- The
Effect of Vipassana on
the Work Environment
- S.S. Joshi
To study the
effect of Vipassana on the work environment, we interviewed people
who had attended a
ten-day Vipassana course. A questionnaire was given to them. Their
colleagues were also
interviewed to find out their views about the results of
Vipassana.
In general, everyone experienced a
positive change in the
behaviour of Vipassana students and a consequent improvement in
the work environment.
There was a new dimension of trust, commitment and cooperation
with others, and a
remarkable rise in goodwill. There was a decrease in hatred or
strong dislike towards
others, short-temperedness, mental fatigue, jealousy, negative
feelings towards others,
and confrontation because of jealousy, ego, guilt-feelings, etc.
Now let us look at the interviews
of Vipassana students in
detail:
Mr. Balle, Manager (R&D) has
been practising Vipassana
for the last ten years. He said that his anger and
short-temperedness have greatly
lessened and he has cooled down considerably. He thinks twice or
before answering now, and
does not give harsh replies to either seniors or juniors. His
subordinates feel free to
approach him and the atmosphere has become cordial both in the
office and at home.
His trust in people has increased.
He feels comfortable
with all types of people. For example, while others were having
difficulty in dealing with
one person in the factory, Mr. Balle was comfortable with him and
in due course they
became friends. Because Mr. Balle benefited from Vipassana, he
recommended it to his
friend, who was clever but short-tempered. After the friend
attended a Vipassana course
his shorttemperedness was reduced remarkably-even his family
members were surprised. Later
his friend sent another two or three doctor friends for a
Vipassana course.
As Mr. Balle has become less angry
and more trusting of
his subordinates, the commitment of his subordinates to work has
increased. During work on
a project, normally a direction of work is selected and work is
started accordingly.
Previously, projects used to reach a lot of ends, with new lines
of action being chosen
and work re-started. A lot of fline was wasted. Now after learning
Vipassana, Mr. Balle
chooses the direction of work in consultation with his colleagues
so that the risk of
selecting a wrong direction is reduced and time is saved. The
result is a direct increase
in productivity, i.e., more output in less time.
All Vipassana students and their
colleagues agree that
there has been a positive improvement in the atmosphere of the
workplace. Different
reasons have been mentioned by them. For example, Mr. Kulkarni
(Executive) says that
previously he had very high expectations of results from his
subordinates. If these
expectations were not fulfilled then it gave rise to anger and
tension. Now after he has
learrit Vipassana, he looks at the 65 mistakes of subordinates
objectively and gives
guidance to them to correct those mistakes. His concentration and
peace of mind have
increased and tension has lessened, which has resulted in more
work output each day.
Colleagues of a Vipassana student
have reported that after
a Vipassana course, he is more co-operative at work and less
aggressive. Now, before
replying to them, he thinks first and then takes action or not, as
appropriate. They say
that are now more comfortable with him.
Mr. B. Sitharam (GM) attended his
second ten-day course in
January 1993. After his first course he stopped using tobacco,
paan and alcohol. He
practises Vipassana every day for one hour. His wife attended a
ten-day course in November
1993.
Mr. N.P. Joshi (Assistant Manager)
feels that after
learning Vipassana he has become more polite and more considerate
towards others. His wife
attended a course in January 1994. Her outlook towards life has
changed. Now his
nine-year-old son is also planning to attend a course in May 1994.
Mr. P.J. Shah (Purchase Officer)
practises Vipassana daily
for one hour. He says that even if his mind is upset, it becomes
fresh and sharp after
meditating. His shorttemperedness has been reduced. His working
efficiency and decision
making power have improved and he feels more confident.
Mr. Pathak, a Stores Officer, has
practised Vipassana
since July 1992. Before that, he used to sleep during lunchtime;
now it is not required
since his mind is more fresh. He works more quickly and therefore
completes most of his
work before the end of the day. As a result he can give attention
to other areas, like
housekeeping. His subordinates report that Mr. Pathak has cooled
down, and is less angry
and tense. His colleague, the Purchase Officer, focussed on the
term,
"reliability". He said that the answers given by Mr. Pathak are
more reliable.
This shows that his work is more efficient and accurate.
A general observation of all
employees is that those who
are practising Vipassana are clearing paperwork daily, with less
pending work, showing
that they have better concentration and work faster. They have
given up the habit of
cigarette and tobacco smoking.
Increased trust and
co-operativeness have strengthened the
attitude of teamwork which is essential for the success of the
organization. If we widen
this concept of co-operation with people and team spirit, we can
see that it will also
greatly benefit the society at large.
In a nutshell, we can conclude
confidently that Vipassana
has a very positive effect on productivity and the work
environment.