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Summary: What the Truth Reveals
Review: In the book's introduction, Gandhi ascribes these words of the Hindu poet to himself: Where is there a wretch
So wicked and loathsome as I?
I have forsaken my Maker,
So faithless have I been. The cause of this wretchedness, Gandhi wrote, was "the evil passions within that keep me so far from Him, and yet I cannot get away from them." These thoughts echo those of the Apostle Paul who, while desiring to do good, found that evil worked within him. He bemoaned, "Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?" Both men realized they could not perform what the truth required, and because they loved truth, it made them feel wretched. Who then is righteous, if not Gandhi and Paul? The prophet Ezekial spoke of God's promise to "put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes." But such righteousness is seldom seen. Gandhi wrote disapprovingly of one Christian acquaintance "who knowingly committed transgressions, and showed me that he was undisturbed by the thought of them." Paul saw among his own converts in Corinth such immorality "that does not even exist among the heathens." The promise does not fail, but faith wavers. The promise must be put to the test, as an experiment with truth. Then those who love the Truth may be revealed.
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Summary: A Book that would surely elevate the reader spiritually
Review: It is a book that is to be read again and again.Each reading cleanses and refreshes the readers inner being....
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Summary: Mahatma Gandhi, the man i love and admire
Review: Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography made a great impact on my life. I started reading Bhagavath Gita every day after reading about this holy book from the mahatma. Every person seeking for a direction in life and wishing to lead a life of purity must read this book.
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Summary: An Unusual Biography - Not a Quick Light Read
Review: Mohandas k Gandhi is one of the best known figures that has ever lived on the planet. He is well loved by many. I am not a Gandhi scholar. I am just an average Amazon.com buyer and reader so I will limit my comments to the technical aspects of a book review. The book is a bit slow because it is in his own words - and one should think of this 500 page book more as a text than a quick read. It takes at least one slow read plus a few re-reads to absorb a lot of the details. He uses a combination of comments, recollections, plus quotes from conversations. Having said that the book is well written but best suited to adults who might have the patience to stick with the read. It is in his own words and unlike a modern biography there are no photos just text. So it is history plus a lot of his ideas and philosophy. The book is broken down into five parts starting with his youth and is very detailed. It is followed up by a 25 page Index at the rear. A good book and time well spent with lots of first hand details of his life and philosophy of life, diet, economics, and government, and more. Jack in Toronto
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Summary: About "Gandhi: An Autobiography"
Review: Mohandas K. Gandhi is one of the most inspiring figures of our time. In his classic autobiography he recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and countless other nonviolent struggles of the twentieth century. In a new foreword, noted peace expert and teacher Sissela Bok urges us to adopt Gandhi's "attitude of experimenting, of tesing what will and will not bear close scrutiny, what can and cannot be adapted to new circumstances," in order to bring about change in our own lives and communities. All royalties earned on this book are paid to the Navajivan Trust, founded by Gandhi, for use in carrying on his work.
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Summary: A book that taught me everything
Review: My Experiments with truth was one of the greatest books I have ever read. I loved every minute of it and looked forward to sitting down and reading it every night. It was the kind of book that you never what to end. It inspired me deeply and I will always remember it.
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Summary: Gandhi: A Man of Peace, a Man of Peas
Review: Once upon a time there was a man who took nothing for granted - no philosophy, no theology, no lifestyle - for how could he know which were proper, which were true, which led to the Divine, to knowledge of God? How could he know unless he tested them himself? So that's what he did. No, I'm not talking about Alan Greenspan. Mohandas Gandhi was that man and GANDHI, AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY: MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH is his story. The Autobiography is a description of how he developed and applied his personal philosophy to his life, or rather, how his spirituality evolved as he experimented with differing lifestyles and theologies in his search for Absolute Truth. But be careful. This book may not be what you expect. Want to know about the life of Gandhi from a historical perspective? You're better off looking elsewhere. Gandhi didn't intend for his autobiography to be such a book. A good alternative is Ved Mehta's MAHATMA GANDHI AND HIS APOSTLES (Viking, 1977), which stresses the historic context and social relevance of Gandhi's life. If you want insight into the origins of Satyagraha (non-violent resistance) directly from its creator, you will find one of Gandhi's other books, SATYAGRAHA IN SOUTH AFRICA (Greenleaf, 1979), to be a much better source. Although Satyagraha may be the most influential experiment of his life, it was by no means the only one. You see, Gandhi tells us his life was a series of experiments, nothing more. He actively sought lifestyles and philosophies different from his own, tried the ones with merit, and adopted or rejected them based on his experience. In his own words, "I simply want to tell the story of my numerous experiments with truth, and as my life consists of nothing but those experiments, it is true that the story will take the shape of an autobiography," (xxvi). By following this path, he believed he might find self-realization and ultimately come face-to-face with God. Despite this ethereal theme, the story is quite mundane. Gandhi's experiments took place in the real world, not just in cerebral debate and introspection. His story falls within a historical context, leading him on a path toward a lifestyle few are willing to emulate, a life of self-denial and simplicity. From strict vegetarianism (fruit and nuts only) to celibacy (he swore off having sex with his wife (or anyone else, for that matter)), to the rejection of the most meager creature comforts, Gandhi's commitment to principle seems extreme and obsessive to us. This commitment to principle became both the key asset and primary flaw in his character. More than once, principle led him to deny medical treatment to seriously ill family members so he could experiment on them with harebrain "water," "earth," and dietary cures in which he believed. And yet, this same commitment to principle was the crucial component to his achievements toward peace and equality. Gandhi was a serious man whom you probably wouldn't invite to your bachelor party.
