The Gandhi Project by Nashid Fareed-Ma’at
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 195, excerpt from Young India,
March 19, 1925.
221
includes words, deeds, and thoughts. If we cultivate spiritual silence within our beings (a space
of no words, acts, or thoughts), we can exhibit great care in what words, acts, and thoughts we
engage. Ponder an opposite situation in which we are immersed in an abundance of words, acts,
and thoughts: the mere volume of such can make it very difficult to exhibit care in what words,
acts, and thoughts we engage. This dynamic can be made even more challenging when factoring
in that certain words, acts, and thoughts spur on the consequences of other words, acts, and
thoughts. Such a cycle can quickly escalate to a lack of control, which is contrary to the
approach of a person of care. (How many people have you encountered who try to do too much
or just give up and do too little in face of the abundance of “stuff” on their plate?)
To cultivate himself to this state of silence Gandhi devoted himself to a disciplined
spiritual study and practice. Guided by Hinduism, this involved lots of meditation, yoga (as a
spiritual practice, not just an exercise program), dietary restraint and fasting, study of the
Bhagavad Gita and other sacred Hindu writings, spiritual vows (such as brahmacharya and non-
possession), and performing service to others. The specifics of cultivating such silence may
differ among different individuals and religious / spiritual traditions, but a process of such
cultivation is almost always necessary -- particularly in a modern age that conditions people into
a world of a variety of “noises.” People entrapped in a state of “noise” will often be very limited
in their ability to embody care, despite their good intentions. And often, such persons will only
be able to act with care, which differs greatly from becoming a person of care whose carefulness
is embodied in everything she or he does. But in a state of spiritual silence, we can become
persons of care with ease -- although people sometimes make the process of becoming such a
person difficult (by holding on to attachments). Yet it can be very simple: do not put the cart
before the horse, cultivate silence and then enjoy the beneficence of being a person of care.
In alignment with the point that a civil resister should be a person of care, Gandhi held
that civil resisters should not be wasteful. To use another example regarding words, he wrote:
“Not a single minute should be wasted in idle conversation, but we
must be absorbed in the work before us, and if every one of us
works in that spirit you will see that there is pleasure in the work
itself.”
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61
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 198 - 199, excerpt from Young
India, September 24, 1925.
222
Gandhi’s warning against wasting time with idle conversation can be applied to all forms of
wasting time. As he stated, “A Satyagrahi should be able to give a good account of every minute
at his disposal.”
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Now this doesn’t mean that we need be committed to Satyagraha work one
hundred percent of our waking hours. Instead, his statement points to a level of commitment as
well as a shift in those who are absorbed in Satyagraha work. I will deal with the issue of
commitment in the next paragraph. But as to a shift in those who immerse themselves in
Satyagraha work, remember that Satyagraha seeks to affect a change in ourselves and others.
One such change is what we find pleasure in. Often, particularly in the modern age, we are
conditioned to find little joy in genuine self-development work (as part of seeking Truth) and
serving others -- these are most often viewed as burdens. In fact, most things that modern
societies identify as pleasures are contrary to Truth, being rooted in illusion and are often
fleeting. Thus, the pursuit of such illusionary and fleeting pleasures often drives people to spend
increasing amounts of time seeking joys that fade anyway. This includes idle conversation
among a range of other activities. A serious examination of this path will show that immense
amounts of time, money, resources, and other entities are wasted in pursuit of pleasures that
don’t last, and often quickly fade. Realizing the danger of being trapped in this senseless cycle,
Gandhi admonished Satyagrahis not to be wasteful. Instead, he encouraged them to devote
themselves more fully to Satyagraha work -- whether that be constructive service, Satyagraha
education and preparation, spiritual and moral development, etc. To the extent that we immerse
ourselves in Satyagraha work, the work can transforms us to no longer find illusionary and
fleeing things pleasurable. Instead, the quest for Truth and activities that further or are aligned
with this quest become joyful -- as well as enlightening, strengthening, liberating, empowering,
and other beneficial outcomes. Within this beneficial cycle, we can discover joys that are lasting
and supportive of discovering more and deeper joys on the path of Truth.
The call for civil resisters to be committed is directly tied to the last point of not being
wasteful. Gandhi described the level of commitment he saw necessary for civil resisters:
“In the coming struggle, if it must come, no half-hearted loyalty
will answer the purpose. Imagine a general marching to battle
62
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 302, excerpt from Harijan, March
30, 1940.
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 352, excerpt from Harijan, July 20,
1947.
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with doubting, ill-prepared soldiers. He will surely march to
defeat.”
