Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.
The son of a senior government official, Gandhi was born and raised in a Hindu Bania community in coastal Gujarat, and trained in law in London. Gandhi became famous by fighting for the civil rights of Muslim and Hindu Indians in South Africa, using new techniques of non-violent civil disobedience that he developed. Returning to India in 1915, he set about organizing peasants to protest excessive land-taxes. A lifelong opponent of "communalism" (i.e. basing politics on religion) he reached out widely to all religious groups. He became a leader of Muslims protesting the declining status of the Caliphate. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, increasing economic self-reliance, and above all for achieving Swaraj鈥攖he independence of India from British domination. His spiritual teacher was the Jain philosopher/poet Shrimad Rajchandra.
Gandhi 茅 muito simples e direto na hora de explicar suas ideias. Para aqueles que entendem a sabedoria oriental como algo a ser efetivamente praticado, ele tamb茅m 茅 bastante did谩tico. O livro, contudo, come莽a e se tornar demasiadamente repetitivo...
I am interested in spiritual books in general, and I have had a renewed interest in prayer ever since listening to the Speaking of Faith radio episode on prayer.
This book by a revolutionary political, religious, and spiritual icon is a great read for those wanting to cultivate their path towards inner peace and serenity. I loved it!
I think of Gandhi as the prototypical karmayogi, and in that context, I鈥檓 not surprised to find his definition of prayer as work. It is the work. The work. It is the means by which we are purified and awakened. Prayer, in its various forms, transforms us and prepares us to be the hands of the Divine.
For Gandhi, prayer has very little to do with invoking God to take action. (Actually, Gandhi remorselessly admits to being a fatalist.) Rather, we are the action of God. And prayer is the act of connecting with the Divine in devotion in order to prepare us for the work. If we must ask God for anything, 鈥渘othing can be grander than to ask God to make us act justly towards everything that lives鈥� (p. 32). In that sense, this book is a useful glimpse into why petitionary prayer is the lowest form of prayer (that is, to reductionistically define prayer as merely asking God for health, wealth, and fair weather).
Personally, Gandhi鈥檚 complete disinterest in linguistic squabbles about the Divine is refreshing. God, Om, Rama 鈥� all were empty terms to him. What mattered was the effect those names had when deeply rooted in the heart of the sincere devotee. I find myself similarly drifting to such utilitarian appraisal of religious language.
On a critical note, I must say the book was editorially fragmented more than I anticipated. The contextless excerpts of letters, sermons, and speeches made it difficult to connect with his words. My lower rating is primarily because of this.
Lastly, what I appreciate most about this book are the insights into the humanity of Gandhiji. For instance, the image of a young Gandhi, terrified of ghosts at night, who learned from his nurse to recite the name of God as a mantra to dispel his fear. This image moved me enough that I passed the practice on to my young son. Similarly, I must say that my lungs were squeezed to read the account of Gandhi鈥檚 assassination, final prayer, and last breath. I will carry those images with me for quite some time.