Study Guide for the Man

How did Gandhi manage, as Easwaran puts it, to "Make his life such a perfect work of art"? When we first get a glimpse of Gandhi he is a hapless, unprepossessing youth whose only distinction is a marked fear of the dark - and, as he loved to point out, his unusually large ears. How did he become a magnetic leader whom even his avowed opponents could not resist? - from the Introduction by Michael Nagler

We offer you the following incisive discussion questions to expand your understanding of . If you use them in a study or reading group, they would fall naturally into a five-week format.

The Transformation

Michael Nagler asks (page 6) how Mohandas K. Gandhi could "Expand the narrow little personality . . . to become a Mahatma, the immense force for human progress which has been described by countless biographers but accounted for by none." In what ways do you anticipate that 's account of Gandhi's transformation will differ from the descriptions of "countless biographers"? Discuss the basis for Eknath Easwaran's account. (pages 6-8)

2. Currently, books and articles, even a monthly magazine, are presenting ways of experiencing simplicity. Discuss the steps Gandhi took to simplify his life (pages 22-30) and his reasons for embracing these simpler ways of living. Comment on the challenges and on the rewards he experienced. How might you simplify your life for the sake of others around you?

3. Talk about the beginnings of Gandhi's transformation

How was self-discipline a blessing to Gandhi? (pages 21-22)

What did Gandhi learn is the secret of success? (page 22)

How did Gandhi's sense of service deepen? (pages 25 and 28)

What lesson did Gandhi learn from his wife, Kasturbai? (pages 33 and 35)

The Way of Love

1. Discuss the meaning of . What are its qualities? What qualities does a person need to practice satyagraha? (pages 43-44, 48-49, 53-54)

2. Talk about Gandhi's argument that "evil, injustice, hatred . . .exist only insofar as we support them; they have no existence of their own." (pages 48-49) What are its implications?

2330 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, 94704 1 Tel: 510-548-5550 Fax: 510-548-5558 www.mettacenter.org 3. For Gandhi, improving the lot of those he renamed the "Harijans" was an essential ingredient in gaining Indian independence. What was the connection? Why did Gandhi place such emphasis on it? Discuss the ways in which Gandhi practiced his "oneness" with the Harijans. (pages 56-62)

Mother and Child

1. Eknath Easwaran opens this section with the idea of detachment. What did Gandhi mean by detachment? How does Gandhi's statement, "Full effort is full victory" relate to detachment? (pages 105-6)

2. Gandhi called his mantram, Rama, the staff of his life. How did he use the mantram as a spiritual tool to transform himself? (pages 116-119)

3. Notice the explanation of given on page 119: "The principle of meditation is that you become what you meditate on." One of the passages from the upon which Gandhi meditated for over fifty years is quoted on page 122. Read these lines carefully, as they are said to summarize Gandhi's life and self-transformation. Share anecdotes from Gandhi's life that demonstrate his living out the ideals expressed in these verses. (pages 122-123)

Gandhi the Man

1. Respond to Gandhi's suggestion: "If you can't love the Viceroy, or Sir Winston Churchill, start with your wife, or your husband, or your children. Try to put their welfare first and your own last every minute of the day, and let the circle of your love expand from there." (page 126) Talk about what you would foresee in your own life as the result of this kind of love.

2. In response to a reporter who asked if he had a message, Gandhi replied, "My life is my message." What did this mean in Gandhi's life? (page 140) What would it mean in your life?

3. Gandhi said, "I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith." (page 145). What is one step you could take towards modeling Gandhi's effort, and towards cultivating his hope and faith?

Appendix : How Works

1. "There comes a time," Gandhi stated, "when an individual becomes irresistible and his action becomes all-pervasive in its effect. This comes when he reduces himself to zero." (page 150) What does reducing oneself to zero mean to you? Discuss how Gandhi reduced himself to zero.

2330 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, California 94704 2 Tel: 510-548-5550 Fax: 510-548-5558 www.mettacenter.org 2. Timothy Flinders offers us an expanded sense of satyagraha. Satyagraha is more than a technique for social action (page 147), more than a movement for independence. (page 148) Satyagraha is, Flinders tells us, a way of life, a power accessible to the average man and woman, a spiritual force, a source of energy that belongs to all individuals. Discuss satyagraha in light of this expanded sense. Can satyagraha work with conditions in the world as they are today?