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To avoid sure defeat civil resisters must walk with faith and be prepared (among other things) to
stand upon a foundation of full commitment. Within full commitment, we will perform a
reasonable maximum of what is called for, not a deemed minimum. In keeping with being
persons of care, we will not fall for the trap of performing too much: such often results in
carelessness, unintended outcomes, as well as burn out. But a reasonable maximum identifies
what we can beneficently perform with care without harming ourselves, our acts, or others who
receive or affected by such acts. And, in line with his approach to violence, Gandhi applied the
same standard to his thoughts and words. Thus, idle conversation and other wasteful acts are
removed from possible activities for those who embody full commitment. As an opportunity to
perform any act presents itself, such persons would naturally move to performing Satyagraha
work. Within the scope of this approach, there is certainly ample time for rest and relaxation as
Gandhi realized these as necessary to sustain full commitment. But even his rest and relaxation
activities were in alignment with Satyagraha: for example, mediating or reading Hindu scriptures
were acts of rest and relaxation for Gandhi. Yet surely, rest and relaxation activities for
Satyagrahis would not include activities that contradict the Satyagraha path: it is inconceivable
that Gandhi would go to a bar for a drink to relax or even spend a week of vacation at a beach
resort that caters to fleeting pleasures as a way to rest. Satyagrahis would do well to heed
Gandhi’s example in relation to rest and relaxation. He even discovered the more deeply he
embraced Satyagraha work, the more it empowered him -- lessening his need for rest and
relaxation. But the appropriate amount of rest and relaxation will vary by person and the state of
their embrace of Satyagraha.
Gandhi also acknowledged the dangers of disingenuous commitment. As he stated,
“Mere mechanical adherence to truth and ahimsa is likely to break down at the critical
moment.”
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1957, p. 463.
65
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 195, excerpt from Young India,
March 19, 1925.
66
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 87, excerpt from Harijan, March
25, 1939.
224
A civil resister who is fully committed will perform whatever Satyagraha work needs to
be done, regardless of if it is boring or exciting. Gandhi noticed a lacking of this quality among
the Indian masses when he wrote: “I have noticed this characteristic difference in the popular
attitude -- partiality for exciting work, dislike for quiet constructive effort.”
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Often this attitude
is tied to people’s want for attention, fame, fleeting pleasures, and ego-based attachments. He
sought to counter this attitude among the masses and highlighted the need to be willing to
perform mundane tasks without reservation or dislike. He made this point in commenting on
work to be done on an ashram:
“Those who remain in the Ashram are taking as much part in the
struggle as those who go and offer Satyagraha at the barricades.
Every piece of work in connection with the struggle is just as
important as any other piece, and, therefore, the work of sanitation
in the Ashram is just as important as spinning away at the
barricades. And if in this place the work of cleaning the closets
and compound is more distasteful than spinning it should be
considered far more important and profitable.”
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Gandhi wanted people to eliminate their distaste for “boring” tasks, and with good reason. Often
the more “exciting” or noted work relies on the completion of many mundane and boring tasks.
For example, mass protests often require the performance of numerous mundane preparatory
tasks in order to be carried out in an effective manner. And with Gandhi’s emphasis on
effectiveness to yield the greatest impact from Satyagraha efforts, he realized the equal
importance of well-performed “boring” and “exciting” tasks.
Civil resisters should embody the virtue that quality is more important than quantity. As
Gandhi wrote: “In Satyagraha, it is never the numbers that count; it is always the quality, more
so when the forces of violence are uppermost.”
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This virtue does not apply just to the number of
persons involved, it applies to the entire scope of Satyagraha. That it should never be a measure
67
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 344, excerpt from Young India,
March 1, 1928.
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 212, excerpt from Young India,
May 31, 1928.
225
of how many acts of service one performs, but rather that each single act is performed with the
fullness of pure service. That it should never be a comparison of how many years one has
committed to Satyagraha, but instead that a Satyagrahi embraces each day with a full
embodiment of Satyagraha and makes the most of each opportunity to grow and mature on the
quest for Truth. By embodying the depth of quality of the Satyagraha way, all valid measures of
quantity will be achieved in reasonable time. Neither is making quality a priority over quantity a
call to dismiss all quantitative measures. But pursuit of quantity as a priority often fails to attain
the cultivation of quality: just as the accumulation of massive wealth doesn’t educate one on how
to use it in genuinely beneficial ways.
Living the virtue of quality being more important than quantity informs civil resisters of
the necessity for patience. As Gandhi wrote: “A chronic and long-standing social evil cannot be
swept away at a stroke; it always requires patience and perseverance.”
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He also spoke of the
need for having “heroic patience in the midst of great provocation.”
