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In the wake of the attack on churches and the desecration of mosques around Malaysia one cannot refrain from being reminded of a movement that changed a nation almost eighty years ago. A nonviolent, non-aggressive movement called Satyagraha.
Satyagraha is a concept introduced in the early 20th century by Mahatma Gandhi to designate a determined but nonviolent resistance to evil. Gandhi’s satyagraha became a major tool in the Indian struggle against British imperialism and has since been adopted by protest groups in other countries.
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According to this philosophy, satyagrahis—practitioners of satyagraha—achieve correct insight into the real nature of an evil situation by observing a nonviolence of the mind, by seeking truth in a spirit of peace and love, and by undergoing a rigorous process of self-scrutiny. In so doing, the satyagrahi encounters what we would refer to as the 'complete truth'.The Sanskrit word satyagrahah means"truth power", is based on satyam "truth" + a "to" + grahah"determination, insistence" from grhnati "he grabs, seizes".
Satyagraha can also be understood as the vast inner strength required to perform nonviolent acts for example Gandhi’s organized campaigns in South Africa and India, such as the famous Salt Satyagraha march of 1930. Gandhi never defined nonviolence as passive resistance because he saw nothing passive about what he was doing. He believed that a dedicated adherent to nonviolent resistance who worked to uphold a just cause will inevitably reach the heart of the oppressor by taking unique action to represent truth. When understood for its strength and courage, Satyagraha also defined as ‘soul force’—is recognized as a positive and spiritually based form of resistance that starts in the heart of the it's practitioner and inevitably produces creative action.
Gandhi was influenced by the writings of Thoreau, Tolstoy and Ruskin.The three writers had advocated non-cooperation of civilians against the government if it proved suppressive or tyrannical.This is clearly evident in the writings of Leo Tolstoy, especially What I Believe (1884) and The Kingdom of God is Within You (1894). But their thoughts found only in writing, got a practical shape in Gandhi's approach.
Gandhi lead the Salt Satyagraha or Dandi March. A campaign to protest against the taxes, especially salt taxes, imposed upon the Indians by the British. On March 12, 1930, Gandhi set off on a march, with 78 male followers from Sabarmati Ashram to the Dandi Beach. It turned into a two mile long procession, which reached Dandi after 24 days, covering 241 km. On April 6th Gandhi defied the law by making salt from sea water. Salt Satyagraha was a brilliant, non-violent scheme by Gandhi, which enforced the British to withdraw the salt taxes.
Martin Luther King adapted the philosophy of both Gandhi and Tolstoy to the nonviolent resistance to the legal and customary racism in the US that led to the 1964 civil rights legislation. As a result in the 1960s many Americans applied Satyagraha to social institutions to bring the Vietnam War to an end. Satyagraha involves impeding the business of government without resorting to violent actions.
Satyagraha had proven that a nonviolent approach can work and it is one of the most effective ways to fight injustice without forgetting the fact that evil must be confronted by humanity rather than using another aggressive method.
Listed below are the basic concepts of Satyagraha
I. "Sat" - which implies openness, honesty, and fairness: Truth.
A) Each person's opinions and beliefs represent part of the truth.
B) In order to see more of the truth we must share our truths cooperatively.
C) This implies a desire to communicate and a determination to do so, which in turn requires developing and refining relevant skills of communication.
D) Commitment to seeing as much of the truth as possible means that we can not afford to categorize ourselves or others.
II. "Ahimsa" - refusal to inflict injury on others.
A) Ahimsa is dictated by our commitment to communication and to sharing of our pieces of the truth. Violence shuts off channels of communication.
B) The concept of ahimsa appears in most major religions, which suggests that while it may not be practiced by most people, it is respected as an ideal.
C) Ahimsa is an expression of our concern that our own and other's humanity be manifested and respected.
D) We must learn to genuinely love our opponents in order to practice ahimsa.
III. "Tapasya" - willingness for self-sacrifice.
A) A satyagrahi (one who practices satyagraha) must be willing to shoulder any sacrifice which is occasioned by the struggle which they have initiated, rather than pushing such sacrifice or suffering onto their opponent, lest the opponent become alienated and access to their portion of the truth become lost.
B) The satyagrahi must always provide a face-saving "way out" for the opponents. The goal is to discover a wider vista of truth and justice, not to achieve victory over the opponent.
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