May 24: “Language is at best a poor vehicle for expressing one’s thoughts in full.” –Gandhi (Young India, September 13, 1928) Arabic is said to have close to sixty words for the concept of love. Talk about precision. Words that express the beginning of love, the kind of love where you really like someone to… read more
Tag Archives: gandhi
“Teaching by example”–Daily Metta
May 23: “On Tolstoy Farm we made it a rule that the youngsters should not be asked to do what the teachers did not do.” –Gandhi (Autobiography) Gandhi felt that the best method of education for children (ok, for everyone) was through personal example. Hence, when children “misbehaved” at the ashram, instead of punishment, he… read more
“Gandhi’s First Congress”–Daily Metta
May 22: “Practice as a lawyer was and remained for me a subordinate occupation. It was necessary that I concentrate on public work.” –Gandhi (Autobiography, Chapter 19) Before Gandhi launched his work in India proper, he had a bit of training under his belt in the Indian community in South Africa (Ok, so he was… read more
“Care of the present”–Daily Metta
May 19: “I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned enough with taking care of the present.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 1-25-1935, p. 399) St. Augustine did not believe that the past, present and future were “times” as much as states of mind. The past is recollection; the future, anticipation; and the present: awareness.… read more
“The Divine Radio”–Daily Metta
May 18: “The Divine Radio is always singing, if we could only make ourselves ready to listen to it, but it is impossible to listen without silence.” –Gandhi (Truth is God, p. 60) While the Metta Center does host an awesome community radio program, Peace Paradigm Radio, which tackles the tough questions around nonviolence in… read more
“No Greater Bravery”–Daily Metta
May 17 “There is no bravery greater than a resolute refusal to bend the knee to an earthly power, no matter how great, an that, without bitterness of spirit.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 10-13-1948, p. 291 Experiment in Nonviolence: Try, just for a thought-experiment, to turn some of your fears on their head, and… read more
“Hugging Meditation”–Daily Metta
May 16: “Perfection in love or non-possession will remain unattainable ideal as long as we are alive, but towards which we must ceaselessly strive.” –Gandhi (My Religion 1935, p. 412) Gandhi always wanted to bring together the best of the East and the West as he developed his nonviolence. Vietnamese monk, spiritual activist Thich… read more
“Conscientious Objector”–Daily Metta
May 15: “I must not suppress the voice of conscience.” –Gandhi (My Nonviolence, p. 201-2) We all know about Memorial Day, President’s Day, and “Columbus” Day, but did you know that there is an international holiday to celebrate the courage of the Conscientious Objector? That’s right. The date of May 15 marks the recurrence of… read more
“An honest person”–Daily Metta
May 14: “Openness of mind strengthens the truth in us, and removes the dross in us if there is any.” –Gandhi (Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 342) One day I received an email with a very generous offer: Would the Metta Center like to acquire my father’s Gandhi collection? This man’s father happened to be the author… read more
“A child’s devotion”–Daily Metta
May 13: “Without devotion, action and knowledge are cold and dry, and may even become shackles.” –Gandhi (The message of the Gita, p. 26) When Gandhi was a little boy, he notes, while in school, he rarely had the time or the inclination to read books that were not assigned for class. One book–a play–… read more
