“My experience teaches me that truth can never be propagated by doing violence.” ~ Gandhi, The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 117 Two things stand out in this short sentence: while he drew heavily from and was greatly inspired by the Gita, the Isha Upanishad, and other scriptures (including the New Testament), Gandhi would accept… read more
Tag Archives: daily metta
Sweat Labor: Daily Metta
“If everyone lives by the sweat of his brow the earth will become a paradise.” ~ Gandhi, The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 200 Why this emphasis on manual labor? Surely this is an exaggeration? Well, no. Spiritual as he was, Gandhi felt that the disconnect between the human being and her or his physical… read more
High Standards: Daily Metta
“Still the community stood unmoved; only the weaklings slipped away. But even the weaklings had done their best. Let us not despise them.” ~ Gandhi, Satyagraha in South Africa, p. 206 Our Mahatma treads a fine line between demanding the best of everyone around him and compassion for them when they did not rise to… read more
Virtue: Daily Metta
“All virtue ceases to have use if it serves no purpose in every walk of life.” ~ Gandhi, Harijan, July 26, 1942 p. 248 What Milton called a “cloistered virtue,” or a mere philosophical idea that had no practical outcome in real life, can be at best useless and at worst an ideology that furnishes… read more
A Presence: Daily Metta
“My presence acted as a check upon petty bickerings.” ~ Gandhi, Satyagraha in South Africa, p. 216 There is a famous sutra in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a classic text on meditation and its effects from somewhere around the Second Century BCE, that states (and I paraphrase): “In the presence of one in whom… read more
Self-respect: Daily Metta
“I cannot conceive of a greater loss to a man than the loss of his self-respect . . .” ~ Gandhi, Satyagraha in South Africa, p. 266 Gandhi goes on, “and it is a matter of deep satisfaction to me that the labourers have realized this fundamental principle.” This conversation took place during the later… read more
Leadership: Daily Metta
“It has been my constant experience that much can be done if the servant actually serves and does not dictate to the people.” ~ Gandhi, Satyagraha in South Africa, p. 268 In this US election year, nothing could be more restorative and more challenging than Gandhi’s concept—and actual practice—of “servant leadership.” Of course, you have… read more
Love Shower: Daily Metta
“It is a heavy downpour of rain that drenches the soil to fullness, likewise only a profuse shower of love overcomes hatred.” ~ Gandhi, Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi xiv, p. 402 Beneath this truism lies an important and often overlooked fact of nonviolence: that it is a force, and like all forces, physical or… read more
Resolute: Daily Metta
“The Indians for whom I speak are comparatively poor and inferior in numbers, but they are resolute unto death.” ~ Gandhi, Satyagraha in South Africa, p. 210. We are in London, in 1910. Gandhi is on his second deputation, accompanied by Sheth Haji Habib, who represents a wealthier and more numerous section of the Indians… read more
Non-cooperation: Daily Metta
“Non-cooperation in an angry atmosphere is an impossibility.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, 2, p. 12 In this apparently puzzling observation we have once again a reminder, which we seem to need so often in our present culture, that intention, state of mind, is what determines the significance, and effectiveness, of our actions. If we withdraw our… read more
