1 / 33

SATYAGRAHA: AN OVERVIEW

rosalind
Télécharger la présentation

SATYAGRAHA: AN OVERVIEW

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

    1. SATYAGRAHA: AN OVERVIEW

    2. What is Nonviolence? Short discussion what does nonviolence mean to you?

    3. Goal of this Overview Understanding Gandhi in his own terms

    4. September 11, 2001

    5. September 11, 1906 Birth of Satyagraha at Jewish Empire Theatre in Transvaal, South Africa. Indians present take oath to resist pass laws. First called passive resistance. (1) PASSIVE RESISTANCE - Challenging an injustice by refusing to support or cooperate with an unjust law, action or policy. The term passive is misleading because passive resistance includes pro-active nonviolence, such as marches, boycotts and other forms of active protest. (Glossary of Nonviolence, http://www.thekingcenter.org/prog/non/glossary.html)(1) PASSIVE RESISTANCE - Challenging an injustice by refusing to support or cooperate with an unjust law, action or policy. The term passive is misleading because passive resistance includes pro-active nonviolence, such as marches, boycotts and other forms of active protest. (Glossary of Nonviolence, http://www.thekingcenter.org/prog/non/glossary.html)

    6. Understanding Gandhi in his own terms Satyagraha Ahimsa Tapasya Swaraj

    7. Satyagraha Winning entry of naming contest in Gandhis journal Indian Opinion Sadagraha >> Satyagraha Sat = Truth Agraha = Firmness (2) "None of us knew what name to give to our movement. I then used the term passive resistance in describing it. I did not quite understand the implications of passive resistance as I called it. I only knew that some new principle had come into being. As the struggle advanced, the phrase passive resistance gave rise to confusion and it appeared shameful to permit this great struggle to be known only by an English name. Again, that foreign phrase could hardly pass as current coin among the community. A small prize was therefore announced in Indian Opinion to be awarded to the reader who invented the best designation for our struggle. We thus received a number of suggestions. The meaning of the struggle had been then fully discussed in Indian Opinion and the competitors for the prize had fairly sufficient material to serve as a basis for their exploration. Shri Maganlal Gandhi was one of the competitors and he suggested the word Sadagraha, meaning firmness in a good cause. I liked the word, but it did not fully represent the whole idea I wished it to connote. I therefore corrected it to Satyagraha. Truth (Satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force. I thus began to call the Indian movement Satyagraha, that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or non-violence, and gave up the use of the phrase passive resistance, in connection with it, so much so that even in English writing we often avoided it and used instead the word Satyagraha itself or some other equivalent English phrase. This then was the genesis of the movement which came to be known as Satyagraha, and of the word used as a designation for it." "Satyagraha in South Africa" M. K. Gandhi, Navajivan Press, 1972 reprint. A free, .PDF version of Satyagraha in South Africa may be downloaded here: http://www.forget-me.net/en/Gandhi/satyagraha.pdf. (2) "None of us knew what name to give to our movement. I then used the term passive resistance in describing it. I did not quite understand the implications of passive resistance as I called it. I only knew that some new principle had come into being. As the struggle advanced, the phrase passive resistance gave rise to confusion and it appeared shameful to permit this great struggle to be known only by an English name. Again, that foreign phrase could hardly pass as current coin among the community. A small prize was therefore announced in Indian Opinion to be awarded to the reader who invented the best designation for our struggle. We thus received a number of suggestions. The meaning of the struggle had been then fully discussed in Indian Opinion and the competitors for the prize had fairly sufficient material to serve as a basis for their exploration. Shri Maganlal Gandhi was one of the competitors and he suggested the word Sadagraha, meaning firmness in a good cause. I liked the word, but it did not fully represent the whole idea I wished it to connote. I therefore corrected it to Satyagraha. Truth (Satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force. I thus began to call the Indian movement Satyagraha, that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or non-violence, and gave up the use of the phrase passive resistance, in connection with it, so much so that even in English writing we often avoided it and used instead the word Satyagraha itself or some other equivalent English phrase. This then was the genesis of the movement which came to be known as Satyagraha, and of the word used as a designation for it." "Satyagraha in South Africa" M. K. Gandhi, Navajivan Press, 1972 reprint. A free, .PDF version of Satyagraha in South Africa may be downloaded here: http://www.forget-me.net/en/Gandhi/satyagraha.pdf.

    8. Satyagraha Satyagraha is literally holding on to Truth and it means, therefore, Truth-force. Truth is soul or spirit. It is, therefore, known as soul-force. M.K. Gandhi A.K.A. >> Love-Force M. K. Gandhi (Ed. Bharatan Kumarappa), Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha) (Mineola:Dover Publications, Inc., 2001), 3, 6. M. K. Gandhi (Ed. Bharatan Kumarappa), Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha) (Mineola:Dover Publications, Inc., 2001), 3, 6.

    9. Satyagraha Truth is within ourselves. There is an inmost center in us all, where truth abides in fullness. Every wrongdoer knows within himself that he is doing wrong, for untruth cannot be mistaken for truth. M.K. Gandhi M. K. Gandhi (Ed. M. S. Desphande), The Way to God (Berkeley:Berkeley Hills Books, 1999), 51.M. K. Gandhi (Ed. M. S. Desphande), The Way to God (Berkeley:Berkeley Hills Books, 1999), 51.

