Journal Entry

10/3/2005

Pegasus Theater, Lecture by Dr. Scott on Mahatma Gandhi

“My Life is m message”

A Brief History of Mohandas K. Gandhi

Mohandas K. Gandhi was born in 1869 to Hindu parents in Gujarat in Western India. He was married at the age 13 to Kasturbai Makanji when both were 13 years old, this was a an arranged marriage. His family later sent him to London to study law, and in 1891 he was admitted to the Inner Temple, and called to the bar. It was in Southern Africa he worked ceaselessly to advance the rights of the immigrant Indians. It was at this time that he developed his creed of passive resistance to injustice, this satyagraha, meaning truth force, it was at this time he was frequently jailed as a result of the protests that he led. Then he returned to India with his wife and children in 1915, he had radically changed the lives of Indians living in Southern Africa.

In India, he was taking the lead in the long struggle for independence from Britain. During this struggle, he never wavered in his steadfast belief in nonviolent protest and religious tolerance. One of the events that is will known and there where man more not known was when Muslim and Hindu compatriots committed acts of violence, this whether against the British who ruled India, or against each other, this when he toke tofasting until the fighting ceased. The great day of independence, when it came in 1947, was not a military victory, but a triumph of human will. This great joy was eaten up to Gandhi's despair, the country was partitioned into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. The sadness that the last two months of his life were spent trying to end the appalling violence which ensued, this is the time that leading him to fast to the brink of death, the standing light of this act which finally quelled the riots. We face the journey of his life written in words that left a path better fallowed, and on January 1948, at the age of 79, he was killed by an assassin as he walked through a crowed garden in New Delhi, on the path to take evening prayers.

Mohandas K. Gandhi

Truth: “I deal with truth first of all, as the Satyagraha Ashram owes its very existence to the pursuit and the attempted practice of truth.

The word satya (Truth) is derived from Sat which means 'being'. Nothing is or exists in reality except Truth. That is why Sat or Truth is perhaps the most important name of God, In fact it is more correct to say that Truth is God than to say God is truth. But as we cannot do without a ruler or a general, such names of God as 'King' or 'Kings' or ' The Almighty' are and will remain generally current. On deeper thinking, however it will be realized that Sat or Satya is the only correct and fully sign fact name for God.

And where there is Truth, there is also is knowledge which is true. Where there is no Truth, there also is knowledge which is true. Where there is no Truth, there can be no true knowledge. That is why the word Chit or knowledge is associated with the name of God. And where there is true knowledge, there is always bliss. (Ananda). There sorrow has no place. And even as Truth is eternal, so is the bliss derived from it. Hence we know God as Sat-Chit-ananda, one who combines in Himself Truth, Knowledge and Bliss.

Devotion to this Truth is the sole justification for our existence. All our activities should be centered in Truth. Truth should be the very breath of our life.”(1)

We started the lecture with a picture of Curly from the moive City Slicker, where he is holding one finger up, saying the meaning of life is that one thing.

Gandhis reaction to 911 would have been much different than the reaction we toke.

We toke:

Fear

Villainization

Lies

Retribution

Valance

911 vilance to valance is poisoning the human phyice.

He faced his 911 differently

Mohandas Gandhi lovingly reverred as "Mahatma", or "Great Soul" (October 2, 1869 was a national icon who led the struggle for India's independence from British colonial rule, empowered by tens of millions of common Indians. Throughout his life he opposed any form of terrorism or violence, instead using only the highest moral standards. His philosophy of nonviolence, for which he coined the term satyagraha, has influenced national and international nonviolent resistance movements to this day, including the American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) led by Martin Luther King.

By means of nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi helped bring about India's independence from British rule, inspiring other colonial peoples to work for their own independence and ultimately dismantling the British Empire. Gandhi's principle of satyagraha (from Sanskrit; satya for truth and agraha for endeavor), often translated as "way of truth" or "pursuit of truth", has inspired other freedom activists such as the Dalai Lama, Lech Wałęsa, Steve Biko, Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela. However not all these leaders kept to Gandhi's strict principle of nonviolence and nonresistance. (2)

Another look at the Gandhi, Popular Mechanic, and The 9/11 Truth Movement

by Ben Chaput on March 16 3005 on the Newswire

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, then you win.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi said this referring to his struggles for Indian independence from Britain, but it is just as relevant to the 9/11 truth movement today. If we look at the movement in terms of these stages we can see the progress we have made, and how far we still have to go.

1. “First they ignore you”

From the minute the first plane hit the towers many Americans knew that something was fishy about the whole thing. From the incredible collapse of the towers that looked like a controlled demolition, to the instant naming of Osama Bin Laden as the prime suspect, real students of history saw this tragedy as a classic CIA psy-ops. Almost immediately on websites and chatrooms, small papers and magazines, patriots voiced their concerns and suspicions. However the mainstream media quickly began the cover-up. Nineteen Muslim terrorists hijacked planes with boxcutters. Two of the biggest buildings in the world collapsed from relatively small fires in hours. Osama Bin Laden planned it all from a cave in

Afghanistan, and financed the whole operation for less than a million dollars. Anyone who thought critically about the attacks saw through the lies and realized that something was wrong. But no one in the mainstream media would report about these questions. Instead they began to beat the war drums and fan the flames of hatred with false videos of Palestinians celebrating the attacks. It would be months before information began coming out in dribs and drabs: public officials warned not to fly, firemen reporting bombs going off in the buildings, Israelis receiving mysterious warnings about the attacks. Eventually there were simply too many questions being asked to simply ignore them.

