Page 16 - M&M - Eng
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xiv                                                  Preface

          email from Anuttama Dāsa, on behalf of the EC, part of which
          went as follows:

            One of the primary purposes of the Māyāpur Festival is to
            create  a sense of  community, friendship,  and camaraderie
            among ISKCON devotees.
            It is the opinion of the EC that the tone of the banners and
            posters used to promote your books run contrary to that goal
            and values. We respect that devotees have a right to a variety
            of opinions, but we believe those opinions need to be expressed
            in a way that doesn’t of fend or demean others.

            The  EC received several complaints about the banners, and
            upon discussing, decided they should remain down. Their tone,
            in our estimation, was derogatory, disturbing, and divisive.

            Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed the leaders of ISKCON to come to
            Māyāpur every year to discuss “Unity in Diversity.” While we
            may dif fer in viewpoints and methods of serving His Divine
            Grace, there is a need to maintain civility in our chosen ways
            of communicating.

            We (the EC members) have not read the book yet, and we reserve
            our opinion on such. We have not restricted or prohibited the
            sale of the book.

          It is not my intention to of fend or demean anyone, nor to
          unnecessarily incite disturbance or division. However, before
          we stress unity, let us f irst be united in understanding Śrīla
          Prabhupāda’s teachings and in acting accordingly. As I stated
          in My Memories of Śrīla Prabhupāda:
            Remembrance of Śrīla Prabhupāda, love for Śrīla Prabhupāda,
            praise of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and service to Śrīla Prabhupāda
            must all be based on obeying Śrīla Prabhupāda. Otherwise,
            such sentiments are superf icial, hypocritical, and devoid of the
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