On the practical side, Gandhi is true to his word, giving us an undecorated account of his spiritual journey - the good with the bad. The book is stylistically straightforward, written chronologically in chapters brief enough to absorb during the average sit. On the other hand, it is often tedious and screams for annotation. The litany of south Asian names can be difficult for westerners to keep track of or pronounce. Gandhi discusses historical figures and events in passing without introduction or background, so keep a reference book handy. At the same time, he dwells on information you will find irrelevant. And then, of course, there's the problem all autobiographies have - you don't get to see how the story ends. Gandhi published the autobiography in 1927 and went on to live another twenty-one years before being assassinated - active, important years you might want to know about. Does Gandhi make a good case for his method of experimentation and for the conclusions he reached through these experiments? That, dear reader, is for you to decide. But it is interesting that the more he experimented, the further he settled upon the uncompromising life of a Hindu ascetic. His exposure to the world brought him back to his roots, to the religion of his homeland, and implicit in this choice is the rejection of the values and theologies he found elsewhere. This is a troubling thought. Did he find no elements of Truth outside Hindu asceticism? Is he suggesting that each of us lead lives of celibacy and self-imposed poverty? Gandhi responds that there are many manifestations of the Divine. The path he chose made sense to him, but it is up to each individual to find his or her own way, to conduct his or her own experiments with Truth, just as he had done. Some treat the Autobiography with a reverence due scripture. Scripture it is not, nor is it great literature. Nevertheless, you may very well find inspiration and insight for your own life, and you will certainly learn much about Gandhi, how he saw himself, his place, and his purpose.
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Summary: An insightful book
Review: Subtitled The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Mr. Gandhi uses anecdotes of situations in his life to illustrate his hunt for the truth in his and others'lives. The amazing thing is how well the anecdotes are expressed. With each story, Mr. Gandhi reveals himself to actually be the legendary figure that he became during the struggle by India for its independence from England. An insightful book, one that will help anyone who wishes to understand this man by viewing pieces of his life through his eyes. I recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who is interested in Gandhi, or even in the inner-workings of people's minds.
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Summary: Towering personality, excellent book
Review: The book is truly the story of his experiments with defining his life style and credos: it is not a chronicle of the struggle with the British Empire.
It is an excellent description of his personal journey toward a philosophy that preaches extreme humility and non-violence. The towering personality of this man is evident especially in moments of contrast with the rest of the world, when normal people attack him and he responds with grace, kindness and respect. The apparent simplicity of his philosophy hides the greatest challenge we have as humans: to control ourselves, to conquer our inside before even thinking of influencing the outside. Obviously, the shortcut everybody takes is to neglect the all-too-difficult control of the inside for the much easier conquest of the material world.
His search for Truth is a real adventure: perhaps the only adventure we should all pursue. His quest ties together with Zorba, the Bible, Jim Rohn: Truth will set you free, free to amend your errors, to live your own life, to blossom to the person you are really set to be. But Truth is upstream, as any other great thing: it is difficult to pursue.
And Truth can only be achieved through joyful service rendered to others.
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Summary: The greatest book.
Review: The greatest book that I have ever read. A simple man just like you and me and with great thoughts. It is not only gives details about Mahatma Gandhi but also many details about the Indian society at that time. I am pleasantly surprised that this inexpensive book is so good.
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