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The Gandhi Institute for Reconciliation

Objectives

Universal Principles of Nonviolence

Litany

"Science and Spirituality: A Global Awakening"

Kasturbai Kapadia Gandhi

“Gandhi was inevitable. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought and acted, inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony. We may ignore him at our own risk.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mahatma Gandhi started his adult life as a shy law student, yet he went on to provide dynamic leadership for eight historic struggles and to counter the maltreatment of women. Through his grasp of the power of Truth, Gandhi experimented with building justice.

Martin Luther King, Jr. became the leader of a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, that would change the face of the nation and the world.

Transmitted mostly by word of mouth, the wisdom of Gandhi and King have been employed successfully by any number of peoples and popular movements - including the Poles, East Germans, Czechs, Slovaks, the Burmese, the Thais and South Africans.

Objectives

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has bequeathed us a roadmap that has been tested and proven workable within and between nation-states. Our American Moses - Martin Luther King Jr. - has employed the roadmap in a fashion that further confirms the reliability of the Gandhian bequest to the world. The Gandhian nonviolent method was user-friendly in the South African crisis effectively addressed by Nelson Mandela's government to end the more than fifty years apartheid oppression. The most convincing sanctions for the effective use of nonviolent approaches to conflict resolution are seen in the diplomacy of the United Nations, and the state departments of all nations. The nonviolent diplomatic philosophies have been demonstrated by many world leaders such as Mother Teresa, Jesse Jackson, Pope John Paul II, Jimmy Carter, Mary McLeod Bethune, Baclav Havel, Johnnie Coleman, Marian Wright Edelman, Chief Albert Luthuli, and Desmond TuTu.

1. To serve as a conference and multi-cultural Institute, a place to organize international and community-based forums within the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel to discuss a variety of perspective affecting our common humanity. These could include such issues as community disintegration, denominationalism, enslavement, environmental injustice, ethnic cleansing, hate crimes, healing, inadequate schools, poverty, privileged markets, racism, school violence, science, sexism, societal fragmentation, spirituality, terrorism, unemployment, unequal access to higher education, war, and xenophobia. A large variety of groups crossing all cultural, economical, educational, gender, lifestyle, national, racial, and religious boundaries will discover new bases for the common ground between us. This Institute will inspire a more profound sense of domestic and international civility and humanity, helping us to appreciate that we are geographically one and are becoming spiritually one. Such diplomacy is reachable as a noble end of reconciling diversity toward which we should strive.

2. To make known the life, work, and philosophies of Martin Luther King Jr., Howard Thurman, Benjamin Mays, Floyd McKissic, Samuel Woodrow Williams, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, George Kelsey, William Jefferson White, Charles T. Walker, and with Mohandas K. Gandhi as the greatest world leader of the Twentieth Century.

3. To honor Kasturbai Gandhi for her singular, unsung contribution of role modeling and tutoring her husband in the art, science, and practice of nonviolence. This will inaugurate a tradition of honoring women whom The Mahatma felt had a natural predisposition to providing nonviolent leadership.

4. To explore possibilities of exchanging visiting scholars and students from India and other countries who are experts on and interested in the application of philosophies of nonviolence internationally.

5. To be a conduit for partnerships and coordinated efforts of domestic and international organizations dedicated to reconciliation work. Some of these partners will be the Foundation for Community Encouragement, Carter Center, the Peace Corps, M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence (Memphis), The Fellowship of Reconciliation, Soka Gakki International (Buddhist), The Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, Science and Spirit Magazine, Holistic Health Magazine, Morehouse Leadership Institute, The India Council of Cultural Relations (New Delhi), The Gandhi-Hamer-King Center (Denver), Andrew Young Center for International Affairs, UNESCO, Operations Crossroads Africa, The American Friends Services Committee, The Highlander Institute, the George Mason Institute for Conflict Resolution, The Southern Poverty Law Institute, Oxfam America, the Synthesis Dialogues of Parliament of World Religions, Association for Global New Thought, Agape International Center of Truth, and the Indian American Cultural Association of Atlanta.

6. To assist in the fulfillment of Resolution GA/9500, unanimously adopted by the 55yh Plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, November 10, 1998. The Resolution called for the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (2001-2010), with the year 2000 being a year of education. This includes the inauguration of "A Season of Nonviolence" annually, (January 30 - April 4), a period between the assassination dates of Gandhi and King, respectively.

