“Faith . . . must be enforced by reason. The two are not antagonistic as some think.” ~ Gandhi, The Wit and Wisdom of Gandhi, p. 41 The great appeal of the Vedanta (India’s collective spiritual wisdom), or one of them, is the way it avoids many of our “either-or” dilemmas. If the role of… read more
Tag Archives: daily metta
Person Power: Daily Metta
“Swaraj of a people means the sum total of the swaraj of individuals.” ~ Gandhi, Harijan, March 25, 1939, p. 64 “Person power” is a term coined by the Metta Center for Nonviolence to describe the vision of swaraj, or self-rule, that Gandhi propounded. Large masses of people do make an impact and can uproot… read more
Motivated by Justice: Daily Metta
“The corresponding duty is to labor with my limbs and the corresponding remedy is to non-cooperate with him who deprives me of the fruit of my labor.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, March 26, 1931, p. 49 Here Gandhi elaborates on his theory of rights and duties. A right, he says, comes with not only a… read more
Rights for All: Daily Metta
“Every man has an equal right to the necessaries of life even as birds and beasts have.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, March 26, 1931, p. 49 I recently came across an order issued by Delhi High Court, from May of 2015 on the topic of bird confinement: “all the birds have fundamental rights to fly… read more
Service as Power: Daily Metta
“Power that comes from service faithfully rendered ennobles. Power that is sought in the name of service and can only be obtained by a majority of votes is a delusion and a snare to be avoided.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, September 11, 1924, p. 301 All human beings—dare I say, all living beings—need power, a… read more
The Highest Law: Daily Metta Weekend Video
In this video, Michael Nagler explores the concept from the Hindu scriptures, “Nonviolence is the highest dharma (law)” from the context of nonviolence as a tool for deep transformation of ourselves and our world. Please add your comments below. About Daily Metta Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015… read more
No Rancor: Daily Metta
“It is the acid test of nonviolence that in a nonviolent conflict there is no rancor left behind, and in the end the enemies are converted into friends.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, 4.291 Does this seem naive? Strangely enough, it was the British historian, Arnold Toynbee, who said of Gandhi that “he made it impossible for… read more
Sufficiency: Daily Metta
“Even in a most perfect world, we shall fail to avoid inequalities, but we can and must avoid strife and bitterness.” ~ Gandhi, Young India October 7, 1926. When Gandhi said this 90 years ago, he decidedly did not mean that we must put up with gross inequalities and obscene poverty. He means that striving… read more
Decentralization: Daily Metta
“Khadi mentality means decentralization of the production and distribution of the necessities of life.” ~ Gandhi, Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 406 Once again we see how khadi (cotton spinning) was iconic for the entire program of economic uplift for India—and her freedom. Imagine the freedom and security it would bring us, or anyone, if… read more
Power of Acting: Daily Metta
“To have a conviction that there is violence or sin in a certain course of conduct is one thing; to have the power of acting up to such a conviction is quite another.” ~ Gandhi, Satyagraha in South Africa, p. 230 In the Bhagavad Gita the warrior prince Arjuna, representing you and me, asks Sri… read more
