Happy Birthday Gandhi!

#10, very good and true!

75 yrs. ago Einstein wrote Gandhi.

The message has yet to sink into the psyche

of the masses just because war is more exciting.

How do we make Peace the Land we dream of?

Dear DK,

It is my sincere hope that someday soon the leaders of my birth country America could embrace the wisdom found in Gandhi's #5 and #8.

Kind Regards,
Stan

Gandhi is/was a true hero, an icon of peace by peace. Blessings on Gandhi, on this, his birthday.

Even now after the death of his body, as we witness above, Ghandi continues his campaign which has become an indestructable meme

the tangible is born from the intangible and it is word that rules this domain

greater than any army with all it's physical might, is the single sentence that conveys intelligence, wisdom and light.

and they cast out the Illusions, while those opposed could see nothing to fight

our (r)evolution they did ignite

and behold heaven on earth came during the night

Happy Birthday, Gandhi ji!
May I become the peace I want to see in the world.

Love, Kristin

DK,

When Gandhi was assassinated, Albert Einstein said: “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.”

In today’s India, Gandhi lives only in currency notes, names of places and various government schemes for the uplift of the poor. The saddest thing is that we have reduced Gandhi’s teachings to an ISM. Non-violence is frowned upon as a sign of cowardice. People think that Gandhi was just a yellowbelly who never picked up a gun.

I think we never really understood Gandhi. By designating him with the epithet of “Mahatma” (Great Soul), we elevated the ideal of non-violence to a level that ordinary souls can’t hope to emulate. Gandhi hated this title. He said that he couldn’t recall a single moment when it titillated him.

I think we ought to look more at the “politician” Gandhi than the “mahatma” Gandhi. Mohandas said that when he advocated non-violence, he was talking political wisdom, and not spiritual wisdom. He knew he couldn’t take upon the might of the British Empire by force. He had learnt a lesson from the failure of the first freedom struggle movement of 1857.

More than a Mahatma, Gandhi, it seems, was a very shrewd politician, who knew he could gain the sympathy of the world by turning the other cheek to the cruel British, and someday enough world opinion would come to bear upon the British to quit India. And the fact that he eventually did make it happen proves that non-violence is something that can be seriously considered as a means to attain an end.

In India, we have seen social activists sitting on fasts-unto-death to protest against government highhandedness. I have noticed that a fast-unto-death by a prominent activist scares the Indian government much more than a terrorist strike. The best thing about non-violence is that you enlarge your circle of influence. If you persevere, gradually the national/international opinion galvanizes around you, and the authorities-that-be are brought down to their knees to redress your grievances.

I feel we need to demystify non-violence; we ought to teach ourselves that there is nothing spiritual about it. It is simply the art of turning cowardice/physical weakness into a deadly political weapon.

Sanjeev

In the United Kingdom, there are several prominent statues of Gandhi, most notably in Tavistock Square, London (near University College London), where he studied law. January 30 is commemorated in the United Kingdom as National Gandhi Remembrance Day.

The greatness of this man, lies in his simplicity. - Anonymous

In the United Kingdom, there are several prominent statues of Gandhi, most notably in Tavistock Square, London (near University College London), where he studied law. January 30 is commemorated in the United Kingdom as National Gandhi Remembrance Day.

The greatness of this man, lies in his simplicity. - Anonymous

Sanjeev,

My mother always told me, don't get into any fights, avoid conflict, and always stand up for yourself. It works.

A coward is one that turns and runs, a coward is the one that stays silent when witnessing an injustice, a coward is one that attacks out of fear, a coward is one that acts on a fear thought, a coward is one that makes an excuse, a coward is the slave of fear, because a coward's foundation is that of ego and not of spirit.

It is the brave one that stands his ground fearless and unarmed before the coward armed with a gun. It is the brave one that would rather die then perpetuate a lie.

I suggest everyone watch

V FOR VENDETTA

Don't be fooled by the name it is a very powerful spiritual movie. It has some guidance and messages for The People.

as I have said before

Justice is not about prosecution, persectuion, or revenge, it is about bringing the truth to light, for every injustice was born from a lie.

