A Meditation on Free Speech - Dr. Anantanand Rambachan

Editors Note: CTV focuses on bringing positive change on all levels, overcoming violence in action, speech and thoughts.  This article is a reminder to us all about balancing our right to free speech, which is very important in this country, with the importance of not harming with the words that we say.

I knew that my religion had much to say about speech and so I turned to the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita for guidance on what the Hindu tradition could contribute to our understanding of speech in the public sphere.  The Bhagavad Gita commends the “discipline of speech” and describes it as satisfying four criteria. It is speech (1) that does not cause pain to another, (2) that is true, (3) respectful and (4) beneficial. Speech is disciplined only when all four criteria are met.

Because the right of free speech was not always protected, and there are still many places in the world where it is not guaranteed, the emphasis in our discourse about speech is properly on freedom. Our value for freedom of speech is conveyed best in words attributed to Voltaire: “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it.” As precious as this freedom is for us, it does not alone constitute the “discipline of speech” as commended in the Bhagavad Gita. Speech is not as free as it may claim to be when words or other symbols are employed with the sole intention of inflicting pain, when truth is disregarded, when the other is disrespected and when the outcome is suffering.

What about the criterion truth one may ask?  Do we not have an obligation to speak the truth regardless of consequences or any other criteria?  Leaving aside the challenges and complexities of determining what is truth, especially when it involves a religious tradition other than our own, it is important to note that in the order of criteria in the Bhagavad Gita, the obligation not to inflict pain precedes truth. Ahimsa, that is non-hurting, guides and informs our obligation to truth and always precedes it in the listings of virtues in Hindu sacred texts.  In good human relationships, and it is these that are of concern to us, we do not privilege truth speaking above all else. We value love and its expressions in generosity, care and delight in the happiness of others. Truth is never championed inhumanely and with heedless disregard for human well-being. Truth is one of many obligations in a complex set of values that defines and sustains mutually enriching relationships and there is no good reason why relationships with our neighbors of other faiths should be excluded from such considerations.

Does the “discipline of speech”, enunciated in the Bhagavad Gita, mean that in interreligious communities one does not enjoy the liberty to be critical of another’s beliefs and practices? One of the most famous students of the Bhagavad Gita, Mahatma Gandhi, pondered this question. Gandhi does not rule out public criticism of other religions but, most importantly, believed that the right to criticize another religion had to be earned. It is earned, according to Gandhi, by a careful and sympathetic study of the scriptures of other religions and a willingness to appreciate all that is good in these traditions. Such a study should be undertaken through the writings of the finest exponents and practitioners of the tradition. It is earned also by the cultivation of friendship and trust with people of other traditions. In the absence of trust, criticism is heard as a demonization.

Gandhi exemplified some of the highest possibilities of interreligious relationships in his friendship with the Christian priest, Charles Andrews. They remained faithful to their respective traditions, learned deeply from each other and disagreed publicly. Gandhi’s words, written after a disagreement with Andrews, convey the profound trust and mutual respect that permeated their relationship.  “It is so like him,” wrote Gandhi. “Whenever he feels hurt over anything I have done-and this is by no means the first of such occasions–he deluges me with letters without waiting for an answer. For it is love speaking to love, not arguing.” We are a very long way from cultivating interreligious relationships in which criticism is received as “love speaking to love,” This alone, however, will save our relationships from suspicion and superficiality.

These are famous words of the Bṛhadaraṇyaka Upaniṣhad:

Lead us from untruth to truth

Lead us from darkness to light

Lead us from death to immortality

May the words that we speak be always free but free also in the most profound religious sense: free from the intention to hurt, free from falsehood, free from disrespect, and free from violence.   May our words be peaceful, truthful, respectful and helpful.

This article has been printed with permission from Dr. Anantanand Rambachand

Dr. Anantanand Rambachan, an internationally known scholar of Hinduism, is Professor of Religion and Chair of the Department of Religion at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he has taught since 1985. A native of Trinidad, he received the M.A. and Ph. D. from the University of Leeds, England. He is the author of many books including The Hindu Vision (1992), Gitamrtam: The Essential Teaching of the Bhagavad Gita [Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1993), and The Advaita Worldview: God, World and Humanity (2006). He has been active in interfaith programs with the World Council of Churches as well as the Vatican for twenty-five years as well as in the local setting in Minnesota. He currently serves on the board of trustees of the Parliament of the World’s Religions.  He is widely respected as a spokesperson for Hinduism and a bridge-builder between Hindus and other religious communities.

U.N. Secretary-general Emphasizes Need For Optimism And Disarmament Education

Carry the Vision Directors Bob and Nancy Weeks heard the U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon speak at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and were inspired by what he had to say. They wrote this article for our newsletter.

Mr. Ban Ki-moon briefly stayed in Novato, California as a high school exchange student which he said "opened his eyes to the world." He had an extensive career in international diplomacy and was serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade for his native South Korea when he was appointed as Secretary General of the United Nations in 2007.

Mr. Ban gave an impassioned speech about advancing disarmament and seeking peace in an over-armed world. He spoke of his personal history with the Test Ban Treaty and noted that “Ban” is “in my name and in my blood.” Mr. Ban has re-energized nuclear disarmament efforts because the world spends more on weapons in one month than all other spending for a whole year. This emphasis on weapons makes the world over-armed while peace efforts are underfunded.

Mr. Ban said disarmament education is important to refute the claim that nuclear disarmament is “utopian”, teach the illegitimacy of weapons and build a global culture of peace. Such education is vital because half the people of the world are under 25 years of age. They need education, jobs and a vision for the future. Mr. Ban tells leaders of the world to listen to the aspirations of their people, especially women and children. He set the example by appointing a 29 year old as a U. N. Special Envoy, the youngest person to serve in this capacity.  Mr. Ban has also appointed more women to U. N. positions. He said an optimistic vision of a safer and sustainable world is required and encouraged everyone to be global citizens.    

 Mr. Ban will serve as Secretary-General through the end of 2016. We are grateful to have such an inspiring person leading the United Nations during these challenging times.

A Message from Carry the Vision's President

Ellen Grace O'BrianI send you greetings of peace in this season of peace - may it be known and experienced by all. As this year draws to a close, I am reflecting on the steps that Carry the Vision has taken to build a culture of peace and nonviolence and thepossibilities that are before us yet to be realized. What can one person or one organization do that will turn the tide of violence?

Getting in touch with what we care most deeply about, and sharing that with others, is one of the most profound and simple strategies of nonviolence available to us all. When we do this, we find that the human heart's capacity for love, for compassion and caring action is infinite. And when we share that deep caring with another human being, a little more light, a little more hope, comes into our world.

Years ago I heard a Catholic sister who works tirelessly for peace offer these words of advice: Never give in to despair by thinking that what you do, or can do, is not enough. The need for real change is urgent and great in our nation and our world today. And yet, when we bring our energy together, we discover that we have the resources to rise up and meet that need.

In the days and months ahead, we at CTV will continue to work with you to do all that we can to realize a culture of nonviolence.

 Ellen Grace O'Brian