Face à l'oppression et à la discrimination que subit son peuple. Gandhi revendique l'action non violente. C'est cette idée qui est au coeur du discours qu'il tient devant ses juges lors de son procès, le 19 mars 1922. Héros du nationalisme indien, il devient un modèle politique et moral tant en Inde qu'en Occident. Nombreux sont ceux qui, à sa suite, s'inscriront dans cette revendication de la non-violence. C'est le cas du Dalaï Lama, lors de son discours de réception du prix Nobel de la paix en 1989, qui s'élève contre l'occupation militaire chinoise au Tibet.
Né dans une famille hindoue de caste traditionnellement végétarienne, Gandhi s’abstint donc tout naturellement de viande et de poisson. Cette abstinence, mise à rude épreuve lors de son séjour en Angleterre, se muera en abstention : une décision personnelle et réfléchie de ne pas prendre part à une action. Quoique né végétarien, Gandhi considérera qu’il ne le devint vraiment que le jour où il en décida lui-même, sur le fondement d’arguments moraux qu’il présente dans ce recueil : un devoir de non-violence envers les animaux. Dans la délibération, le végétarisme quitte la sphère obscure du tabou pour entrer dans celle, claire, de la rationalité éthique.
« Gandhi fut le premier à avoir étendu le principe de la non-violence du plan individuel au plan social et politique. Cette doctrine lui conféra une influence politique considérable dans l'Inde de la première moitié du XXe siècle. Certains de ses textes, extraits de Tous les hommes sont frères, sont réunis ici. »--
"No knowledge is to be found without seeking, no tranquility without travail, no happiness except through tribulation. Every seeker has, at one time or another, to pass through a conflict of duties, a heart-churning." Bhagavad Gita is the manifestation of the entire Hindu religion in one book, and the quintessential translation done by none other than the Mahatma, captures the text in its sense and spirit.
Mohandas K. Gandhi, called Mahatma (great soul), was the father of modern
India, but his influence has spread well beyond the subcontinent and is as
important today as it was in the first part of the twentieth century and
during this nation's own civil rights movement. Taken from Gandhi's writings
throughout his life, The Essential Gandhi introduces us to his thoughts on
politics, spirituality, poverty, suffering, love, non-violence, civil
disobedience, and his own life. The pieces collected here, with explanatory
head notes by Gandhi biographer Louis Fischer, offer the clearest, most
thorough portrait of one of the greatest spiritual leaders the world has
known. Gandhi was inevitable. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is
inescapable. . . . We may ignore him at our own risk. -Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. With a new Preface drawn from the writings of Eknath Easwaran In the
annals of spirituality certain books stand out both for their historical
importance and for their continued relevance. The Vintage Spiritual Classics
series offers the greatest of these works in authoritative new editions, with
specially commissioned essays by noted contemporary commentators. Filled with
eloquence and fresh insight, encouragement and solace, Vintage Spiritual
Classics are incomparable resources for all readers who seek a more
substantive understanding of mankind's relation to the divine.
Prayer Prayer is nothing else but an intense longing of the heart. You may express yourself through the lips; you may express yourself in the private closet or in the public; but to be genuine, the expression must come from the deepest recesses of the heart. There is an eternal struggle raging in man's breast between the powers of darkness and of light, and who has not the sheet-anchor of prayer to rely upon will be a victim to the powers of darkness. Begin, therefore, your day with prayer, and make it so soulful that it may remain with you until the evening. Close the day with prayer so that you may have a peaceful night free from dreams and nightmares.
Mohandas K. Gandhi is one of the most inspiring figures of our time. In his classic autobiography he recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and countless other nonviolent struggles of the twentieth century. In a new foreword, noted peace expert and teacher Sissela Bok urges us to adopt Gandhi's "attitude of experimenting, of tesing what will and will not bear close scrutiny, what can and cannot be adapted to new circumstances,"in order to bring about change in our own lives and communities. All royalties earned on this book are paid to the Navajivan Trust, founded by Gandhi, for use in carrying on his work.
