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Social: Will indirect preaching lead to a frustation like Vyasadeva's?

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      CommentAuthorabhiram
    • CommentTimeJun 5th 2008
     
    You know the story, he wrote so many indirect books that didnt glorify directly Krishna and felt frustrated.
    He did it to somehow connect people to the right path so that in due curse of time they would worship krishna.

    So this sounds to me like indirect preaching, urban preaching etc. You somehow try to bring people closer to Krishna by other means.
    It is not that i am against it, only that i made the connection between these two the other day and i wanted to discuss it.
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    BG 18-36
    "That which in the beginning may be just like poison but at the end is just like nectar and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness."

    Dificult things turn easy at the end and the other way around. So, expect drawbacks from easier indirect preaching (like the books taken from a free stand in the US and stamped BS a few days ago, see http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/news/05-08/news2017.htm ) and wonderful results from direct "troublesome" "old style" outreach.
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      CommentAuthorrasa108
    • CommentTimeJun 7th 2008
     
    mmm interesting, SP's instruction was not to distribute his books for free and to always get a donation...we can see the results of not following this instruction...I remember myself going out with devotee's in the early 80's when free book distribution was in full swing - this was in the days when oil paintings etc. were sold and some of the money was used to buy books and then the books were given out...I remember at the end of the day the devotees having to go through all the rubbish bins to pick out the trashed books!!
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      CommentAuthorVEDA
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2008
     
    Trashing happens also where normal b.d. is underway. This is Kali yuga after all.

    SP was not against sponsored b.d. - Sastra Dana wouldn't happen otherwise.
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      CommentAuthormishra
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2008 edited
     
    VEDA:Trashing happens also where normal b.d. is underway. This is Kali yuga after all. SP was not against sponsored b.d. - Sastra Dana wouldn't happen otherwise.
    It is psychological: people who pay for it, they are unlikely to trash. Also depends on the strength of the argument that they bought it. If it is some feeble "donation for needy" or it was sold with sound arguments that made them interested or at least curious. Shastra dana is nice in India, because they already respect and know shastra. In the western world it is a disaster.
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      CommentAuthorrasa108
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2008 edited
     
    VEDA:Trashing happens also where normal b.d. is underway. This is Kali yuga after all. SP was not against sponsored b.d. - Sastra Dana wouldn't happen otherwise.
    Srila Prabhupada was against giving out books for free...sponsorship is one thing and may work in India...giving out books for free on the street is another and is against SP's instructions...I know there is a direct quote about this from vedabase, anyone?
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      CommentAuthorabhiram
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2008
     
    and what about giving out books for free as PDF???
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      CommentAuthormishra
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2008
     
    The people has to find us and click to download, so there is already some interest on their part.
    Experience tells us that a spiritual mature person will ask for "hardware" like real books, etc.
    People likes to contribute to what they feel connected and nothing replaces a book, after all.
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      CommentAuthorVEDA
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2008
     
    mishra: I don't agree about 'disaster'. We must speak about two different things.

    rasa108: Sastra Dana is not 'giving out books for free on the street'. Check out sastradana.com
    Thankful People: mishra
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      CommentAuthorrasa108
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2008 edited
     
    VEDA:rasa108: Sastra Dana is not 'giving out books for free on the street'. Check out sastradana.com
    Not neccessary as I am aware of Sastra Dana...if you read my statement carefully, I have separated the two....read again Veda.
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      CommentAuthorsitapati
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2008
     
    the giving books out for free in a stand thing is impersonal, so it has drawbacks.

    Purely Indirect preaching always sucks - as in it sucks your will to live. The trick is to do direct preaching, and turn the rest of your life into indirect preaching. What do you do when you're not preaching? Indirect preaching.
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      CommentAuthormishra
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2008
     
    VEDA:mishra: I don't agree about 'disaster'. We must speak about two different things.
    VEDA: Select your choice word, but I am sure it will not be "success" :(
    • CommentAuthordeena
    • CommentTimeJun 9th 2008 edited
     
    Vyasadev's frustration was due to the fact that his preaching actually encouraged sense gratification in the guise of religion.

    What other types of current preaching would fit this description?
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      CommentAuthorVEDA
    • CommentTimeJun 9th 2008
     
    Mishra, if 'success' is making devotees than it is successful. Contact SD managers for names.

    Bookstores are also impersonal yet many devotees found the books there.

    The idea is to have all kinds of preaching going on simultaneously and trying to find new ones:

    "We should always be eager to find out such nice ways to spread this Movement. This will automatically bring joy to the devotees as well as to the nondevotees." (SP letter to Jagadisa - Bombay 17 November, 1970)
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      CommentAuthormishra
    • CommentTimeJun 9th 2008
     
    VEDA:
    In the ultimate analysis, SP books are powerful in themselves, whatever the means of distribution.
    The subject of this question is another. If indirect preaching will cause frustration, and that you can already see in the defaced books episode.
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      CommentAuthorVEDA
    • CommentTimeJun 9th 2008
     
    I understand it only as an excess, not a rule. When the bookstands are properly placed in stores so they can be watched, the chance that this happens is rather small.
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      CommentAuthorekendra
    • CommentTimeJun 9th 2008
     
    abhiram:and what about giving out books for free as PDF???
    I wonder if it is offensive to see the .pdf file in the recycle bin on the computer? :) I think it has a lot to do with intention. I do remember once complaining about devotees handing out boxes of sponsored books for free. Then the devotee who was doing it showed me a quotation from Srila Prabhupada that permitted it. It satisfied me enough at the time but I can't remember exactly what quote that was. If anyone has the time to search the Vedabase I'd be interested.

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