GANDHI “SALT COMMUNION” SERVICE
By Robin Haruna, minister
Unity of Bandon, Oregon
OVERVIEW
The Salt Communion was originally celebrated at Unity of Bandon on the last Sunday of the 2005
Season for Nonviolence1. That year I presented “The Wisdom of Gandhi” seven-week series2 during
the Season for Nonviolence, and I created this ceremony as the conclusion for both the Season and the
series. I drew inspiration for the Salt Communion from a Unitarian-Universalist service that one of our
board members described. Our annual observance of the Season for Nonviolence is meaningful in our
ministry, and we have used the Salt Communion service for its conclusion several times since 2005.
THE SALT COMMUNION
For the service we prepare several platters of
salt; I usually use a variety of salts including
table salt, rock salt, and some red clay or natural
salt. These are arranged on an altar at the front
of the sanctuary prior to the service.
My Sunday talk typically recaps the life of
Gandhi, based on the seven-week series
materials for “The Wisdom of Gandhi.” I explain
that the Salt March that Gandhi made in 1930 to
the Indian Sea was a demonstration for Indian
Independence from Great Britain. I then talk
about the importance of salt, as an essential nutrient in our bodies, etc. (In the next section, Sermon
Notes, I’ve provided the outline I’ve used to prepare my talks, as well as the concluding Invitation to
Salt Communion.)
At the conclusion of the talk, congregants are
invited to take “Salt Communion.” The platters are
passed around the congregation with small
spoons, and congregants are invited to take and
taste the salt. As the platters are passed,
someone leads us in a chant, often with
drumming. We sing a Sufi chant or something
similar.
1
For more information on the Season for Nonviolence (Jan. 30 – Apr. 4), visit the Association for Global New
Thought website: www.agnt.org. This site contains a wealth of activity ideas and links for celebrating the Season.
2
“The Wisdom of Gandhi” seven-week series was created by Rev. Baine Palmer at Unity of the Valley, Eugene,
Oregon; the series kit is available for free download at: http://www.unityofthevalley.org/Gandhi.htm. The kit
includes sermon and meditation transcripts, small group handouts and facilitator guides, bulletin inserts, and
promotional artwork. The series is based on the book Gandhi the Man by Eknath Easwaran, available from the
Blue Mountain Center of Meditation: www.easwaran.org. (If you plan to order several books, contact them for
information on discounts.)
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SERMON NOTES FOR THE “SALT COMMUNION” SERVICE
Shared on the Last Sunday of the Season for Nonviolence
GANDHI
Gandhi was strong, positive, and powerful, BUT very, very shy. He was less than an average student;
his only memories of elementary school were difficulty with multiplication and calling his teacher all
kinds of names. At age 13 he married, as was then traditional in India. He says he was a passionate,
jealous, and exacting husband.
Gandhi said, "I used to be very shy and avoided all company." And yet he became the father of
nonviolence. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited India (after Gandhi’s death) and used his teachings to
bring profound and lasting changes to the social structure of our own country.
So how did this man, whose only distinctions were a deep fear of the dark and huge ears, turn into "the
most important religious figure of our time," shedding light on economics, politics, philosophy, even diet
and health?
The Key: To change his life, Gandhi had to change his way of thinking – deeper than any custom or
culture. He began to experiment with a simpler way of life: he walked everywhere, wore simple clothing,
strictly adhered to a vegetarian diet, and founded ashrams (communities) that sought to be as selfreliant as possible.
SALT SATYAGRAHA OF 1930
Meaning of Satyagraha: Demonstrations for Indian Independence took many forms: marches, fasts,
boycotts, and nonviolent/civil disobedience. Gandhi developed “satyagraha” as the practical extension
of ahimsa and love; the term is the blending of two Sanskrit words and means standing firmly behind
one’s ideals, but without hatred.
satya = truth, “that which is,” love.
agraha = firmness or force.
satyagraha = “Soul-Force” or “The power of truth.”
The Salt March of 1930 was an important event in the Indian independence movement. Specifically it
was a campaign of nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly in colonial India. It triggered the
wider Civil Disobedience Movement, bringing Gandhi and the Indian struggle to the attention of the
world.
The idea of the Salt March came to Gandhi in a dream. The British government had imposed a new
law forbidding Indians to make their own salt, requiring them to purchase it from the British. Especially
in the hot Indian climate, salt represented Life—one couldn’t live very long without it.
The march began with Gandhi and 78 of his most trusted followers walking to the coastal town of
Dandi, 240 miles away, where salt from the sea lay free for the taking. Gandhi was 61 years old, and he
marched 12 miles each day, preaching in the villages they stopped in along the way. The 78 people
swelled to several thousand during the journey, and Gandhi prayed for strength to resist any violence
that might sweep away the large crowd.
HISTORY OF SALT
Salt’s preservative powers made it an absolute necessity of life and virtual synonym for essential lifegiving forces. Salt was endowed with religious significance. It was also associated with the destruction
of life: after war, salt was sowed on enemies’ fields to poison them.