Dear Sir,

I read 'the story of my experiments with truth'. From that I gather that M.K. Gandhi had 'nothing new to teach the world' and what he purported was 'as old as the hills'. Gandhiji is dead now. In this context: Would not a true master be appalled by an eternal student?

Yours synergistically, C

Dear DK,

Thank you for giving us an opportunity to remember a great man. Below are my favorite quotations from those your collection:

12. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

15. Hate the sin, love the sinner.

Dear Rahan,

Thanks for bringing up R. Tagore. I have been wanting to post one of his poems on Arsenio's thread. Here is one in honor of Gandhi.

FIREFLIES

I touch God in my song
as the hill touches the far-away sea
with its waterfall.

The butterfly counts not months but moments,
and has time enough.

Let my love, like sunlight, surround you
and yet give you illumined freedom.

Love remains a secret even when spoken,
for only a lover truly knows that he is loved.

Emancipation from the bondage of the soil
is no freedom for the tree.

In love I pay my endless debt to thee
for what thou art.

Rabindranath Tagore
Love,
Donatella

Dear DK

I love some of what Gandhi was about (like 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and others, above). And I dislike some of what Gandhi was about (like 7 and 9, above).

I honor his achievements, example, and inspiration. He was a giant of a soul, and the world needs more like him.

Thank you, and Geeta (on OT), for reminding us to remember his spirit and work, on this anniversary of his birthday

love, Heather

Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.
Every mind must make its choice between truth and repose. It cannot have both.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dear Rehan

Thank you for sharing more about Gandhi.

Yes, yes, the urge to forgive outweighing all others is the primary characterstic of unconditional love, I've found. And when it happens to me, it feels just as you describe.

And letting hatred go. Hatred is love, angry. Besides releasing stress hormones, it blocks love from entering, from many sources. Probably the worst thing, for health. Hatred radiates, just as love does. As love attracts love, hatred repels it. Yet hatred is love, in its negative form. Hatred feels pulsing dark red to me. Love feels clear and of all colors.

I'm very moved to find you always feel impelled to forgive.

I'm not as good a person as you are. I don't always feel that urge to forgive. Most times, it creeps up on me, and happens. But sometimes, it doesn't. I only feel always impelled to forgive, as you do, when I truly love someone.

Rehan, I appreciate your challenges to me.

love, Heather

My dear Rehan and Donatella

We were just three notes of a chord, 10 minutes apart from each other. (comment times)

love, Heather

Dear Heather,
It must be the great force of Love which links all souls.
Love and Peace always,
Donatella

Dear DK,
I was a young girl, when I first heard of Gandhi's saying "be the change you want to see in the world."

With tolerance and patience and love, (and forgiveness too ) - the journey of Life becomes the blessing it has always been intended to be. For my experience, growing ever deeper and richer for this realization.

Love and Blessings to you,
to All
~ Kate

Very very thoughtful !!!

"Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"

Very very thoughtful !!!

"Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"

Very very thoughtful !!!

"Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"

I wonder what Gandhi would do, in todays times of things?

Where battles are fought from miles away,
and eyes in the sky,
command the day?
Where lives are bought
and sold as commodity a
nd perishables of war;
it is we whom live,
that are left,
to mourn;
the death toll,
from our silence.

May and all ways, may Gandhi's courage and strength spoken so long ago, be heard again; to all, whom need reminding.

North

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1003/p01s04-wosc.html

Thank you dear HEATHER for reading my comment on OT. Love and God bless.

Thank you for posting this, DK, on our beloved Bapuji's birthday. God bless.

