“Man does not live by bread alone. Many prefer self-respect to food.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, February 5, 1925 Which is why some will go so far as to fast from food, if necessary “unto death,” to restore their dignity—or that of their religion or their people. We forget, in some of the shouting matches… read more
Tag Archives: daily metta
Rights: Daily Metta
“The true source of rights is duty.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, 2. 179 This concept, here stated so clearly, is one of the great insights Gandhi offered which could, if taken to heart and implemented, change the face of most progressive politics. There is a parallel to Constructive Programme: first build what you want and then,… read more
Heart Unity: Daily Metta Weekend Video
If we are to challenge inequality, we have to find commonality. How to begin to conceive of doing this? Gandhi maintained that “heart unity” was the key. Not uniformity; rather, mutual respect and shared vision. About Daily Metta Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way… read more
Heart-prayer: Daily Metta
“Worship or prayer is not to be performed with the lips but with the heart.” ~ Gandhi, Mind, p. 78 The hallmark of mysticism wherever it arises is its recognition of inner realities, the priority of states of mind over outward acts (though no one disputes their importance). What we call principled nonviolence actually springs… read more
Social Networks: Daily Metta
“Man is a social being. Without inter-relation with society he cannot realize his oneness with the universe or suppress his egotism.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, March 21, 1929 [swap man for “a person” and he or his for “she” or “her” where you see fit.] Much of what Gandhi said, based on his own awareness,… read more
Tender Toward Others: Daily Metta
“Whilst we may attack measures and systems we may not, must not, attack men. Imperfect ourselves, we must be tender toward others and slow to impute motives.” ~ Gandhi, Young India Sept. 29, 1921 It is interesting that this statement of the core principle of nonviolence (and the reasoning behind it) occurs a little less… read more
One Reality: Daily Metta
“All religions enjoined worship of the One God who was all-pervasive. He is present in a drop of water or even in a tiny speck of dust. ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, 7. P. 115 Our Mahatma is seeing past the all-too-common misuses of religions to the One Vision shared by their great founders: that God is… read more
Bread Labor: Daily Metta
“The idea [of bread labour] is that every healthy individual should labour enough for his [or her] food, and his [or her] intellectual faculties should be exercised not in order to earn a living or amass a fortune but only in the service of mankind.” ~ Gandhi, Ashram Observances in Action, p. 32 Gandhi certainly… read more
Constructive Strategy: Daily Metta Weekend Video
What are some of the strategic elements of constructive program that were implicit in Gandhi’s approach to it? What can we learn from them, especially in terms of approaching opposition? About Daily Metta Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way to share Gandhi’s spiritual wisdom… read more
Small Things: Daily Metta
“To serve one’s neighbor is to serve the world.” ~ Gandhi, Ashram Observances in Action, p. 37 And he goes on, “Indeed, it is the only way open to us of serving the world.” We who wish to help the world very commonly judge our effectiveness by quantitative criteria: how many people reached, how many… read more
