Gandhi gave us a more modern version of the old saint, and he articulated his own experiences very clearly in his autobiography. Reading this book will help you develop your convictions, and your reasons for them.

Gandhi, more than anything, tested things. He wanted to see what could handle close scrutiny (not judgement); what was durable in this world, and what very few things were worth holding on to at each stage of life.

Like a lot of masters, they have a dark side, and if you take the time to read into Gandhi as a person, he truly did not want the name “Mahatama” (meaning “great soul”) but instead preferred to live a life of simplicity and humility, where he could work on his devotion to truth, and to god. He was fallible, and that is what makes him worthy of being a guide along the path.

Gandhi was a valuable bridge to the west, as he was raised Hindu, but studied law in England. He became a very prominent figure in South Africa, and his practice of non-violent resistance was notably repeated from the actions of Jesus Christ (a popular spiritual figure in the west), were echoed contemporarily by Leo Tolstoy (you may want to read his book “The Kingdom of God is Within You”), and finally, non-violent resistance was embodied in the United States through the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. who was strongly influenced by Gandhi’s Satyagraha.

On a person level, if we set aside what Gandhi represented as a political leader, we can see a person a lot like ourselves, who is struggling to reconcile his relationship with god and of this world. When we live a life like Gandhi, of open mindedness and a willingness to experiment with all aspects of our life, we blissfully realize that so many things that we are extending effort for, are not worth our time. We find that we have so much energy to give to our spiritual practice, to our family, and to our true passions, once we witness the objective reality that our lives will be much better if they were only made simpler.