Under certain circumstances fasting is the one weapon which God has given us for use in times of utter helplessness.… Absence of food is an indispensable but not the largest part of it. The largest part is the prayer – communion with God. It more than adequately replaces physical food. ~ Gandhi, letter to Meera… read more
Tag Archives: Fasting
Inner Eyes: Daily Metta
“What the eyes are for the outer world, fasts are for the inner.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, vol. 2, 218 Not having myself much experience with fasting (aka virtually none) and not having the context of this remark in front of me, I will take it that what he means is that fasts can cause or… read more
“Knowing when to escalate”–Daily Metta
October 6: “Since Satyagraha is one of the most powerful methods of direct action, a Satyagrahi exhausts all other means before he resorts to Satyagraha.” –Gandhi (Young India, October 20, 1927) When I first contemplated activism, I thought it meant going from doing nothing to throwing every last ounce of energy into direct confrontation with… read more
“Gandhi had a mother”–Daily Metta
May 10 “The outstanding impression that my mother has left on my memory is saintliness.” –Gandhi (Autobiography, p. 4) (See photo below of Gandhi with his mother.) While Gandhi had many influences in his life, none was greater in his spiritual development than his mother, Putilbai. A very earnest spiritual aspirant, Putilbai upheld in… read more
Yeb Sano’s fast for the climate offers sanity amid the madness of global inaction
Filipino lead negotiator Yeb Sano undertook a 13-day fast for the climate at the U.N. climate talks in Warsaw. (350.org) By Philip Wight. Originally posted on Waging Nonviolence, November 25th, 2013. Less than two weeks ago, Filipino climate negotiator Yeb Saño delivered a landmark speech on climate change. Speaking before delegates of 195 nations at the 19th conference… read more
Fasting
Fasting in Satyagraha is a hunger strike undertaken in protest. It is not a fast undertaken for purification, penitence or health. The goal of this type of fast is to persuade rather than coerce. Among the tools of the Satyagrahi, Gandhi considered fasting the ultimate, and one that should not be entered upon lightly. Gandhi carried out… read more
