bbnutandyahoo
remindsmeofbushjunior
exacting10-foldrevenge
claimingrighteousjustice
killingthechildren
claimingselfdefense
doesY*HW*Happrove
thelessonsthataretaught
thelessonsthatarelearned
howlongwillittake
toendthishell
With thanks to Sister Joan Chittister, I am reminded of the life and legacy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948).
January 30: Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian teacher of nonviolence, died on this day in 1948. One of the greatest pacifists of all time, in 1948 Gandhi was himself assassinated by religious conservatives who promoted the political division he sought to overcome. It would seem that Gandhi failed. Yet, multitudes around the world, including Martin Luther King, Jr., have followed his tenets. To allow your own life to seed another’s, is fruit enough to last a lifetime.
—from A Monastery Almanac by Joan Chittister
Today’s senryu: Remembering Mahatma Gandhi
A man of extremes
you would not be ignored when
life’s demands beckoned
For more information on this great soul, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi
Known as the “Father of the Nation” of India, Mohandas Gandhi was also called Mahatma (Great Soul) or Bapu (Papa). Gandhi’s birthday, 2 October, is celebrated in India as a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Nonviolence.
“Gandhi grew up in a Hindu and Jain religious atmosphere … which were his primary influences, but he was also influenced by his personal reflections and literature of Hindu Bhakti saints, Advaita Vedanta, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and thinkers such as Tolstoy, Ruskin and Thoreau… At age 57 he declared himself to be Advaitist Hindu in his religious persuasion but added that he supported Dvaitist viewpoints and religious pluralism.” (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi)
“Time magazine named The 14th Dalai Lama, Lech Wałęsa, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Benigno Aquino Jr., Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela as Children of Gandhi and his spiritual heirs to nonviolence.” (See “The Children of Gandhi” (excerpt). Time. 31 December 1999.)
One of his most famous sayings is “Be the change you want to see in the world.” (See https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5810891.Mahatma_Gandhi)
Today’s humble haiku response: Happy Birthday Mahatma Gandhi
Complicated man
demonstrating persistence –
truth will overcome
Life Matters 