Gandhi's autobiography is titled: The Story of my experiments with Truth.
I've read 3/4 of the book already but I'd like to re-read it and share any insights that I especially like while going through it again.
Starting with the introduction, I am happy to report that it is a really great introduction by Ghandi himself explaining the book and some great information about his goals and aspirations for the writing.
My first observation is how strong his belief in God is. There is no attempt to hide the fact that he really believes in God and wants to get closer to him. He says: "What I want to achieve, what I have been striving and pining to achieve these thirty years, is self-realization, to see God face to face, to attain Moksha (Salvation / Release)." Though I have not been searching to see God face to face, I can certainly appreciate his desire to. Some people seem to have a greater need to know with their eyes or senses that God is real. It's those people with that strong desire that seem to have often sought God the hardest. Although Ghandi wants to express everything from his experiments in this book he does hold some things too sacred to share: "There are some things which are known only to oneself and one's Maker. These are clearly incommunicable. The experiments I am about to relate are not such."
He also comments on the importance humility: "If the experiments are really spiritual, then there can be no room for self-praise. They can only add to my humility. The more I reflect and look back on the past, the more vividly do I feel my limitations." Already he is showing deep insight in that quote. This is a good foundation for improving humility that I had not thought much about. Just need spend some time once in a while going over the past to see how human we are and how easy it is to make poor decisions.
The truthfulness of the account: "Far be it from me to claim any degree of perfection for these experiments. I claim for them nothing more than does a scientist who, though he conducts his experiments with the utmost accuracy, forethought and minuteness, never claims any finality about his conclusions, but keeps an open mind regarding them."
And some more insights about truth: "But I worship God as Truth only. I have not yet found Him, but I am seeking after Him. I am prepared to sacrifice the things dearest to me in pursuit of this quest. Even if the sacrifice demanded be my very life, I hope I may be prepared to give it." - And ultimately it did cost him his life as he was murdered for the part he played trying to make peace.
The last 4 paragraphs are very good, I'll just throw in a bunch of quotes I underlined.
"Though the path is strait and narrow and sharp as the razors edge, for me it has been the quickest and easiest... For the path has saved me from coming to grief, and I have gone forward according to my light. Often in my progress I have had faint glimpses of the Absolute Truth, God, and daily the conviction is growing upon me that He alone is real and all else is unreal." ... "The instruments for the quest of truth are as simple as they are difficult. They may appear quite impossible to an arrogant person, and quite possible to an innocent child. The seeker after truth should be humbler then the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet, but the seeker after truth should so humble himself that event the dust could crush him. Only then, and not till then, will he have a glimpse of truth."... "Let us not reduce the standard of truth even by a hair's breadth for judging erring mortals like myself."
One of the most surprising parts of the book is how open he really is to exposing himself. "The experiments narrated should be regarded as illustrations, in the light of which every one may carry on his own experiments according to his own inclinations and capacity. I trust that to this limited extent the illustrations will be really helpful; because I am not going either to conceal or understate any ugly things that must be told. I hope to acquaint the reader fully with all my faults and errors." ... "For it is an unbroken torture to me that I am still so far from Him, Who as I fully know, governs every breath of my life, and Whose offspring I am. I know that it is the evil passions within that keep me so far from Him, and yet I cannot get away from them."
There is of course more to the introduction but I really enjoyed these clips of it. My main take of it is that Ghandi wanted to make public his experiments with truth, knew that he was a fallible human being, and that his ultimate search had to do with God and the paths (experiments) he took to find him.