    10. Satyagraha: the First Promise of Soulforce I promise to seek the truth, to live by the truth, and to confront untruth wherever I find it. M. K. Gandhi (Ed. M. S. Desphande), The Way to God (Berkeley:Berkeley Hills Books, 1999), 51.M. K. Gandhi (Ed. M. S. Desphande), The Way to God (Berkeley:Berkeley Hills Books, 1999), 51.

    11. Ahimsa Eastern Mystical Teachings Phenomenal world is an effect, an illusion; God (Atman/Purusha) is the cause/reality behind that illusion. In order to achieve God-consciousness, ego-identity is disciplined through Yoga = Yoke or Union. Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood How To Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali (Translation & Commentary) (Vedanta Press:California, 1981).Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood How To Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali (Translation & Commentary) (Vedanta Press:California, 1981).

    12. Ahimsa The first two of the Eight Limbs of Yoga are Yama, five abstentions, and Niyama, five observances. Ahimsa - Non-Injury (abstention from harming others) is the first of the five yamas. Also defined as presence of love. Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood How To Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali (Translation & Commentary) (Vedanta Press:California, 1981).Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood How To Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali (Translation & Commentary) (Vedanta Press:California, 1981).

    13. Ahimsa: the Second Promise of Soulforce I promise to reject violence (of the fist, tongue, or heart) and to use only the methods of nonviolence in my search for truth or in my confrontation with untruth.

    14. Tapasya The Sanskrit tapas means heat or energythis heat (transformative energy) purifies and disciplines the ego-identity.

    15. Tapasya Karma Yoga: Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty (Swadharma), for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme. Bhagavad Gita, Ch. 3, Text 19.

    16. Tapasya Tapasya is a personal endeavor of discipline, undertaken to achieve a goal. Read about how Gandhi pocketed an insult in the accompanying narrative.

    17. Tapasya: the Third Promise of Soulforce I promise to take on myself without complaint any suffering that might result from my confrontation with untruth and to do all in my power to help my adversary avoid all suffering that may result from our confrontation.

    18. Questions & Answers Short discussion of questions about material presented thus far.

    19. Understanding Gandhi in his own terms In context with SATYAGRAHA and AHIMSA, TAPASYA is the self-suffering (transformative energy) which directly results from our ongoing search for truth and confrontation with untruth.

    20. Understanding Gandhi in his own terms Gandhis definition of Satyagraha relied on these three basic principles: Sat, Ahimsa, and Tapasya. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyagraha

    21. Understanding Gandhi in his own terms Satyagraha postulates the conquest of the adversary by suffering in ones own person. M.K. Gandhi Satyagraha in South Africa

    22. Swaraj Swaraj = Self-Rule Political context: Indian home rule. Personal context: Refers to the self-purification or self-control which precedes a Satyagraha campaign.

    23. Swaraj Purification undertaken... for the purpose of... national happiness. Happiness here means an enlightened realization of human dignity... M. K. Gandhi SWARAJ IS SELF-PURIFICATION Young India, 5-3-1931

    24. Swaraj The goal ever recedes from us, The greater the progress the greater the recognition of our unworthiness. Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory. M. K. Gandhi NON-VIOLENCE Young India, 9-3-1922 Gandhian economics: Controlling our passions and limiting our possessions (Swaraj- self-rule) are matters of stewardship how well do we use our resources to serve the community?

    25. Swaraj: the Fourth & Fifth Promises of Soulforce PROMISE TO CONTROL PASSIONS: I promise to control my passion for food, sex, intoxicants, entertainment, position, power that my best self might be free to join with my Creator in doing justice (making things fair for all).

    26. Swaraj: the Fourth & Fifth Promises of Soulforce PROMISE TO LIMIT POSSESSIONS: I promise to limit my possessions to those things I really need to survive and to see myself as a trustee over all my other possessions, using them exclusively to help make things fair for those who suffer.

    27. Gandhis Brilliance The Sanskrit tapas means heat or energythis transformative energy purifies and disciplines the ego-identity. The process of our confrontation with untruth results in personal, spiritual development.

    28. Soulforce Process Commit and recommit ourselves to the nonviolent Soul Force principles Research the case against our adversary carefully, in print, audio, and video

    29. Soulforce Process Negotiate with our adversary first: amicably, carefully, relentlessly, if this fails Educate the media, our allies, and the allies of our adversary

    30. Soulforce Process Recruit and train allies for direct action Confront our adversary with direct action only to move negotiations forward

    31. Soulforce Process Negotiate a third position that will satisfy us both Reconcile with our adversary and help bring in the beloved community which is the ultimate goal of Soulforce

    32. Reconcile with our Adversary Sisters and Brothers of the Universe Untruth is the Enemy War [violence] corrupts everyone who engages in it. Howard Zinn

    33. Beloved Community Term... used frequently by Dr. King to describe a society of justice, peace and harmony which can be achieved through nonviolence. The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community. http://www.thekingcenter.org/

    34. In Conclusion: Keeping it Simple Satyagraha truth force Ahimsa non-injury Tapasya self-suffering Swaraj self rule (Soulforce Process) (Beloved Community)

More Related