Posts by Metta Center

Collective Intelligence

by

Collective intelligence refers to the capability of a group to collaborate in order to achieve goals that an individual, even the most gifted, would not be able to accomplish alone. On a strictly behavioral level (excluding the symbolic layer of culture), collective intelligence communities are not exclusively human.  They are observed within many social animal… read more

Strategic Nonviolence

by

Strategic nonviolence refers to the kind of commitment that regards nonviolence as a strategy, to be adopted because it is thought to be more likely to “work” than violence (see “work” vs. work) or because violence is not a practical possibility.  Strategic nonviolence, for example, still presupposes that the means can justify the ends, whereas for… read more

Principled Nonviolence

by

Principled nonviolence is not merely a strategy nor the recourse of the weak, it is a positive force that does not manifest its full potential until it is adopted on principle. Often its practitioners feel that it expresses something fundamental about human nature, and who they wish to become as individuals.  (See strategic nonviolence.) To adopt… read more

Charkha

by

The charkha, or spinning wheel, was the physical embodiment and symbol of Gandhi’s constructive program. It represents Swadeshi, self-sufficiency, and at the same time interdependence, because the wheel is at the center of a network of cotton growers, carders, weavers, distributors, and users. .  It also embodied the dignity of labor, equality, unity, as all volunteers were… read more

Metta

by

A Love Beyond Supreme: A Tribute to METTA by Thien Huu Nguyen. Since I started walking the Buddhist path, the practice of metta (loving-kindness) has become more and more an important part of my life. If there were one practice that I would say is the most far-reaching practice for me, it would have to… read more

India-Pakistan soldiers’ NGO holds peace forum in Mumbai

by

From Thaindian News: Mumbai, May 10 (IANS) The Indo-Pak Soldiers Initiative for Peace (IPSI), a NGO formed by retired soldiers of Indian and Pakistani armies, started a three-day peace forum here Saturday. According to IPSI vice-president Tej Kaul, the aim of the peace forum is “to promote peace and harmony between two nations”. Congress MP… read more

The AHIMSA Project’s Gandhi Conference

October 17-19, 2008 at CalPoly, Pomona — Featuring our beloved friend and colleague Nipun Mehta of CharityFocus. “The third international conference of the [[Ahimsa]] Center at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (in Los Angeles area) will focus on rediscovering the Gandhian wisdom grounded in [[Ahimsa]] and Truth to help us chart a more peaceful and… read more