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This is definitely
necessary for any efforts to affect beneficent and just change in an age of brutal violence. It is a
call to have patience for the process of manifesting such change, and this patience should be
balanced with other qualities (such as full commitment, not being wasteful, etc.) so a consistent
effort is exerted to achieve such change as quickly as possible. I’m reminded of a saying a
teacher often advised: “Take your time but hurry up.” Satyagrahis should definitely take the
time to perform Satyagraha work with care so that it is done correctly and efficiently. And
within such a careful and efficient approach, we should have that work completed as quickly as
possible so as not to be wasteful of time and other opportunities and resources. So we should not
rush, but neither should we slack in our efforts.
Gandhi also realized the need to have patience for people: not only opponents who he
sought to convert but also Satyagrahis and the larger masses not directly involved in Satyagraha
work. The need for great patience will be exemplified in situations in which people have been
conditioned to accept oppression and helplessness. Gandhi commented on his experiences in
encouraging Indians to improve their own communal sanitary practices:
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1957, p. 217 - 218.
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1957, p. 218.
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“But I had some bitter experiences. I saw that I could not so easily
count on the help of the community in getting it to do its own duty,
as I could in claiming for it rights. At some places I met with
insults, at others with polite indifference. It was too much for
people to bestir themselves to keep their surroundings clean. To
expect them to find money for the work was out of the question.
These experiences taught me, better than ever before, that without
infinite patience it was impossible to get the people to do any
work. It is the reformer who is anxious for the reform, and not
society, from which he should expect nothing better than
opposition, abhorrence and even mortal persecution.”
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Yet Gandhi patiently endured the resistance of the Indian masses until “the Indian community
learnt to recognize more or less the necessity for keeping their houses and environments clean.”
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He was able, through consistent patient effort, to help the Indian masses realize how cleanliness
was connected to purification, an essential component of Satyagraha. With other efforts,
especially acts that risk violent responses by opponents, a different kind of patience may be
required. Civil resisters may have to embark upon actions without community support and
patiently endure any suffering and sacrifice such entails until it impacts the larger community to
provide support. At times this may seem unfair, that a small group must wager and suffer so
much to attain a benefit made available to a larger group of recipients. But Gandhi would hold
the progression toward and attainment of beneficent and just change as more important than
calculating who did or did not suffer to attain such change. He would also warn that those who
are not willing to work and suffer for others’ benefit should not become civil resisters.
And, thus, we have another trait: civil resisters should be willing to suffer and sacrifice.
As stated earlier in Chapter 6, needless suffering and sacrifice should be avoided. But where
such is necessary -- usually as a karmic debt to an ongoing cycle of violence -- civil resisters
should embrace such suffering and sacrifice with joy. For as Gandhi stated, “True suffering does
71
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 280, excerpt from Young India,
March 19, 1931.
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 114 - 115, excerpt from Young
India, June 16, 1920.
227
not know itself and never calculates. It brings its own joy which surpasses all other joys.”
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He
went on to explain the law of suffering in regards to civil disobedience:
“What then is the meaning of non-co-operation [civil
disobedience] in terms of the law of suffering? We must
voluntarily put up with the losses and inconveniences that arise
from having to withdraw our support from a Government that is
ruling against our will. Possession of power and riches is a crime
under an unjust Government, poverty in that case is a virtue, says
Thoreau....
We must refuse to wait for the wrong to be righted till the wrong-
doer has been roused to a sense of his iniquity. We must not, for
fear of ourselves or others having to suffer, remain participators in
it. But we must combat the wrong by ceasing to assist the wrong-
doer directly or indirectly.”
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Although Gandhi specified an “unjust Government” in the above quote, the same would apply to
any individual, group, or institution that commits wrong (evil). To embrace the willingness to
suffer and sacrifice within this context of combating wrong is essential for any civil resister.
But Gandhi did acknowledge that for some there may be a limit to how much suffering
and sacrifice we can endure. If we reach such a limit, he offered the following advice:
“Imprisonments, forfeitures, deportations, death must all be taken
in the ordinary course by those who count honour before
everything else. When the terror becomes unbearable, let the
people leave the land they have hitherto believed to be theirs. It is
wisdom to vacate houses or places that are plague-infected.
Tyranny is a kind of plague and when it is likely to make us angry
73
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 212, excerpt from Young India,
May 31, 1928.
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 221, excerpt from Young India,
February 20, 1930.
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 345, excerpt from Young India,
September 6, 1928.
228
or weak it is wisdom to leave the scene of such temptation.
History is full of instances of brave people having sought exile in
preference to surrender to zoolum.”
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[**NOTE: Zoolum means oppression.]