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The first written reference to salt is found in the Hebrew Scriptures’ Book of Job, recorded about 2,250
B.C.E.: Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.
In the ancient world, salt symbolized the making of a covenant: Roman soldiers were paid salarium
argentum (“salt money”), from which we take our English word, “salary.” The Egyptians, Greeks, and
Romans invoked their gods with offerings of salt and water.
In Hinduism, salt is used in religious ceremonies like housewarmings and weddings.
In Shintoism, salt is used in ritual purification of locations and people, as in sumo wrestling.
In Arabic cultures, the bond created in eating salt together is in the highest degree sacred and is
sometimes referred to as “salt communion.”
SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SALT
In the New Testament, in the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus refers to his followers as the “salt of the
earth.” “You are the salt of the earth…have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.”
–Mark 9:50
You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It
is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
You are the light of the world... let your light shine before others, so that they may see
your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
“You are the salt of the earth…” What does that mean?
• Those of great worth and reliability
• A person or group considered as best or noblest part of society
• A valuable person or group of people; people on whom one can rely.
• Grounded; down to earth; "real"; values frankness
• Not bland or blah
• To be “worth one’s salt” means efficient and capable
During the time of Jesus: Salt was an essential preservative in 1st century Palestine. It was mined in
rock formations along the Dead Sea. Salt was a medium of exchange and barter in the marketplace. It
was always mixed with ritual incense; the Jewish high priest was required to use salt as part of every
sacrifice offered at the Temple. Salt was a symbol of making a covenant.
Jesus knew some qualities of Salt: Salt enhances flavor; preserves; is a purifying agent; cleanses
wounds – it stings. When mixed with impurities, salt loses its ability to enhance.
The spiritual life is seasoned with the salt of truth—we need to consistently put into practice our spiritual
teachings. Salt represents the thoughts in us that understand, love, and obey Truth as Jesus taught
and demonstrated.
Jesus didn't know: Salt is the combination of equal parts of sodium and chloride. This combination
can do wondrous things, but alone – separate – each is toxic to the body. This balance of two toxic
elements gives salt its peculiar and essential life-giving qualities.
We as peacemakers are called to balance the world.
We lose our saltiness:
• If we dilute our lives to the point that we lose ourselves.
• If we add impurities – the 1001 things that absorb and consume our energy.
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•
•
If we hide with other seasonings – sugar-coat the Truth.
If we lock it away and keep our salty self in a crystal jar with a sterling cap, sooner or later it
turns green.
When we allow our saltiness to express:
• As salt preserves, Jesus preserved the Jewish faith. We preserve the faith of others by not
allowing our words to "spoil" their joy.
• As salt seasons and enriches taste, so do we season and enrich life and our relationships.
• As salt melts ice, we can melt the coldness of the world.
• As salt cleanses wounds, our words can sting and irritate the wounds of those who avoid
healing, by clinging to rage, victimhood, or revenge.
• As salt can dissolve, we can dissolve and release from consciousness that which is no longer
needed.
• As salt is found in our sweat and tears, we can know the human emotions of another and be
with them in loving-kindness.
We must balance our saltiness:
• As the elements of salt must be balanced or they are toxic, we need to balance honesty with
compassion, to ourselves and others. Don't dilute the Truth or sugar-coat it, AND don't use it to
beat yourself up; this can be cutting, biting or stinging.
• As salt can crystallize and become too hard, we can get so caught up in the past (Lot's wife) or
in our identity that we can't move: we become crystallized in our thoughts.
Why a “Salt Communion”? Ritual more effectively addresses us as whole persons, not just the mind.
INVITATION TO SALT COMMUNION
In India, there was a tax on salt. In 1930, Gandhi began his greatest nonviolent campaign to end that
oppression. Thousands were beaten as they marched to the sea to take their salt. In honor of their
courage and their "Truth Force" – satyagraha – I invite you to share salt.
•
•
•
•
•
I invite you to share salt to honor Mahatma Gandhi.
I invite you to share salt to acknowledge the self-discipline and labor which is the source of the
bread of life.
I invite you to share salt with the knowledge that judgment must be used. Too much becomes a
poison in the system. Too little becomes a hunger and a longing.
I invite you to share salt in affirmation that "You are the salt of the earth."
I invite you to share salt in the loving-kindness of sweat and tears, we taste our humanness.
In all the meanings of SALT, I invite you to share:
•
•
•
I invite you to Step out in Faith
I invite you to affirm: I am strong, positive and powerful.
I invite you to see possibility.
As the salt is passed, you are invited to take and taste.
(Platters with various types of salt are passed around the congregation. We are led in a chant that
continues as the salt is being passed around the sanctuary.)
We are the salt of the earth. We are being called to restore balance and light to the world.
For more ideas, please feel free to contact me at: [email protected]
www.unityofbandon.org
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