Page 3 - OSSISPS - Eng
P. 3

AppreciAtions of the first edition


           I have just read your recent book  On Speaking Strongly.
           Congratulations on doing exactly that. It is quite a wake-up call,
           and I hope it awakens within many a reassesment of where they
           are at or going. Perhaps it will also evoke some meaningful and
           beneficial counter-approaches for further understanding. So many
           relevant and well-chosen quotes. At least a desire to study and
           hear from Çréla Prabhupäda resulted from my reading. It struck me
           that the strong speaking was first to be applied to myself—cut out
           compromise.
           The influence of reading so many other books by outsiders appears
           to affect our way of thinking and acting a lot—everything from
           rasika to science, other  sampradäyas,  other religions. Devotees
           who are scholars seem to be directing the ways of the movement in
           terms of the preaching approach and application of the philosophy
           often at the cost of pure  bhakti.  Heavy  saìkértana,  pioneering,
           challenging situations, difficulties are not in vogue.

           By preaching strongly we have to become strong. We have to let go
           of the anarthas within.

           Sometimes ulterior motives dictate our modus operandi. We do
           not want to expose, accept, or remove shortcomings.

           I believe we need to be on the preaching front, and if we are
           not,  there  is  more  likelihood  to  adopt  an  indirect  approach  to
           preaching.
                                                  Janänanda Goswami
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