defensive action (flight response) the stress hormones in the blood get used up, entailing reduce stress effects and symptoms of anxiety.

When we fail to counter a stress situation (flight response) the hormones and chemicals remain unreleased in the blood stream for a long period of time.  It results in stress related physical symptoms such as tense muscles, unfocused anxiety, dizziness and rapid heartbeats. We all encounter various stressors (causes of stress) in everyday life. Which can accumulate, if not released subsequently, it compels the mind and body to be in an almost constant alarm state in preparation to fight or flee. This state of accumulated stress can increase the risk of both acute and chronic psychosomatic illness and weaken the immune system.

Stress can cause headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorder, allergies, insomnia, backache frequent cold and fatigue to diseases such as hypertension, asthma, diabetes, heart ailments and even cancer.  In fact, Sanjay Chugh, a leading Indian psychologist, says that 70% to 90% of adults visit primary care physicians for stress-related problems.

Each one of us might be facing some or the other problem while coping with our daily lives. So to stop coping and start living, try practicing Vipasana meditation can help make changes in life and live better.

METHODOLOGY:

Problem:

To study the impact of Vipasana meditations on life stress.

Variables:

Vipasana meditation, gender and meditators and non-meditators are independent variable, life stress is dependent variable.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

1)      To assess and analyze the Vipasana meditation on life stress.

2)      To find out the difference between male and female.

3)      To know the life stress of Vipasana meditators and non-vipasana meditators.

HYPOTHESIS:

1)      There is significant impact of Vipasana meditation on life stress.

2)      There is significant difference between male and female.

3)      There is significant difference between Vipasana meditators and non-vipasana meditators.

SAMPLE:

The sample consists of 400 among them 200 Vipasana meditators and             200 non-vipasana meditators in different vipasana centre from Karnataka.

TOOLS:

Distressful life event scale by Kiran Bala Verma and Madhu Asthana (1990).

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS:

Appropriate statically measures like SD, t-test used for interpretation of data.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

The technique of Vipasana is a path leading to freedom from all suffering; it eradicates the carving, aversion and ignorance which are responsible for all our miseries. Those who practice it remove, little by little, the root causes of their suffering and steadily emerge from the darkness of former tensions to lead happy, healthy and productive lives.

Table No. 1: Showing mean, SD and t-value of life stress of Vipasana
                           meditators and non-vipasana meditators (male and female)

Sex	Vipasana meditators		Non-vipasana meditators
	Mean	SD	Mean	SD
Male	32.64	4.49	82.57	70.57
Female	29.63	5.67	65.97	10.29
t-value	11.53**		2.53*

*Significant at 0.05 level

**Significant at 0.01 level

The table reveals the vipasana meditators mean score of male and female is 32.64 and 29.63 and SD is 4.49 and 5.67 respectively. The high mean score of male meditators indicates that, the male meditators are having high life stress than the female meditators.  The obtained t-value is 11.53, it is significant at              0.01 level. Therefore, the hypothesis that, the female meditators have low life stress than the male meditators is accepted.

The non-vipasana meditators male and female mean score is 82.57 and 70.57 and SD is 65.97 and 10.29 respectively.  The t-value is 2.53 it is significant at 0.05 level. This shows that, there is significant difference between the male and female non-vipasana meditators in there life stress.

Therefore, the hypothesis is accepted. The vipasana meditation in influencing the life stress of vipasana meditators and non-vipasana meditators.  Those are practicing the vipasana meditation. They get peace and stability of mind, strong will power, become calm, quite, relaxed, understand strength and weakness, become composed, patience, compassionate, determined, feeling equanimity can concentrate more there positive life, and control over tension, anger, hyperactivity and managing there stress. Vipasana meditation, is a human potential development method par excellence and an art of living that enables one to live a happy and harmonious life free from all type of stress.

CONCLUSION:

1)      There is significant difference in the life stress of vipasana meditators and non-vipasana meditators. Vipasana meditators having low life stress compare to non-vipasana meditators.

2)      There is significant difference in the life stress of male and female vipasana meditators. Male vipasana meditators have high life stress compare to female vipasana meditators.

REFERENCES:

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