“Under the ideal conditions the barrister and the bhangi should both get the same payment.” ~ Gandhi,  Mahatma, v. 8, p. 63

A bhangi is a sweeper, very low in the Indian caste system. Gandhi knows full well that people are born with different capacities, but he also knows that they are “all men born equal,” as he would put in, in the sight of God. We all have the same divine spark, though virtually everything else may differ. How to realize that equality? Not by overlooking the differences, but by not attributing to them “high” and “low” values. The “ideal conditions” he envisions here may be a long way off; but that is no reason not to keep it always before us, work towards it with patience and determination. Add a detachment from the results and you have the perfect recipe for right action—and success.

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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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