Tag Archives: satyagraha

What a Satyagrahi Knows

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This guest post was contributed by George Cassidy Payne, the founder of Gandhi Earth Keepers International. He is also a writer, a domestic violence counselor, and an adjunct professor of philosophy. George lives and works in Rochester, NY. You can follow him on LinkedIn. The most powerful force in the universe is not electromagnetism, gravity… read more

Fasting: Daily Metta

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“There is considerable force in the warning given by the Prophet against his disciples copying his fasting over and above the semi-fasts of Ramzan. ‘My Maker sends me food enough when I fast, not so to you,’ said the Prophet.” ~ Gandhi, Gandhi’s Health Guide (Freedom, CA: Crossing Press, 2000), 177-8 If you put together… read more

Self-purification: Daily Metta

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“Love can never express itself by imposing suffering on others. It can only express itself by self-suffering, by self-purification.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, 3, p. 221 We have often had occasion to comment on self-suffering, so I would like to land on “self-purification.” What does it mean? People often view Gandhi as an ascetic who sought… read more

Sumud: Daily Metta

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“Satyagraha thrives on oppression till at last the oppressor is tired of it and the object of satyagraha is gained.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma 6, p.2 One of the words for nonviolence in Arabic is sumud, “patience, determination.” In Latin America, where there have been—and still are—many popular movements against injustice, this same principle was discovered… read more

Resolute: Daily Metta

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“The Indians for whom I speak are comparatively poor and inferior in numbers, but they are resolute unto death.” ~ Gandhi, Satyagraha in South Africa, p. 210. We are in London, in 1910. Gandhi is on his second deputation, accompanied by Sheth Haji Habib, who represents a wealthier and more numerous section of the Indians… read more

The Time for Silence is Over

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Grasping the Reality of Nonviolence The Background: With a rainbow pin on his lapel, signifying–on that day at least–the most recent gun massacre in the United States, Congressman John Lewis made an impassioned cri de coeur before members of Congress and the people of this country: the time for silence is over. “Sometimes,” he said,… read more

Prayerful Consideration: Daily Metta

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“I have, after much prayerful consideration, and after very careful examination of the Government’s standpoint, pledged myself to offer Satyagraha against the Bills, and invited all men and women who think and feel with me to do likewise.” ~ Gandhi, in a speech made at Madras, March 18, 1919 The key phrase here is “prayerful… read more

Suffering: Daily Metta

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“In concrete terms, what pure suffering, wholly one-sided, does is stir public opinion against a wrong.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi: Correspondence with the Government (1959), p. 301 When Martin Luther King said “unearned suffering is redemptive” he was referring to the same effect. It is the “secret weapon” of satyagraha, the core dynamic of active… read more

Victory: Daily Metta

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“He then went on solemnly to declare in the name of God that he would never submit to that law, and advised all present to do likewise.” We are, of course, in the Empire Jewish Theater in Johannesburg, South Africa. The date is September 11 (!), 1906, and the speaker being quoted is one Seth… read more