Our willingness to suffer and sacrifice should never result in us being angered or made weak by
such suffering and sacrifice. And weakness differs from being in a weakened state, such as
being physically injured. For Gandhi, weaknesses is an abandonment of the strength-force that
emanates from one’s soul and spiritual maturity. And if suffering to end oppression makes us
weak or angry, it is more wise and honorable to leave and no longer endure the oppression. The
same advice may apply to anyone who is unable to bear suffering and sacrifice with joy. The
departure of an individual -- or even an entire group -- not able to bear suffering and sacrifice
with joy protects the purity of Satyagraha efforts, and purity is essential to maximizing the
impact of Satyagraha work. A regression of purity should be avoided at all costs, especially
since abandoned or suspended efforts can always be returned to by those who leave to further
strengthen themselves. Or these efforts can be resumed by others who come with the strength
needed to bear the consequences of such work.
To be able to bear great suffering and sacrifice, a civil resister needs to be a loving
person. Some aspects of love were addressed in Chapter 3, but Gandhi reaffirmed the
importance of love in civil disobedience when he said: “Civil disobedience is sometimes a
peremptory demand of love.”
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There is great power in love, as Gandhi declared:
“Love and ahimsa are matchless in their effect. But in their play
there is no fuss, show, noise or placards. They presuppose self-
confidence which in its turn presupposes self-purification.”
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1957, p. 193.
229
In addition to referring to purity (again), the above quote inferred a connection between love and
spiritual silence.
Being a loving person, a civil resister will also be a forgiving person. Gandhi explained
the uselessness of assigning blame or judgement on others, even those who wronged him:
“It is idle to adjudicate upon the right and wrong of incidents that
have already happened. It is useful to understand them and, if
possible, to learn a lesson from them for the future. It is difficult
to say for certain how a particular man would act in a particular set
of circumstances. We can also see that judging a man from his
outward act is no more than a doubtful inference, inasmuch as it is
not based on sufficient data.”
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We can understand forgiveness to be acceptance of past and present wrongs without any wish,
desire, or inclination to punish or seek retribution upon those who committed the wrongs. Now,
this doesn’t mean a blind forgiveness that leaves a forgiver open to experiencing the same
wrongs over and over again. Gandhi would not be against Satyagrahis taking reasonable steps to
avoid being wronged as they engage in efforts to convert wrong-doers. For example, Gandhi
would not see it as contrary to forgiveness for people to lock their doors to prevent a thief from
robbing them again. In considering such actions, he would caution against fear and any
resistance to the willingness to suffer and sacrifice for beneficent and just change. Yet, at the
same time, in certain similar situations Gandhi would respond to past robberies by leaving his
door open and placing all his possessions by the door for the thief to take, if she or he chose to
do so. Not all have achieved this state of spiritual maturity (or non-possession), but it is
interesting to note that Gandhi’s approach also achieves the goal of avoiding future wrongs by
giving all he has. When he has surrendered all he has that can be robbed, he can no longer be
robbed. To this point, Gandhi stated:
“Your non-co-operation with your opponent is violent when you
give a blow for a blow, and is ineffective in the long run. Your
non-co-operation is non-violent when you give your opponent all
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 375, excerpt from Harijan, July 13,
1940.
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1957, p. 182.
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Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1957, p. 260.
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in the place of just what he needs. You have disarmed him once
for all by your apparent co-operation, which in effect is complete
non-co-operation.”
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Factors such as purity, demonstration of care and service to others, depth of morality, freedom
from ego attachments, and others are relevant (if not necessary) personal traits to embody to
make Gandhi’s approach impactful upon the thief. But whether civil resisters who have attained
this level of spiritual maturity or not, they can still forgive those who wrong them.
When we are wronged and seek a state of justice, Gandhi advocated giving justice to
those who committed the wrong. He wrote: “My experience has shown me that we win justice
quickest by rendering justice to the other party.”
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By giving justice to others we increase the
presence of justice and beneficence in the world, even if the other party does not reciprocate by
also giving justice. But, as stated earlier in the book, the manifestation of justice brings us all
closer to Truth and a corresponding lasting reality of justice. The impact of this giving of justice
is made stronger by purity and faith. In this vein, Gandhi advised:
“We may not look forward to any reward for our labours, but it is
my firm conviction that all good action is bound to bear fruit in the
end. Let us forget the past and think of the task before us.”
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Gandhi also found forgiveness to be an empowering and strengthening force. Note his
comments to the Indian masses regarding the statistical minority of British colonialists in India:
“We in India may in a moment realize that one hundred thousand
Englishmen need not frighten three hundred million human beings.
A definite forgiveness would therefore mean a definite recognition
of our strength. With enlightened forgiveness must come a mighty
wave of strength in us... But I must not refrain from saying that