7. To deal with community service and outreach. Through the Ecumenical Program for Rural and Urban Service (EPRUS/AmeriCorps Program) the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel has supported students engaged in the work of reconciliation for the past two years. Presently, community members (Morehouse students included) are engaged in hands-on-service for the purpose of combating inadequate access to education, violence, and other unmet human needs. This work would be expanded in The Gandhi Institute program emphasis.

8. To offer consultancy and guidance to institutions and individuals engaged in the study and research of nonviolence for problem solving. We would actively promote the introduction of foundation courses on Gandhian and Kingian philosophies in educational institutions, and facilitate a shift in the attitude if the print and electronic media towards rooting out the culture of violence by generative and creative kinds of nonviolence.

9. To undertake the production and distribution of literature on nonviolence, peace, Gandhian studies, comparative religion, tolerance, appreciation of differences, and diversity maturity.

10. To develop a network of individuals and institutions engaged in the task of peace and justice education, conflict resolution, and peace and justice promotion activities.

11. To devise suitable formats and programs to bring the arts, particularly performing arts, in peace and justice promotion. We will also seek to develop a comprehensive web page on Mahatma Gandhi.

We propose to utilize The Gandhi Institute for Reconciliation as an institutionalized forum linking practice, knowledge, and service. Our goal is to help develop leaders who think and act differently about problems of oppression and insensitivity which tend to be examined within narrow contexts with little attention paid to their complex and often paradoxical generalities around the world. This program emphasis would further assist the Dean of the Chapel and the other College offices in the theological exploration of vocation with the future ordained and lay leadership of the Church.

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Universal Principles of Nonviolence

Honoring the dignity and inherent worth of every human being.
Believing that our lives are linked together, that what we do impacts the lives of others. Therefore, we are responsible to and for one another.
Dedicating ourselves to guaranteeing the fundamental rights of every human being-justice, equity and equality.
Recognizing the power of the human spirit to triumph over injustice, social inequity, suffering.
Choosing non-violence as a way of life by practicing peace daily:

Embracing the spiritual belief of our heart in our own personal and reflective way.
Enlarging our capacity to embrace differences and appreciate the value of every human life.
Strengthening our resolve to be loving in our thoughts, words and actions.
Practicing compassion and forgiveness for ourselves and others.
Cultivating moral strength and courage through education and creative nonviolent action.
Using our talents to serve others as well as ourselves.
Finding a goal that serves humanity and dedicating our life to it.

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Litany
For
The Founding Of The Gandhi Institute For Reconciliation

Leader: Today, we gather to found the Gandhi Institute for Reconciliation, a program, which will focus on meditation and conflict resolution. As we work together locally and globally to create a legacy of nonviolent teachings, it will be an audacious challenge calling for justice, peace, and compassion for the children of the world.

Congregation: “We must be the change we wish to see.”

Leader: We birth our new Institute in the immortal spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, who is emanating from the time and place where he lived into the future and out to the entire world.

Congregation: “We must be the change we wish to see.”

Leader: We establish the Gandhi Institute “to heal and revive human hearts and minds deeply wounded by violent ideologies and open the way for a new chapter in human history.”

Congregation: “We must be the change we wish to see.”

Leader: We inaugurate an Institute for Reconciliation in the name of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi because The Mahatma tapped into “the eternal rhythm of life that animates all people, every society, and the universe itself.”

Congregation: “We must be the change we wish to see.”

Leader: We create The Gandhi Institute For Reconciliation because The Mahatma demonstrated a stern, paternal love in his recognition of the need for training and discipline. He knew that only by developing the discipline of self-control could people truly understand the science and spirituality of nonviolence and use it to overcome their weakness and realize their own strength.

Congregation: “We must be the change we wish to see.”

Leader: We initiate The Gandhi Institute because of his exalted way of peace, inspired by a deep sense of passion; and because he was a creative, social reformer and leader of the people who wanted to develop a global network of spiritual solidarity and a world without war.

Congregation: “We must be the change we wish to see.”

Leader: We begin a mission to link the revolutions of Gandhi and King, so that the two may come together at this hour to overthrow the old world and found a new moral citizenship of tolerance, respect for difference, and diversity maturity grounded in geographical and spiritual oneness.

Congregation: “We must be the change we wish to see.”

Leader: Today, we cause a new program to be born from the “character of the barefoot saint” of India who “believed in the immense spiritual, and religious potential that resides equally in each of us,” and who believed that the inner Spiritual transformation of each individual would generate reformation in politics, education, and culture.

All: Therefore, because the Mahatma’s spiritual legacy is one of humanity’s priceless treasures, and because he is the greatest world leader of the twentieth century, we commence at this critical juncture in history to found The Gandhi Institute For Reconciliation in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College. Today we institutionalize Gandhi’s “activism, nonviolence, optimism, populism, and holistic vision” for the growth, health, safety, and well-being of our evolving World House.

