#36: Some Wise Words From Gandhi and Some Assumed Criticisms Of Rosemary Radford Ruether

This is a paper I wrote for my Religions class. I was supposed to summarize some writings by Gandhi and contrast them to what I would believe to be the beliefs of a popular Religions theorist, based on his/her own writings. So I chose to contrast Gandhi's "The Gita and Satyagraha" with Rosemary Radford Ruether's "Gaia and God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing." Granted, I didn't do so well on the second part of the assignment. Honestly, I'm not worried about that at this point, because my point in writing this note is to explain some of Gandhi's views. Maybe you guys will respect Gandhi even more after reading this, since these are some really great ideas. And maybe you guys will think more highly of Hinduism after you read this as well, since we all know Gandhi was Hindu and based his arguments on the Hindu book The Baghavad Gita. Anyway, I think his views on all of the following topics are great, but I'm particularly interested in his ideas on nonviolence, since they are very similar to the ideas of nonviolence of Walter Wink, which I included in one of my earlier notes "Dodger Logic #28: This Means War." Anyway, here are the wise words of Gandhi, summarized by yours truly:

The Hindu religion, as understood through Hindu writings and texts, has certain guidelines to which many orthodox followers adhere. However, as in all religions, one may interpret the Hindu religion in countless ways, which Mahatma Gandhi, a former political and ideological leader of India, attempts to explain in his writings “The Gita and Satyagraha.” The basis of Gandhi’s arguments stems from the Baghavad Gita, a Hindu scripture that is part of the Mahabharata, a larger ancient Sanskrit epic. According to Gandhi, six elements for becoming one with God and, thus, freeing oneself from the cycle of reincarnation, exist: truth, non-possession, fearlessness, tolerance, humility, and the doctrine of the sword. By contrast, Rosemary Radford Ruether, an “ecofeminist” and theologian concerned with the environment and hierarchy in society, would have her own critiques for Gandhi’s wise words.

According to Gandhi, “truth is the sole reason for our existence” (Gandhi). Most people believe truth is to refrain from telling lies. However, truth is more than that; it is “truth in thought, truth in speech, and truth in action” (Gandhi). When one realizes this, he gains all the knowledge he needs. And the way to realize this is by complete devotion to God (bhakti, in Hindi) and indifference to every other aspect of life, even if it means self-suffering (tapas) or even death, because it leads to eternal life in the end.
Intentionally surrendering all worldly possessions and “wants,” is essentially the idea of the non-possession or poverty element (Gandhi). “This alone promotes real happiness and contentment, and increases the capacity for service” (Gandhi). Everything one knows is not knowledge, but ignorance, which one needs to cast away, in order to escape from the discontentment that, inevitably, comes along with it.

The most important element is fearlessness, because everything builds off of this one essential piece of the puzzle. Fearlessness does not come from yielding weaponry, but from ridding oneself from all external fears (fear of death, as an example.) However, one should always remain fearful of one’s internal fears (passion and anger, as examples.) Since everything belongs to God, including the body itself, then there is no need for fear. When one surrenders himself to God, as His servant, one’s fears will deteriorate, and one will finally be at peace.

Since every person has imperfections, every person’s view of religion, no matter which religion, is imperfect. Although one is devoted to one’s own faith, one must have tolerance for other faiths. Since every religion stems from the same morals and fundamentals, one must not only be indifferent toward other faiths, but take from other faiths the good that they have to offer, because no one faith is completely correct in all aspects.

One can only achieve humility when it goes unnoticed, as “unborn humility can never remain unhidden, and yet the possessor is unaware of its existence” (Gandhi). Achieving humility will make the possessor realize that, in the grand scheme of things, he/she is insignificant. Being a completely devoted servant of God can only come from humility, and humility translates into service for humanity.

One common misconception is that there is only a belief in either violence or nonviolence. However, middle ground does, indeed, exist. According to Gandhi, the doctrine of the sword is the belief in the use of violence only for defensive purposes (defense of another person and defense of honor, for example.) In addition, nonviolence is not “meek submission to the will of the evil-doer, but it means the pitting of one’s whole soul against the will of the tyrant” (Gandhi).  Gandhi desires for one to realize that, while nonviolence is superior to violence, and while forgiveness is superior to punishment, violence is superior to cowardice.
If Rosemary Radforth Ruether were to read Gandhi’s writings, she would agree with some of his views; however, she would have plenty of her own critiques as well. To start, Ruether is a Christian, which differs from Gandhi’s Hindu beliefs. However, as a Christian, Ruether would agree with the importance of truth; complete devotion to God (although, a different one;) voluntary service to others; humility; and the idea that “God is the one who possesses the earth as his creation” (Ruether). She would consider these “blueprints for society,” as they shape who people in a society are and how they treat their counterparts (Ruether). However, after reading Gandhi’s “The Gita and Satyagraha,” Ruether would have one main focus for her critiques: Gandhi’s view on nonviolence.

Whether Ruether would agree that nonviolence trumps violence is not as important as her agreement with Gandhi’s view of what nonviolence truly is. Ruether would agree that one should stand up for one’s beliefs, never surrender to a tyrant, and overcome the evil-doer. However, in this case, the tyrant would be a society’s sexists and the environmentally ignorant, and the person who needs to exercise Gandhi’s idea of nonviolence would be the oppressed (women and the environment.) Ruether would encourage women to stand up for their rights, and everyone to stand up for the environment. This would be her idea of nonviolence, as it pertains to Gandhi’s meaning of the word. Ruether would take Gandhi’s view one step farther, paving the way for all kinds of different oppressed groups of people to rise against the tyrant, whoever their personal tyrant may be.

Works Cited

Gandhi, Mahatma. The Gita and Satyagraha. 45-55. Print.

Ruether, Rosemary Radford Gaia and God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing, San
Francisco: Harper, 1992.

Now, after reading my paper, I have just one comment to make about Gandhi and his beliefs. I feel like everything he said in the particular book I read from is subjective. His beliefs need to be more specific, because there's no fine line drawn there, so his beliefs only go as far as the interpreter, because you could interpret what he says in tons of different ways. Who is to say that you have dropped all the fears you're supposed to drop? Who is to say which ones are to be considered good fears and which ones we are supposed to drop? Who is to say that I have given up my worldly possessions, assuming what he means by that is not that I need to get rid of them all, but that my possessions need to become meaningless and replaceable in my own mind? But everything he says is something to take into account. They are good ideas that can ultimately humble us all. Yayyyy for Gandhi.

The famous, wise Gandhi...Kind of a creepy lookin' bugger, but he sure did know what he was talking about.