“When a child, my nurse taught me to repeat Rama-nama whenever I felt afraid or miserable, and it has been second nature with me with growing knowledge and advancing years. I may even say that the word is in my heart, if not actually on my lips, all the twenty-four hours.” ~ Gandhi, Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 80

Rama-nama means using the name of Rama, which means “joy,” as a mantram. When as a child he was upset or afraid or “miserable,” he would say, “Rama, Rama, Rama…” and it would give his mind something to hold onto, to make it steady and thus able to face difficult situations. But as he grew older, he began to repeat it all of the time in his heart and on his lips, to keep the mind steady in difficult situations, as well as moments of extreme excitement and elation, which is the natural pendulum swing of the emotions. It keeps the mind from agitation and focused on it’s highest state: calm, gentle, abiding joy.

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Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way to share Gandhi’s spiritual wisdom and experiments with nonviolence.

Our 2016 Daily Metta continues with Gandhi on weekdays. On weekends, we share videos that complement Michael Nagler’s award-winning book, The Search for a Nonviolent Future: A Promise of Peace for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our World. To help readers engage with the book more deeply, the Metta Center offers a free PDF study guide.

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