Lacking Any Desire To Kill

Gandhi for today: The following is an excerpt from "The Words of Gandhi" by Richard Attenborough.

The Sanskrit word ahimsa is at the foundation of satyagraha. It literally means"lacking any desire to kill." This is considered to be the natural state of the human spirit, which can be realized or uncovered by practicing true love toward all living things. To love those who are considered to be your enemies is the natural progression of ahimsa. Unlike the word "nonviolence," with which it is often paired, ahimsa implies a state in which no violence-of thought or action-exists. In such a state, there is only love. To practice ahimsa requires strength; a person must be willing to maintain a condition of ahimsa even in the face of tremendous adversity.
Gandhi invented the word satyagraha. It is built upon the words satya [truth] and agraha [firmness] . Gandhi viewed truth as an expression of love and firmness as an expression of strength. Gandhi recognized the subjective nature of "truth" for mankind: "truth" was often influenced by a persons own self-interests. "Firmness," the denial of self-interest, was Gandhi's solution to this subjectivity.This was not a passive solution. To deny one's material wants as well as any emotions that run counter to a spirit of ahimsa required strength. By following this path, the practitioner of satyagrahi is able to release a force stronger than any weapon. It is a force of intense love borne out of an absence of self-interest. It is an active seeking of the truth, devoid of hostility, anger, and violence, which allows the victim to view himself as one with his attacker.
Gandhi defined satyagraha as "soul-force," which emerges through the uncovering of the true human spirit.

Have a sunny day. Fine Art and Gems.

Gandhi On Religion

Gandhi On Religion:

Religion of Mahatma Gandhi
By Ranjit Chaudhari
THOUGH THE MEANING of religion in the Hindu concept of Dharma is not without complexities, Gandhi tried to make it broad enough to lend it a universal character. His idea of religion was not totally esoteric. He knew that every religion was connected with some belief system supported by rituals. He tried to get rid of the rituals as far as possible. To Gandhi religion was a human institution made by human ingenuity to solve practical affairs as well as spiritual matters.
His oft-quoted passages can be cited. He said "By religion, I do not mean formal religion, or customary religion, but that religion which underlies all religions, which brings us face to face with our Maker. It is the permanent element in human nature which counts no cost too great in order to find full expression and which leaves the soul utterly restless until it has found itself. Again, he observed : "Religion which takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them, is no religion. He did not define religion in exact and definitive language. One of his attempts was to bring religion closer to common man. In that regard his was functional. But most of the times Gandhi felt that religion could not be understood without knowing its relation with God.

So what does religion mean to you. Have a sunny day. Fine Art and Gems.

Oh Ye Of Little Faith

Gandhi Quote of the day: "I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won't presume to probe into the faults of others."

I seem to not be able to write today so I'll share with you this prayer from "Around The Year With Emmet Fox".
God knows me, and loves me, and cares for me. I am just as dear to Him as any human bring who has ever lived.
In truth and reality nothing can ever touch me but the direct action of God Himself, and God is Love.
There is no problem bigger than God. No difficulty, however seemingly grave, can come into my life, that God cannot completely wipe out.
God is continually instructing me and inspiring me, and in some good way He will now clearly show me the next important step in my life-and how to take that step.
The Will of God for me is peace of mind, true place, happiness, joyous activity, and unbroken progress-I thank God for this.

This meditation helps me on the days when I'm lacking in the faith department. Hope you have a sunny day. Fine Art and Jewelry.

The Wonder of Thought

Gandhi Quote of the day: "Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well."

Thought for today:"You can change your thoughts and feelings and then the outer things will come to correspond,and indeed there is no other way of working." [ Emmet Fox ]

Thought for today II: All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything . What we think we become. [ Buddha ]

God's View: I Wonder by Ted Godsil
Blameless, clueless,misgiving, order, chaos, shame, thought, I wonder about thought. I wonder about confusion, I wonder about pain, not guilty, ignorant, cruel, right, anxiety, reality, thought, I wonder about thought. I wonder about meaning, I wonder about pain, yesterday,today, tomorrow, the father, the son, the future, thought, I wonder about thought. I wonder about understanding, I wonder about pain, in the name of the, it's always darkest just before the, I wonder, I wonder about thought. The thought, the wonder, the father, the dawn, I wonder about thought, but mostly I wonder about the wonder of thought.

Have a sunny day. Fine Art and Jewelry.

Today's Thoughts

Gandhi Quote of the day: "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world, as in being able to remake ourselves."

Thought for today: "You must not under any pretence allow your mind to dwell on any thought that is not positive, constructive, optimistic, and kind."[ Emmet Fox ]

God's View:An excerpt from "So Easy To Hate" by Ted Godsil

It's so easy to hate
in a world of difference
So hard to love with thoughts
only of oneself.

A whole life moves
through time with gains
Only realized in years
of change.
Never known, never seen
an evolving personality
Chasing the elusive answer
to a youngsters dream.

It's so easy to hate
the struggle within
Stand up, move ahead
give in, do it again and again.

Have a sunny day. Fine Art and Jewelry.

The Truth Day II:

We'll continue with Mr. Gandhi's discussion on what is truth.