3. Likewise, Flinders offers us an expanded view of . Ahimsa is more than nonviolence. (page 152) A-himsa means literally 'lacking any desire to kill.' Flinders notes, also, that ahimsa is considered the highest law, the very essence of human nature. (page 152) Gandhi referred to ahimsa as the kingdom of heaven. (page 166) Discuss ahimsa in light of this expanded view. In what sense do you think ahimsa is the law of our being?

4. Consider ahimsa in terms of our world family. "Ahimsa is not the crude thing it has been made to appear," Gandhi tells us. "Not to hurt any living thing is no doubt a part of ahimsa. But it is its least expression. The principle of ahimsa is hurt by every evil thought, by undue haste, by lying, by hatred, by wishing ill to anybody. It is also violated by our holding on to what the world needs." (page 154) Discuss how the practice of ahimsa as defined here would affect our world.

5. "The person who studies Gandhi to learn the source of nonviolent power will repeatedly be turned back upon himself," Flinders tells us, "and urged to establish nonviolence in his own consciousness." (page 166) Share any thoughts you have about establishing nonviolence in our consciousness. Also, share your thoughts about the need to "neutralize self-interest." (page 166)

Resources for going further

Easwaran, Eknath, Nonviolent Soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan, a Man to Match His Mountains, Nilgiri Press, 1999.

Easwaran, Eknath, Meditation: a Simple Eight Point Program for Translating Spiritual Ideals into Daily Life, Nilgiri Press, 1991.

Easwaran, Eknath, The Mantram Handbook, Nilgiri Press, 1999.

Easwaran, Eknath, The Bhagavad Gita, Nilgiri Press, 1985.

The subject matter is so rich that we give you this selection of additional - or alternative - questions for study:

1. Consider Gandhi's experience while traveling by rail across Natal. How would you describe his night in the Maritzburg station? Discuss Gandhi's decision "Never to yield to force and never to use force to win a cause." (pages 41-42)

2330 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, California 94704 3 Tel: 510-548-5550 Fax: 510-548-5558 www.mettacenter.org 2. Discuss the difference between the meaning of the Sanskrit word ahimsa and its translation into English as "nonviolence." (page 53) "Ahimsa is our dharma, the central law of our being, written into every cell." (page 56) Discuss your understanding of what Eknath Easwaran meant by this statement.

3. How did Gandhi find the inner strength to endure the hardships of prison? Speak of his ability to adjust to any environment and continue the work of satyagraha. (pages 70-74)

4. Recount Gandhi's experience in London at the time of the first Round Table Conference. Discuss his choice of lodging and dress, and his message to the textile workers of Lancashire. (pages 75-81)

5. Imagine Gandhi's response to the news that and his army ". . . had sworn to nonviolence and forgiveness with Allah as their witness. . . ." Share thoughts and feelings that you have about this nonviolent army and Khan, the "Frontier Gandhi." (page 84)

6. Discuss Gandhi's portrayal of "brave, heroic" persons and the current portrayal of "heroes" in the media and in action films. (pages 84-88). What do you consider heroic?

7. Eknath Easwaran relates Gandhi's response to the fighting between Hindu and Muslim : "Though in his mid-seventies he went straight to the heart of the violence. . . ." (pages 89-103) Discuss this campaign of ahimsa. What qualities does a person need to develop to take part in such a campaign?

8. On page 117, Eknath Easwaran defines the term mantram, and indicates that Gandhi's mantram, Rama, "is a formula for abiding joy." Throughout the text of Gandhi the Man, there are many photographs that capture the joy Gandhi knew. Take a moment to review these photographs and, if you'd like, speak about your favorite photo that illustrates Gandhi's joy.

9. Review the analogy of the elephant's trunk (page 118). Following Gandhi's example, when might you use a mantram as you go through your day?

10. Have you ever pondered the idea that "a human being is an immense force barely contained in a physical form"? (page 140) How was Gandhi an example of this "immense force"? Consider ways you could be, however quietly, an "immense force" in your daily life.

11. Satyagraha can be practiced by couples. "The apex . . . is reached when the wife's welfare becomes more important to the husband than his own happiness, and the husband's welfare takes on a similar importance to the wife." (page 168) Consider the role of satyagraha in your relationships.

2330 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, California 94704 4 Tel: 510-548-5550 Fax: 510-548-5558 www.mettacenter.org 12. Satyagraha is important within the family as well. "Between parents and children, satyagraha has a natural place. Here again, patience mingled with firmness frames the approach." (page 168) Discuss the role of satyagraha within your family. Remember, Gandhi has assured us satyagraha "can be used alike by men, women, and children." (page 151)

13. Using Gandhi's life as your reference, share one change that you would like to make. Specifically, what would it be? What steps will you take to effect this change?

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