“When there is no desire for fruit, there is also no temptation for untruth or himsa.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, vol. 2. p. 311 To revisit the excellent Daily Metta of March 1st: The Gita’s “theory of action” (as we like to call it). It is quite nuanced, but it’s main tenets can be summarized as… read more
Tag Archives: Bhagavad Gita
Personal Interest: Daily Metta
“When there is no desire for fruit, there is also no temptation for untruth or himsa.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, Vol. 2, p. 311 When Gandhi tells us, based on his adherence to the mystical teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, to let go of the results of our actions, fruit, or phalam in Sanskrit, he is… read more
War is Ruin: Daily Metta
“The author of the Mahabharata has not established the necessity of physical warfare; on the contrary he has proved its futility.” ~ Gandhi, The Gita According to Gandhi, p. 128 The Bhagavad Gita is a chapter out of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Seemingly, it is a book about a great war; even the… read more
Rays of Hope: Daily Metta
“Even through the failures, we seem to see rays of hope.” ~ Gandhi, The Gita According to Gandhi, p. 126 Trying to put the Bhagavad Gita into practice is no easy task. It describes the height of human idealism and though we strive—and strive we must—reaching that ideal is terribly difficult. Gandhi pointed out that… read more
Living the Gita: Daily Metta
“It has been my endeavor, as also that of some companions, to reduce to practice the teachings of the Gita as I have understood it.” ~ Gandhi, The Gita According to Gandhi, p. 126 In Gandhi’s religious tradition, not just anyone offers a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. Usually, this task is reserved for someone… read more
“Wisdom and sugar”–Daily Metta
July 18: “What are the characteristics of a Sthitaprajna (a Self-realized person)? He is one who withdraws his senses from the objects of the sense behind the shield of the spirit, as a tortoise does its limbs under its shell.” –Gandhi (Harijan, April 28, 1946) This quote of Gandhi’s from a famous verse in the… read more
Who We Are: The Spirit Behind Mothers’ Day
There was a time years ago when I was reading Plato very closely – I was studying at Heidelberg at that time – and had a flash of insight about who Socrates really was. What I saw was not something I could easily share with my fellow students, then or now: that both Socrates and Jesus were at… read more
“The Gita Theory of Action”–Daily Metta
January 21 “I cannot attain freedom by a mechanical refusal to act, but only by intelligent action in a detached manner.” -Gandhi (Young India, 9-17-1921) Gandhi read the spiritual classic the Bhagavad Gita every day. He said it was to him as a “mother’s milk,” nourishing and nurturing him in times of joy and great… read more
Phalam
Phalam is a Sanskrit for fruit, and is the word used in the Bhagavad Gita to describe the personal gains acquired as the result of human action. According to the Gita theory of action, one should strive to be detached from these fruits. The goal is to learn to act selflessly and according to one’s duty rather than… read more
Karma
Karma is the Sanskrit word for action. Because thought is an action, karma includes our thoughts and actions and their collective effect on us. This is known in psychology as our conditioning. Everything that is experienced, including thoughts, leaves a kind of mark on us, a fact now borne out by modern neuroscience. These experiences… read more