And So It Is!

Daisaku Ikeda
Mohandas Karamchand “The Mahatma” Gandhi
Lawrence Edward Carter Sr.

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“Science and Spirituality: A Global Awakening”

At the center is Spirit, out of which all paths flow, offering our gifts towards a Universal Spirituality, which is expressed through Principals and Practice of Co-creation. These Principles and Practices are embodied in spirit-motivated social action that inspires Conscious Evolution in every field of endeavor, leading towards Social Transformation and a World Awakened.

At some point in history, a split occurred, and we ended up with Science and Religion. Science limited its study to the material world, and the Church took charge of the metaphysical realms. Now, with science studying consciousness, we are ready to reintegrate Spirituality and Science. There has been a major surge of interest recently in studying consciousness as more and more people have experiences as people cannot explained by the old scientific paradigm. Come explore with us the frontier with us where Science and Spirituality meet.

“The thought of the ages has looked to the day when science and religion shall walk hand in hand through the visible to the invisible. A movement, which endeavors to unify the great conclusions of human experience, must be kept free from petty ideas, from personal ambitions, and from any attempt to promote one person’s opinion. Science knows nothing about opinion but recognizes a government of law whose principals are universal. These laws, when complied with, respond alike to all. Religion becomes dogmatic and often superstitious when based on the lengthened shadow of any one personality. Philosophy intrigues us only to the extent that it sounds a universal note.

The ethics of Buddha, the morals of Confucius, the beatitudes of Jesus, together with the spiritual experiences of other great minds, constitute viewpoints of life, which must not be overlooked. The mystical concepts of the ancient sage of china keep faith with the sayings of Emerson, and wherever deep cries unto deep, deep answers deep.”

“How To Change Your Life”
Science and Religion
Ernest Holmes

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Kasturbai Kapadia Gandhi (1869-1948)

A good Hindu wife follows her husband's lead in all things. In the case of Kasturbai Kapadia Gandhi, however, she was responsible for leading her husband in a significant way. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, revealed that he learned the rudiments of nonviolence from Kasturbai. He was convinced that she was right and just. When Gandhi was in the wrong, she did not argue with him, but quietly and nonviolently, led him to the realization of the truth. This approach represents the true essence of the nonviolent philosophy. Gandhi repeatedly testified that his basic philosophy of nonviolence was simply a reflection of many qualities of Kustarbi's character.

Though small and delicate in stature, Kasturbai was fearlessly strong and courageous in her role as a helpmate to the leader of India's struggle for self-determination. Adapting to the Mahatma's vows of celibacy and poverty, Kasturbai's life honored the watchwords of simplicity, frugality, and self-reliance. She inspired others to action by challenging the rigidities of caste system and helped to pioneer a revolution through civil disobedience by organizing women for the cause; learning the age-old spinning tradition as a tool for boycotting foreign cloth; and finally succumbed to death in the struggle for Indian independence. While Mahatma Gandhi might be considered the voice of India, Kasturbai Gandhi represented it's heart.

Kasturbai Gandhi wedded at age thirteen in the Hindu tradition of a family arranged marriage. She was the mother of four sons and was married sixty-two years. When her husband went to prison she chose to eat the same things her imprisoned husband was eating, always adjusting her diet to his. She was a very spiritual person, continuously getting up at 4 a.m. to say her prayers. She was daily guided by God. Mrs. Gandhi inspired many women to become politically active and go to jail for their beliefs. She also taught them to boycott the purchase of foreign foods and mastering the art of spinning. She was the mother of everyone of the movements and the untouchables. While in South Africa, Kasturbai cared for an exceptionally large number of children including the untouchables. When Gandhi was in jail, Kasturbai provided leadership and took over in her husband's absence. She was humble and unassuming. She and the Mahatma traveled third class on trains to identify with the masses as servants of the people. Kasturbai helped the poor with personal hygiene, teaching them the art of broom making, urban sanitation, and practical living issues. After much fasting, going to jail, moving residence many times, and suffering two heart attacks, Kasturbai died in prison for standing up on behalf of India's independence for human and civil rights.

For more information contact the local affiliates at: Morehouse College (main switchboard) at (404) 681-2800, or Morehouse College (King Chapel) at (404) 215-2608, or First Church of Religious Science at (404) 233-2061. You may also access A Season for Nonviolence web page through the Association for Global New Thought web site: agnt.org or http://www.Morehouse.edu/Chapel.