2. “Then they laugh at you”

Now the globalist-controlled media had to do something about the thousands of people who weren’t buying the government’s official story. So anyone who didn’t fall in line was ridiculed. “Loonies”, “Wingnuts”, “Tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorists”. It didn’t matter that the governments official story was more far-fetched than something out of The X-Files, they had the big microphones in front of them and could say whatever they wanted, because they didn’t dare interview anyone credible who questioned their story. But brave men and women still kept it up on webpages and independent newspapers, refusing to be cowed by the propaganda machine of the globalists, and the movement kept growing.

3. “Then they attack you”

This is the stage we are reaching now. The tidal wave of anger and suspicion has grown too big to simply ignore or laugh off as the ramblings of madmen. The criminal cabal we call the U.S. government realizes that real patriots won’t be silenced that easily and have went on the attack. The Popular Mechanics cover story: Debunking 9/11 Lies is a classic piece of yellow journalism by the corporate creator the term, Hearst Corporation. The article is written by Benjamin Chertoff, allegedly a cousin of Department of Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff. If you look into Michael Chertoff’s past you will find he has been accused of representing alleged terrorists. This shows how the globalists are all tied together in this gross conspiracy against the United States of America. Chertoff’s article takes some easily disputed fringe theories and attacks them, trying to discredit the entire movement. This tactic is known as setting up a straw man, and is typical of yellow journalism. The article ignores such evidence as CIA insider trading, hard evidence of explosions in the WTC, and the mysterious collapse of WTC building 7. It also outright lies about NORAD intercepting planes before 9/11. This is what the mainstream media considers “debunking”.

This is a good sign, it shows that our efforts are starting to have an effect, but it is only the beginning. We can’t get complacent or slow down our work because the globalists have a huge advantage in money, power, influence, and exposure. But the one advantage we have is numbers. More and more people are waking up every day and rejecting the government lies, demanding that the truth be told to all Americans. It may seem impossible, but we should look to Gandhi for inspiration. He stood up to the British Empire at the height of its power and eventually succeeded. If we stay true to our beliefs and do what we know is right we will succeed as well, and return our great Republic to the People once and for all.” (3)

Satyagraha

Conflct Resolution

Using Gandhi's Satyagraha Technique

Gandhi said that the root of every Violence or Conflict is Untruth and that the only permanent solution of Conflict is Truth. Consequently, to resolve conflicts, he conceived of a novel technique which he called Satyagraha. Literally it means Satya (Truth) with Agraha (Firmness) or, Unwavering search for the Truth. And since the only way of getting to Truth is by Non-violence (or Love), it follows that Satyagraha implies an Unwavering search for the Truth using Non-violence. And therefore Gandhi emphasized that Satyagraha is the most potent method of ensuring an endurable Peace. In this context Gandhi further said that.

Truth is God;

Non-violence is Love in Action; and

Peace, the result of enduring conflict resolution, is the Fruit of Satyagraha.

(4)

One of the concepts that Gandhi in braced was Swaraj

this as Knowledge of self Knowledge of self : Atman

Knowledge of the unity of humanity: “inclusivity”

We are all One, My enemy is myself.

“To understand the concept of swaraj, also known as or self-rule, this was developed during the Indian freedom struggle. In Gandhi book “Hind Swaraj” (1909), sought after to clarify what the meaning behind swaraj was much more than simply "wanting like the English rulle without the Englishman; the tiger's nature but not the tiger."

"The principal theme of Hind Swaraj is the moral inadequacy of western civilization, especially its industrialism, as the model for free India." Gandhi was particularly critical of the deeply embedded principles of 'might is right' and 'survival of the fittest'.

On another level, the call for swaraj represents a genuine attempt to regain control of the 'self' - our self-respect, self-responsibility, and capacities for self-realization - from institutions of dehumanization. As Gandhi states, "It is swaraj when we learn to rule ourselves." The real goal of the freedom struggle was not only to secure political azadi (independence) from Britain, but rather to gain true swaraj (liberation and self-rule).

Gandhi wanted all those who believed in swaraj: (1) to reject and wholly uproot the British raj (rule) from within themselves and their communities; and, (2) to regenerate new reference points, systems, and structures that enable individual and collective self-development. This regeneration was to grow from the strengths, perspectives, wisdom and experiences of people living in village India, rather than from cities in Britain, America, and even in India for that matter. Understanding the real 'Self', and its relation to communities and society, is critical to the project of attaining swaraj.

How is this relevant for us today? We feel that South Asia (along with the rest of the world) is experiencing a tremendous crisis, one overwhelming in its scale and pace of growth. While it is easy to get caught up in the symptoms of this crisis (the brutal violence, the enormous inequities, the extinction of cultures and languages, the degradation of the environment), it is equally, if not more, important to understand its roots. We must creatively analyze the content and the consequences of our current economic, political, social, and educational systems, without reverting to a romanticized past of so-called untouched or pristine traditions.

