Swami Vaishampayan is on his Australia tour where he is teaching the skills of Yoga and meditation. Swami Vaishampayan is known for his work in the fields of youth leadership and transformation, preserving the ancient wisdom and reformation in though prisoners.
Swami Vaishampayan worked in rehabilitating prisoners in Hungary and Bosnia. He has also worked for hardcore terrorists and criminals serving imprisonment in Tihar Jail. His efforts enabled 36 hardcore criminals (ex-terrorists) to join the mainstream society and to get a fresh lease of life.
Why did Swami Vaishampayan decide to work for hardcore terrorists and criminals?
Swami Vaishampayan believes every human being has a beautiful soul. WhenSwamiji met some of hardcore terrorists and criminals in Tihar jail; he was convinced that their goal was wrong and their ideas were harmful. So he decided to work for them so they may have a chance to correct their deed.
Swami Vaishampayan met 36 terrorists in Tihar jail. Swami Vaishampayan shares their first meeting that he was invited by the Jailor of Tihar jail to teach yoga and meditation to the prisoners. The jailor introduced him and one of his colleague to the prisoners and left. The prisoner did not want to learn anything. They asked them to go. Then Swamiji asked them to do chit-chat. During their conversation, Swamiji told them that they could learn so many things if they want to.
Swami Vaishampayan says to convert the criminals to responsible human being is not impossible, if you could make them realise they have done something wrong or made the wrong choice and they can get out of this. He disagreed that social isolation could influence a person to join the terror or extremist organisation.
Swamiji believes “Terror is in the human heart. We must remove this terror from the heart. Destroying the human heart, both physically and psychologically, is what we should avoid. The root of terrorism is misunderstanding, hatred and violence. Only with the practice of calming and looking deeply can our insight reveal and identify this root. Only with the practice of deep listening, restoring communication and compassion can it be transformed and removed.”
Swami Vaishampayan firmly believes in the power of yoga and meditation that makes a person confident, controlled and non-greedy. Swami Vaishampayan also shared that the society accepts, ex-terrorist after testing them.
