The discussion is interesting given that we’ll be taking Gandhi’s work a step down the road by irrigating society to liberate it from the same world-dominating viewpoint that Gandhi opposed.
So his philosophy of non-violent social action becomes good background reading and grist for the Post-Reval mill. A book in a new, online Alexandrian Library? (Librarian’s job is vacant. Good pay. Must be a self-starter.)
Tim’s original discussion can be found at his site below.
An Adaptation of Mahatma Gandhi’s Principles of Satyagraha
by Steve Beckow
https://www.enlightened-spirituality.org/Mahatma_Gandhi.html
Attitude Towards First Principles
· Adhere to the truth, which includes honesty, but goes beyond this to mean living fully in accord with and in devotion to that which is true.
· Have a living faith in God.
· Have faith in the inherent goodness of human nature which you expect to evoke in your conflict-partners by suffering in the satyagraha effort.
Attitude Towards Desires and Possessions
· Adhere to chastity (brahmacharya), including sexual chastity, but also including the subordination of other sensual desires to the primary devotion to truth.
· Control the palate.
· Abstain from alcohol and other intoxicants.
· Observe non-possession (poverty).
· Do not steal.
· If you are a trustee of property, defend that property (non-violently) from confiscation with your life.
Attitude Towards Suffering
· Be willing to undergo suffering.
· Be willing to endure the suffering that might be inflicted on family and friends.
· Voluntarily submit to arrest.
· In the event that you have possessions, be willing to have them confiscated or to lose all of them.
· Be willing to die.
Attitude Towards Opponents
· Harbour no anger.
· Suffer the anger of the opponent.
· Be nonviolent. (ahimsa).
· Be fearless.
· Never retaliate to assaults or punishment; but do not submit, out of fear of punishment or assault, to an order given in anger.
· Do not curse or swear.
· Do not insult the opponent.
· Neither salute nor insult the flag of your opponent or your opponent’s leaders.
· If anyone attempts to insult or assault your opponent, defend your opponent (non-violently) with your life.
Attitude Towards Laws and Confinement
· Appreciate the other laws of the State and obey them voluntarily.
· Tolerate these laws, even when they are inconvenient.
· Obey the jail rules unless they are specially devised to hurt your self respect.
· As a prisoner, behave courteously and obey prison regulations (except any that are contrary to self-respect).
· As a prisoner, do not ask for special favourable treatment.
· As a prisoner, do not fast in an attempt to gain conveniences whose deprivation does not involve any injury to your self-respect.
Attitude Towards Civil Disobedience
· Joyfully obey the orders of the leaders of the civil disobedience action.
· Willingly carry out all the rules of discipline that are issued.
· Do not pick and choose amongst the orders you obey; if you find the action as a whole improper or immoral, sever your connection with the action entirely.
· Do not make your participation conditional on your comrades taking care of your dependents while you are engaging in the campaign or are in prison; do not expect them to provide such support.
· Do not become a cause of communal quarrels.
· Avoid occasions that may give rise to communal quarrels.
· Do not take sides in such quarrels, but assist only that party which is demonstrably in the right; in the case of inter-religious conflict, give your life to protect (non-violently) those in danger on either side.
· Do not take part in processions that would wound the religious sensibilities of any community.
· Show equal respect for all religions.
· Remain free from caste, class and other prejudices.
· Offer body-labor or bread-labor.
· Observe self-sufficiency (Swadeshi).