From these critical reflections, we must generate new spaces, systems, and processes - based on moral and holistic visions of human potential and human progress - which can lead us out of the global self-destruction which engulfs us. Throughout it all, we must consider and negotiate our own roles, while asking ourselves how we are either working for solutions or contributing to making the crisis worse. Thus, today, we recognize Gandhi's concept of swaraj integral to three parallel action-reflection agendas for the 21st century.” (5)

Anotheer of the things Gandhi is noted for is Ahimsa, Tp understand Ahimsa it is a Sanskrit term which translates roughly into non-injury to living beings or dynamic harmlessness.

Ahimsa tends to evoke images of monks wearing cloths over their faces to avoid breathing microscopic beings and sweeping the insects off the path in front of them as they walk so they won't accidentally crush one under their feet.

One cannot easily live in today's world without causing some harm to other beings - but that does not mean we shouldn't try to keep it to a minimum. There are some relatively easy steps you can take to reduce the suffering in your wake.

The easiest step in avoiding being the cause of unnecessary suffering is to stop killing others to satisfy your palate. You certainly don't need to eat meat and there are theories that eating meat may be almost as harmful to you as it was to the poor animal you bite into.

But don't stop there! You could take it a step further and avoid consuming any products that are effectively stolen from other animals. A vegan lifestyle is one that avoids meat, dairy, honey, leather, beeswax, etc. You don't even have to stop there! You can become a fruitarian and avoid plant foods that involve killing the plant. Of course, living a fruitarian lifestyle makes living a vegan lifestyle seem like a piece of cake!

You can also stop supporting other industries that thrive on animal exploitation, such as zoos, aquariums, hunting, etc. With few notable exceptions (Keiko, for instance), none of the animals involved get out alive. (6)

An Insight into the mind of Gandhi through Questions and Answers

Question: Can you tell us about ahimsa or non-violence?

Answer: “Literally speaking, ahimsa means non-violence. But to me it has much higher, infinitely higher meaning. It means that you may not offend anybody; you may not harbor uncharitable thought, even in connection with those who consider your enemies. To one who follows this doctrine, there are no enemies. A man who believes in the efficacy of this doctrine finds in the ultimate stage, when he is about to reach the goal, the whole world at his feet. If you express your love- Ahimsa-in such a manner that it impresses itself indelibly upon your so called enemy, he must return that love.

This doctrine tells us that we may guard the honor of those under our charge by delivering our own lives into the hands of the man who would commit the sacrilege. And that requires far greater courage than delivering of blows.” (7)

MEANING OF AHIMSA

Ahimsa or non-injury, of course, implies non-killing. But, non-injury is not merely non-killing. In its comprehensive meaning, Ahimsa or non-injury means entire abstinence from causing any pain or harm whatsoever to any living creature, either by thought, word, or deed. Non-injury requires a harmless mind, mouth, and hand.

Ahimsa is not mere negative non-injury. It is positive, cosmic love. It is the development of a mental attitude in which hatred is replaced by love. Ahimsa is true sacrifice. Ahimsa is forgiveness. Ahimsa is Sakti (power). Ahimsa is true strength. (8)

The history of Gandhi life and what he did during it has been one of the greater effects of the way things can be handled, This new pyridine of reasoning is not new but the putting into principals these ideals of nonviolence yet action even meaning civil disobedience if necessary.

The balances of the different ways of looking and dealing with the same situation, which side do you stand? Some of think the right side is the way to go.

Fear Courage

Lies Truth

Villainization Friendship

Retribution Nonviolence

There are things that we hate about 911, The pain and death of our fellowman, and this as will there should be, and should we hate with what’s happing over seas to others in the name of retribution, as innocent as the victims here they to are our fellowman, the retribution is not a answer, it makes more victims..

1. Articles on Truth by Mahatma Gandhi & others,

http://www.mkgandhi.org/truth/index.htm

2 Mahatma Gandhi, Wikipedia encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi

3. Newswire, Gandhi, Popular Mechanics, and The 9/11 Truth, Movementhttp://www.prisonplanet.tv/articles/march2005/160305ghanditruth.htm

4 Conflct Resolution,Using Gandhi's Satyagraha Technique. http://ssinha.com/satyagraha.htm

5. The Swaraj Foundation, http://www.swaraj.org/whatisswaraj.htm

6 The Ahimsa, http://www.ahimsa.com/

7. Ask Gandhi on Ahimsa, http://www.kamat.com/mmgandhi/ahimsa.htm

8 Ahimsa, http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/ahimsa.htm

Resoces for more information:

Kumarappa Institute of Gram Swaraj www.kigs.org/

Promotes rural community development by supporting village projects and people's institutions.

The Swaraj Foundation

http://www.swaraj.org/

Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule

Electronic version of this book Designed and Compiled by Miss Hinal Kariya Nagpur

http://www.mkgandhi.org/swarajya/coverpage.htm