Page 16 - M&M - Eng
P. 16
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