Gandhi 52
The way we help people heal, which was not Gandhi’s “primary purpose”, is to help willing people to surrender their addictions, then one feeling at a time, discover their own beliefs and then let them choose whatever belief makes them healthier. That is freedom…
“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
“To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.”
“It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.
Gandhi 53
A bit more about vows:
“It will be seen that a vow can never be used to support or justify an immoral action. A vow must lead one upwards, never downward toward perdition.”
“We should, therefore, never doubt the necessity of vows for the purpose of self-purification and self-realization.”
“The more or less successful practice of self-control had been going on since 1901, but the freedom and joy that came after taking the vow had never been experienced before 1906. In about a month of my (taking the vow) the foundation of nonviolent non-cooperation was laid.”
“As though unknown to me, the vow had been preparing me for it. Nonviolent noncooperation had not been a preconceived plan. It came on spontaneously, without my having willed it. But I could see that all my previous steps had led up to that goal.”
“Events were so shaping themselves as to make this self-purification on my part a preliminary, as it were, to nonviolent noncooperation. I can now see that all the principal events of my life, culminating in the vow of celibacy, were secretly preparing me for it.”
“Up to this time I had not met with success because the will have been lacking, because I had no faith in myself, no faith in the grace of God, and therefore, my mind had been tossed on the boisterous sea of doubt.”
“Without celibacy no one may expect to see God, and without seeing God one cannot observe celibacy to perfection.”
Gandhi 54
When your life is not unmanageable you develop some relationship skills. Here’s what Gandhi has to say about that:
“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.”
“It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.”
“Do good deeds, have compassion for all living things, and live in truth to achieve freedom.”
“It is possible and necessary to treat human beings on terms of equality, but this can never apply to their morals. One must not put saintliness and rascality on the same level.”
“As your friend and servant, I should occasionally have to say hard things to you. Heaven only knows whether I should then retain your affection.”
“I never insist that all people should accept my experience as the sole guide.”
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“The best attraction is not promotion, but for each one of us to live as we would have the world live.”
“I should always have been wasting time on him. He had the power to keep me in the dark and to mislead me.”
“I feel and I have felt during the whole of my public life that what we need, what any nation needs, is nothing else and nothing less than character building.”
And on his relationship with himself: “I had long since taught myself to follow the inner voice. I delighted in submitting to it. To act against it would be difficult and painful to me. For me, the reasoned course of action is held in check subject to the sanction of the inner voice.”
Gandhi 55
Gandhi finally wondered whether or not his work truly impacted people, but he had hope:
“Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.”
“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”
“The future depends on what you do today.”
Gandhi 56
A last word on fasting:
“A mind consciously unclean cannot be cleansed by fasting. Modifications in diet have no effect on it. The concupiscence of the mind cannot be rooted out except by intensive self-examination, surrender to God and, lastly, Grace.”
“There is an intimate connection between the mind and the body, and the carnal mind always lusts for delicacies and luxuries. To obviate this tendency dietetic restrictions and fasting would appear to be necessary. The carnal mind, instead of controlling the senses, becomes their slave, and therefore the body always needs clean non-stimulating foods and periodical fasting.”
Gandhi 57
Still, Gandhi knew how to love people, probably better than anyone in 2000 years.
Here are some of his random thoughts:
“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings.”
“To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”
“Truth is one, paths are many.”
“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
“A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.”
“..,his burning passion for self-realization. I saw later that this last was the only thing for which he lived.”
And finally, my personal favorite: “Service is the only thing worth doing...all else is rubbish.”