“In heartfelt prayer the worshipper’s attention is concentrated on the object of worship so much that he is not conscious of anything else besides.” ~ Gandhi, Ashram Observances in Action, p. 38 What Gandhi is calling “heartfelt prayer,” others might refer to as meditation. The classic definition of meditation comes from the ancient sage Patanjali,… read more
Tag Archives: daily metta
Putting Others First: Daily Metta
“Man is not omnipotent. He therefore serves the world best by first serving his neighbor.” ~ Gandhi, Ashram Observances in Action, p. 114 It has been said that when it comes to putting others first, most people ask, “Why should we,” while only a few get straight to the point: “How?” We can practice this… read more
Defy Fear: Daily Metta
“The truth is that cowardice itself is violence of a subtle type and therefore dangerous and far more difficult to eradicate than the habit of physical violence.” ~ Gandhi, CWMG, 25:437 That cowardice is a form of violence can be counterintuitive. I have had people tell me that they ran away from a fight: wasn’t… read more
Principled Nonviolence and its Power: Daily Metta Weekend Videos
In this first video, Michael Nagler continues onward in The Search for a Nonviolent Future with insights into the paradox of nonviolence: rising above oneself and becoming more of oneself, truer to oneself. He then shares the origin of the term “person power,” coined by the Metta Center. In this next video, he describes the… read more
Higher States: Daily Metta
“Religion of our conception, being thus imperfect, is always subject to a process of evolution and reinterpretation.” ~ Gandhi, Gandhiji’s Dialogue with Christianity, Swaraj Peeth, Chapter 2 Gandhi had a radical notion about religion and humanity. It goes like this: If humanity is not yet perfect, and humanity created religion, then religion is not perfect… read more
Intent to Heal: Daily Metta
“A Gujarati didactic stanza likewise gripped my mind and heart. Its precept, return good for evil, became my guiding principle.” ~ Gandhi, Autobiography, Chapter X When Gandhi uses terms like “good and evil,” we have to be clear about what he means. “Evil” does not apply to people, it means the energy behind an action:… read more
Depth of Access: Daily Metta
“But I can boldly declare, and with certainty, that so long as there is even a handful of men true to their pledge, there can only be one end to the struggle, and that is victory.” ~ Gandhi, Satyagraha in South Africa, p. 99 The forces that govern the outcome of human events are as… read more
Full Control: Daily Metta
“Means must determine ends and indeed it’s questionable in human affairs whether there is an end. The best we can do is to make sure of the method and examine our motive.” ~ Ronald Duncan, Selected Writings of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 14 No matter where you cut him, Gandhi is close to what he called… read more
Structural Violence: Daily Metta
“I am satisfied that many Englishmen and Indian officials honestly believe that that they are administering one of the best systems devised in the world . . .” ~ Ronald Duncan, Selected Writings of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 144 A well-known admonition of the Buddha was na hante, na hanyate, the wise one “will not kill,… read more
A force from within: Your Daily Metta Weekend Videos
In this first video, Michael Nagler discusses a story about marchers during the American Civil Rights Movement who drew on a power from within that stunned police officers, unable to turn on the fire hoses. What was that power and how did it work? Find out. In this next video, he goes on to further… read more
