http:\/\/facebook.com\/gettingthemercy<\/a><\/p>\n– Foreword by Navina Nirada Prabhu:<\/p>\n
Dear reader,<\/p>\n
In his book Getting the Mercy, Preaching, Book Distribution and the
\nUltimate Goal, Caitanya Chandra prabhu, shares his 25 years of
\nexperience on sankirtana. A dear friend, current number one in book
\ndistribution and role model for sankirtan devotees and preachers
\nalike, he divulges secrets, realizations and his vision for personal,
\ncollective and global transformation.<\/p>\n
As a free ebook he made it easily available. Read it, live it, share it!<\/p>\n
In gratitude, your servant and friend,<\/p>\n
Navina Nirada dasa<\/p>\n
– Overview of the book:<\/p>\n
This book is divided into eight chapters, grouped into three parts.
\nThe four central chapters deal with topics directly connected with
\nbook distribution, while the first two and the last two are supportive
\nchapters, that supplement them with other relevant topics for a book
\ndistributor.<\/p>\n
The first chapter is an introduction. It examines the historical basis
\nfor book distribution, how it fits in the teachings of Lord Caitanya
\nand of the previous acaryas, and how it is connected with the
\nprediction that the holy names would be chanted in all towns and
\nvillages. It also examines how book distribution fits in the current
\nmodern environment (with e-books and other new mediums), and presents
\ndifferent ideas connected with the proper mood and mentality for one
\ninterested in serving as a book distributor. Pitfalls on the way are
\nalso examined.<\/p>\n
The second chapter deals with a rather important topic: how to work
\ntogether with other devotees to spread Krsna consciousness. As Srila
\nPrabhupada explains, \u201cthe distribution of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
\nshould be performed by combined forces\u201d. This is a simple concept to
\nunderstand in theory, after all, we all heard the expression \u201cunited
\nwe stand, divided we fall\u201d. However, when it comes to practice, we can
\nquickly realize that to work together with others is one of the most
\ndifficult things. Actually, to be able to work cooperatively with
\nother devotees from different backgrounds and cultures, in a peaceful
\nmood, is one of the ultimate tests of spiritual realization. Without
\nbeing able to work with others, it\u2019s impossible to maintain an
\norganized preaching effort.<\/p>\n
These first two chapters lay the foundation for the third chapter,
\nthat deals with the external aspects of book distribution: how to stop
\nand talk with people, how to present the books in interesting ways,
\nhow to cultivate interested persons and so on. It also deals with the
\nimportance of maintaining a good sadhana and studying the philosophy,
\nand how to deal with the mind. This is by far the largest chapter in
\nthe book.<\/p>\n
While the third chapter focuses on the external aspects of book
\ndistribution, the fourth chapter goes deep in the internal aspects,
\nexamining the internal work that needs to be done in order for one to
\nbecome stable in book distribution. In other words, the third chapter
\nis about how to distribute books, and the fourth chapter is about how
\nto continue distributing until the end of our lives.<\/p>\n
The fifth chapter is about maturity in book distribution. It\u2019s a
\nphilosophical chapter that examines sastric guidance for preachers.
\nFrequently, we think that we should approach people unrestrictedly and
\ninsist until they take a book or become exasperated, but actually, the
\nsastra gives guidance on different ways to deal with different classes
\nof people. These recommendations can be used to improve our book
\ndistribution, and especially to make the distribution easier for the
\nbook distributor, avoiding the burn-out effect that makes so many
\ndevotees abandon book distribution after some months or years of
\nstruggle. This chapter also speaks about the training of new book
\ndistributors.<\/p>\n
The sixth chapter closes the main body of the book, examining another
\nimportant aspect of book distribution: traveling sankirtana. It\u2019s very
\ndifficult for any book distributor to continue distributing day after
\nday in the same city, speaking with the same persons. Sooner or later,
\nalmost all book distributors come to the point that they want to
\ntravel and reach different publics. Srila Prabhupada himself was
\nemphasizing the importance of traveling sankirtana groups and giving
\nspecial blessings to devotees dedicating themselves to this service.
\nIt\u2019s not something easy to do, especially when one is traveling for
\nlong periods or living in a van, but we don\u2019t need to make it more
\ndifficult than it needs to be. Many times, traveling preachers may
\ndevelop an elitist mentality. This is balanced by discussing the
\nimportance of temples. This chapter also gives advice on how to
\nmaintain our health, discussing about exercise, eating habits and so
\non.<\/p>\n
The final two chapters offer additional points. They are not directly
\nabout book distribution but offer foundational topics, that reinforce
\nour bases, giving us a platform from which we can project our
\ndevotional efforts.<\/p>\n
One serious problem that we currently face in our society is the
\ndilution of our philosophical basis. More and more devotees are mixing
\ntheir Krsna consciousness with different mundane ideas and concepts,
\ndistancing themselves from the teachings of our acaryas. Others go in
\nthe opposite direction, becoming fanatic and adopting limited and
\ninflexible views, which are also detrimental.<\/p>\n
The seventh chapter has the goal of offering a balanced view,
\nexamining different ways in which one can go off astray. The history
\nof Vaishnavism is full of examples of different groups that deviated
\nin different ways, and thus ended becoming separated from the tree of
\nMahaprabhu. By learning from their mistakes, we can avoid committing
\nthe same blunders.<\/p>\n
Most of us are going to spend the majority of our lives living with a
\npartner, in a (hopefully!) loving relationship. While many passages of
\nour scriptures warn us about the dangers of grhamedhi life, others
\nemphasize the advantages of a healthy and progressive family life. The
\neighth chapter offers guidance on how to avoid the traps of sensual
\nindulgence, and how to build a safe environment for the development of
\nour Krsna consciousness, molding our family life as an asrama, a
\nplatform from which we can advance to higher realms of devotional
\nservice. The primary goal is to offer advice to serious devotees that
\ndesire to build a family that can support their service, but this
\nchapter can also be useful for brahmacharis since it emphasizes the
\nduties and regulations of family life in Krsna consciousness (it\u2019s not
\neasy!). By understanding the duties and responsibilities, one can make
\na mature and conscious decision to avoid it, if that’s the case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/uNLzKm8.jpg\")
Caitanya Chandra dasa: Srila Prabhupada once said that history will mark how ISKCON saved the world in its darkest hour. As the world society becomes more and more degraded, our mission to step forward and bring some light in the form of spiritual books becomes more and more urgent and necessary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-message-board"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=78513"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78516,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78513\/revisions\/78516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=78513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=78513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=78513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}