“The 20th-century British were far too benign an imperial power to choose to slaughter peaceful resisters to their rule” (Lewis) That is an outright lie! The British did all too frequently commit horrendous acts of genocide anytime it suited it’s purposes, in fact, it was a typical act of British genocide which finally provoked Gandhi into becoming the great leader that he in fact was/is: “it was after the [Jallianwala Bagh] massacre and violence that Gandhi's mind focused upon obtaining complete self-government and control of all Indian government institutions, maturing soon into Swaraj or complete individual, spiritual, political independence.”
http://[delinker]en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhi

“On 2 November 1917 a letter from Arthur Balfour, addressed to "Dear Lord Rothschild" at his London home in 148 Piccadilly, set out the Balfour Declaration, which committed the British Government to supporting the establishment in Palestine of a national home for Jews.”
http://[delinker]en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Rothschild%2C_2nd_Baron_Rothschild

This is probably what Gandhi means when he says, “The Palestine of the Biblical conception is not a geographical tract. It is in their hearts. But if they must look to the Palestine of geography as their national home, it is wrong to enter it under the shadow of the British gun. A religious act cannot be performed with the aid of the bayonet or the bomb. They can settle in Palestine only by the goodwill of the Arabs. They should seek to convert the Arab heart. The same God rules the Arab heart who rules the Jewish heart. They can offer satyagraha in front of the Arabs and offer themselves to be shot or thrown into the Dead Sea without raising a little finger against them. They will find the world opinion in their favour in their religious aspiration. There are hundreds of ways of reasoning with the Arabs, if they will only discard the help of the British bayonet. As it is, they are co-shares with the British in despoiling a people who have done no wrong to them.

I am not defending the Arab excesses. I wish they had chosen the way of non-violence in resisting what they rightly regarded as an unwarrantable encroachment upon their country. But according to the accepted canons of right and wrong, nothing can be said against the Arab resistance in the face of overwhelming odds.

Let the Jews who claim to be the chosen race prove their title by choosing the way of non-violence for vindicating their position on earth. Every country is their home including Palestine not by aggression but by loving service."
Excerpt from 'The Jews', By Gandhi - From Harijan, November 26, 1938

“Buber reminded him that the Arabs themselves had previously acquired the land by virtue of a “conquest of settlement” — in contrast to the peaceful methods of the Jews in purchasing land there” (Lewis).

The emigrating Jews on paper ‘bought’ the land from people such as Emir Faisal, as noted by the Faisal-Weizmann Agreement of which: “the intended purpose was to forge an agreement between Faisal and the Zionist movement to support Jewish settlement in Palestine. The wishes of the Palestinian Arabs were to be ignored, and, indeed, both men seem to have held the Palestinian Arabs in considerable disdain. Weizmann had called them "treacherous", "arrogant", "uneducated", and "greedy" and had complained to the British that the system in Palestine did "not take into account the fact that there is a fundamental qualitative difference between Jew and Arab". After his meeting with Faisal, Weizmann reported that Faisal was "contemptuous of the Palestinian Arabs whom he doesn't even regard as Arabs."
http://[delinker]en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faisal-Weizmann_Agreement

As further attested by Shlomo Ben-ami (former Israeli Foreign Minister) who states: “the Palestinian peasants did not have the full control of their own destiny. Part of that land was bought by the Zionist organizations from Affendis, landowners living in Turkey or anywhere else throughout the Ottoman Empire, and these people were inevitably evicted by these kind of transactions. But as a whole, I think that not more than 6 or 7% of the entire surface of the state of Israel was bought. The rest of it was either taken over or won during the war.”
http://[delinker]democracynow.org/finkelstein-benami.shtml

Anti-Palestinianism at it finest heh. Also . . .

There are always two sides, for myself, the seat on God's left will do just fine; non-violence is the ONLY way to peace!

The Trinity or God is One, this IS the question . . .

Peace

Craig, thank you for the above comment. Love and God bless.

Anytime my fair Geeta!

Peace

Thanks DK, for the lovely post.
I can never seem to explain the sadness at not being able to meet Gandhi ji in person. Last fall I had the privilege of visiting Raj Ghat.
It was a pilgrimage I am going to cherish for a long time.

By the way Oct 2nd is the B'day of another great Indian- Happy B'day to Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji.
My grand parents were the once who first introduced me to his famous quote-
"Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan".

And on a personal note his name brings fond memories of my childhood years, training in the Lal Bahadur stadium complex in Hyderabad :)
Regards-Karthika