February 27: “I do not believe that the Gita teaches violence for doing good. It is pre-eminently a description of the duel that goes on in our own hearts.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 8-24-1934, pp. 392-393) (The battlefield, Krishna and Arjuna in the Gita…) Many people wonder how someone who was committed to nonviolence like… read more
Tag Archives: gita
“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
Gandhi’s Daily Scripture Readings for Peace
By John Dear, S.J. Gandhi leads a prayer meeting. When writer Louis Fischer visited Gandhi’s ashram in 1942, he noticed a picture of Jesus on the wall — the only wall decoration around — with the caption, “He is our peace.” “But you are not a Christian,” he said to Gandhi. “I am a… read more
Gandhi Retreat: December 6-8, 2013
Gandhi and the Gita-Uncovering the Soul of Selfless Action We are called to service. We long for effective action. When: December 6-8, 2013 Where: The gorgeous and healing Mt. Madonna Retreat Center, Watsonville, California PLEASE REGISTER HERE. The topic: In this retreat we will call upon a potent legacy of selfless action that models a way… read more
swadharma
In the Indian spiritual tradition, dharma means the way, literally law or duty. Everything and everyone in existence has its own dharma — its essential way of being in the world — that is in harmony with the overriding dharma of nonviolence that applies to all life (ahimsa paramo dharma). Thus a person’s swadharma (swa, own,… read more