Truth never damages a cause that is just.
Life is an aspiration. Its mission is to strive after perfection, which is self-realization. The ideal must not be lowered because of our weaknesses or imperfections. I am painfully conscious of both in me. The silent cry daily goes out to Truth to help me to remove these weakness and imperfections of mine.
No Abandonment of Truth
Believe me when I tell you, after 60 years of personal experience, that the only real misfortune is to abandon the path of truth. If you but realize this, your one prayer to God will always be to enable you to put up, without flinching, with any number of trials and hardships that may fall to your lot in the pursuit of truth.
Truth alone will endure, all the rest will be swept away before the tide of time. I must, therefore, continue to bear testimony to Truth even if I am forsaken by all. Mine may today be a voice in the wilderness, but it will be heard when all other voices are silenced, if it is the voice of Truth.
A man of faith will remain steadfast to truth, even-though the whole world might appear to be enveloped in falsehood.
When it is relevant, truth has to be uttered, however unpleasant it may be. Irrelevance is always untruth and should never be uttered.

God's View:"The Truth" by Ted Godsil

With so many opinions on what truth is to any number of individuals, how can we know the truth as far as the whole is concerned?The truth to me may not be understandable to you or vice verse.
There seems to be many layers of truth. There is the everyday,tell the truth,there is truth in the laws of physics and mathematics, and the gorilla in the closet of truth in religion.
I think with so much room for disagreement with"The Truth," we need to interject another formula or law of being to control the consequences of "The Truth."
That law is tolerance. With tolerance all truths become harmonious and with harmony comes peace. Just a thought. So what do you think?

Have a sunny day. Fine Art and Gems .

What is Truth?

For the next few days we'll study the meaning of truth as espoused by Mr. Gandhi in his writing of "The Gospel of Truth."

WHAT…is Truth? A difficult question; but I have solved it for myself by saying that it is what the voice within tells you. How then, you ask, [do] different people think of different and contrary truths? Well, seeing that the human mind works through innumerable media and that the evolution of the human mind is not the same for all, it follows that what may be truth for one may be untruth for another, and hence those who have made these experiments have come to the conclusion that there are certain conditions to be observed in making those experiments…

It is because we have at the present moment everybody claiming the right of conscience without going through any discipline whatsoever, and there is so much untruth being delivered to a bewildered world. All that I can in true humility present to you is that Truth is not to be found by anybody who has not got an abundant sense of humility. If you would swim on the bosom of the ocean of Truth, you must reduce yourself to a zero.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Truth and Love ahimsa is the only thing that counts. Where this is present, everything rights itself in the end. This is a law to which there is no exception.

A Buddhist meditation: "Follow the truth of the way.Reflect on it. Make it your own. live it.
It will always sustain you.Do not turn away what is given you. Nor reach out for which is given to others. Lest you disturb your quietness."

Have a sunny day. Fine Art and Gems.

The Presence

Gandhi Quote of the day: "An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.

Thought for today: Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.[Freidrich Nietzsche]

Around The Year With Emmet Fox has this and many more meditations and prayers.

The Presence
God is the only Presence and the only Power. God is fully present here with me, now. God is the only real Presence - all the rest is but shadow. God is perfect Good, and God is the cause only of perfect Good. God never sends sickness, trouble, accident, temptation, nor death itself; nor does He authorize these things. We bring them upon ourselves by our own wrong thinking. God, Good, can cause only good. The same fountain cannot send forth both sweet and bitter water.
I am Divine Spirit. I am the child of God. In God I live and move and have my being; so I have not fear. I am surrounded by the Peace of God and all is well. I am not afraid of people; I am not afraid of things; I am not afraid of circumstances; I am not afraid of myself; for God is with me. The Peace of God fills my soul, and I have no fear. I dwell in the Presence of God, and no fear can touch me. I am not afraid of the past; I am not afraid of the present; I am not afraid for the future; for God is with me. The Eternal God is my dwelling place and underneath are the ever-lasting arms. Nothing can ever touch me but the direct action of God Himself, and God is Love.
God is Life; I understand that and I express it. God is Truth; I understand that and I express it. God is Divine Love; I understand that and I express it.
I send out thoughts of love and peace and healing to the whole universe: to all trees and plants and growing things, to all beasts and birds and fishes, and to every man, woman and child on earth, without any distinction. If anyone has ever injured me or done me any kind of harm, I fully and freely forgive him now, and the thing is done forever. I loose him and let him go. I am free and he is free. It there is any burden of resentment in me I cast it upon the Christ within, and I go free.
God is Infinite Wisdom, and that Wisdom is mine. That Wisdom leads and guides me; so I shall not make mistakes. Christ in me is a lamp unto my feet. God is Infinite Life, and that Life is my supply; so I shall want for nothing. God created me and He sustains me. Divine Love has foreseen everything, and provided for everything. One Mind, One Power, One Principle. One God, One Law, One Element. Closer is He than breathing, nearer than hands and feet.
I am Divine Spirit, the Child of God, and in the presence of God I dwell forever. I thank God for Perfect Harmony.

Have a sunny day. Fine Art and Crystals, and Gems.

Thoughts For Today

Gandhi Quote of the day:"The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still small voice within."

Thought for today: Liberation from the self is living each day without a place to stand or ideas about who we are. That's when we can dance with life. [Genpo Roghi]

Thought for today II: "It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter their color."[Maya Angelou]

Have a sunny day. Fine Art, Crystals and Gems.

God's View: Enemy of Love by Ted Godsil

Gandhiquote of the day: "My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest should have the same opportunity as the strongest."

"You are not depressed because trouble has come to you,but trouble has come to you because you are depressed." [Emmet Fox]

"Those who believe absurdities will commit atrocities." [Voltaire]

God's View: "Enemy of Love" by Ted Godsil

A new days sun
brings forth the
hope of a world
of souls now awake.

From all the corners
of the earth come
the daily prayers
of societies rising.

For today is the maker
Tomorrow is the dream
the enemy of love dies
the power of love reigns supreme.

Have a sunny day. Jewelry and Art.