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