“The humility of a satyagrahi knows no bounds. He does not let slip a single opportunity for settlement, and he does not mind if any one therefore looks upon him as timid.” ~ Gandhi, Satyagraha in South Africa, p. 265 What Gandhi is actually getting at here is the tendency to take it personally, or… read more
Tag Archives: daily metta
Regeneration of Humanity: Daily Metta
“In battling against untouchability, and in dedicating myself to that battle, I have no less an ambition than to see a full regeneration of humanity.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, p. 126 Untouchability is, or was, perhaps the most extreme example of racism and dehumanization still existing in a modern society. Gandhi knew that India could claim… read more
Despair: Daily Metta
“You must never despair of human nature.” ~ Gandhi, Harijan, November 5, 1938 This is not an utterance from an overly optimistic “saint” who knows nothing about what human beings can do to one another. Gandhi saw human violence: prejudice, beatings, mob killings, exploitation and starvation, you name it. But he understood that these atrocities… read more
Gentleness: Daily Metta
“Satyagraha is gentle, it never wounds.” ~ Gandhi, Harijan, April 5, 1933 At what point do we lose our gentleness as grown ups? A harsh word here, a resentful thought there, a cynical statement to follow. It’s not easy to be gentle, especially when others are not gentle to us. But Gandhi reminds us that… read more
A Challenge: Daily Metta
“Every murder or other injury, no matter for what cause, committed or inflicted on another is a crime against humanity.” ~ Gandhi, Harijan, July 20, 1925 There’s a sign for Army recruitment on the way out of Petaluma that I pass daily. A picture of a young woman, probably a recent high school grad (it… read more
A Big Claim about Nonviolence: Your Daily Metta Weekend Video
In this video, Michael Nagler makes the claim that nonviolence can stop not only drug addiction–it can solve all of our problems. Hear him out–and find out more. Please add your comments below. About Daily Metta Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way to share Gandhi’s… read more
Action: Daily Metta
“Nonviolent action, without the cooperation of the heart and the head, cannot produce the desired result.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma 5.132 The second time (of many) that I saw Sir Richard Attenborough’s epic Gandhi it was with a peace-movement friend who turned to me after a moment or two of stunned silence when it was over… read more
Trusteeship: Daily Metta
“You may not waste a grain of rice or a scrap of paper, and similarly a minute of your time. It is not ours. It belongs to the nation and we are the trustees for the use of it.” ~ Gandhi, CWMG Vol. xxvi, p. 272 One of the most compelling stories Arun Gandhi tells… read more
Devotion: Daily Metta
“Without devotion, action and knowledge are cold and dry and may even become shackles.” ~ Gandhi, Message of the Gita, p. 261933 The Bhagavad Gita, the “spiritual reference book” for Gandhi, and millions of others, presents and is even built on the three classic paths to self-realization: bhakti yoga, the way of devotion; karma yoga,… read more
Method: Daily Metta
“This method may appear to be long, perhaps too long, but I am convinced that it is the shortest.” ~ Gandhi, “Amrita Bazar Patrika,” September 17, 1933 In 2013, political scientist Erica Chenoweth was named among 100 top global researchers by Foreign Policy magazine for “proving Gandhi right.” In Why Civil Resistance Works, a groundbreaking,… read more
