February 23 “We have instances in history where terrorism has failed to impose the terrorist’s will upon his victim.” –Gandhi (Young India, 6-9-1920, p. 3) (Pictured: Malala Yousafzai) Even with the extreme provocation of terrorist violence we are not compelled to absorb and respond back with violence ourselves. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in… read more
Tag Archives: gandhi
“Trusteeship and Nonviolence”–Daily Metta
February 22 “Those who own money now, are asked to behave like trustees holding their riches on behalf of the poor.” –Gandhi (Modern Review, October 1935, p. 412) (Image: Gandhi used to raise funds for those without resources to meet their basic needs, while at train stations during his travels.) Gandhi was convinced that it… read more
“Confessing our Errors”–Daily Metta
February 21 “Confession of an error is like a broom that sweeps away dirt and leaves the surface cleaner than before.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 2-16-1946) (Gandhi’s father, Karamachand, pictured here) When Gandhi was a boy he stole money to buy cigarettes. When he eventually realized that he was on the wrong path, young Mohandas decided that he would write a letter… read more
“Ideal of Interdependence”–Daily Metta
February 20: “Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of humanity as self-sufficiency.” –Gandhi (Young India, 3-21-1929) Though Gandhi’s campaign in India is referred to as an “independence” movement it was more precisely a struggle for liberation. For Gandhi, liberation–both personal and social–is a matter of realizing right relationships to (if I… read more
“Make an offering of nonviolence”–Daily Metta
February 19: “Yajña is not yajña if one feels it to be burdensome or annoying.” –Gandhi (From Yervada Mandir, pp. 57-60) (The Salt March (pictured here) was a form of yajña.) Yajña is the Sanskrit term for sacrifice or offering. Of course, this is not limited to Hinduism. Muslims offer yajña yearly during the month-long… read more
“Nonviolence as Ayurveda”–Daily Metta
February 17: “The whole world is like the human body with its various members. Pain in one member is felt in the whole body.” —Gandhi (Harijan, 5-26-1946, p. 154) (Click on image at left to read Gandhi’s Guide to Health) Preventing disease and curing our bodies naturally is the goal of the 5,000 year old… read more
“True Democracy and Nonviolence”–Daily Metta
February 16: “I believe that true democracy can only be an outcome of nonviolence.” –Gandhi (Gandhi’s Correspondence with the Government 1942-1944, p. 143) While violence is often considered the prerogative of democracies, and even a way of spreading the principle, if you think about it, violence and democracy are actually incompatible. In violence, you must… read more
“Means and Ends”–Daily Metta
February 15: “Means and ends are convertible terms in my philosophy of life.” –Gandhi (Young India, 12-26-1924, p. 424) Where conventional thought suggests that the “ends justify the means,” Gandhi emphasized the importance of the means–how we do it– over the ends–what we want to happen. He is only being practical, as our means are… read more
“Force of Love”–Daily Metta
February 14: “The force of love is the same as the force of the soul or truth. We have evidence of it working at every step. The universe would disappear without the existence of that force.” –Gandhi (Hind Swaraj, pp. 77-79) What passes for love in popular music videos, television, and film often has very… read more
“Gandhi’s Mantram”–Daily Metta
February 13 “When a child, my nurse taught me to repeat Ramanama whenever I felt afraid or miserable, and it has been second nature with me with growing knowledge and advancing years.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 8-17-1934, p. 213) Ramanama is the repetition of the Rama’s name (Rama-nama). Rama is the name of a Hindu diety whose… read more
