The Gandhian Philosophy of Satyagraha: The grasping for and holding onto Truth

The Gandhian Philosophy of Satyagraha:
The grasping for and holding onto Truth

"In Satyagraha there is no victory or defeat. The objective is to find the Truth. So if, while making comparisons between defeat and victory, or success and failure, one chooses one over the other, perhaps one may not become a true Satyagrahi. A Satyagrahi looks only for the perception of Truth -- nothing else. Victory is partial; it is compared with defeat. And if one has the perception of victory and defeat, then there is fear and desire. As long as fear and desire remain in one's mind, one may not be a completely true Satyagrahi. So we have to rise above desire and fear. But the intention to find the Truth only, and to remain with it -- to insist upon it -- is Satyagraha.

Truth, according to the Buddhist viewpoint, has two levels: Absolute, and relative or conventional. In politics or social justice, the Absolute Truth does not work; we have to find out the relative truth upon which we have to work. And relative truth can differ from person to person, situation to situation, or time to time. As your perception of Truth changes, your insistence will also change. Satyagraha is amendable and reversible. Once your perception of a relative truth changes, your insistence will also accordingly need to be amended. Therefore Gandhi said, "I do not try to be consistent. My experiment with Truth is always progressing and improving. If and when my perception of truth changes, my actions and insistence will also accordingly go with it." Therefore Gandhi did not care about being inconsistent in his action and speech. What he cared about was that there should not be inconsistency between his perception of truth and his action. That is of utmost importance, whatever one considers. If we perceive truth, our action, speech, and thoughts must be in accordance with that truth. There cannot be any compromise or inconsistency in that regard. As soon as such inconsistency comes in, we are no longer Satyagrahis."

Samdhong Rinpoche
Uncompromising Truth for a Compromised World: Tibetan Buddhism for Today's World (pgs 163-164)

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