Parental Cultivation

Bhakti-tirtha Swami

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus:

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All Glories to ISKCON Founder Acarya Srila
Prabhupada!

     Below are some suggestions for all temples
to consider for an "International Campaign for
Parental Cultivation." These suggestions are for
support of the Centennial Petals "Enhancing
Worldwide Reputation" and the "Holy Name."

     Stay tuned, as I will be sending out
information in a few days about celebrating the
Holy Name Day and Interfaith Programs.


*INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR PARENTAL CULTIVATION*

     Our greatest attackers worldwide have been
some of our own parents, so by cultivating our
parents, we not only can stop many future attacks
but can have people out in the field who can be
some of our strongest advocates.

1) As our parents are attached to us they can be
either our greatest allies, or our greatest
adversaries.

2) Our parents have associations with many types
of people. If they are disturbed with us this will
negatively influence many people profoundly.
Especially since many people consider parents to
be authorities on their children.

3) Parents are always asked about their children,
if they are favorable they will be constantly
preaching about Krishna consciousness.

4) After all, they brought us into the world, and
we do seriously owe it to them to help them
receive certain benedictions.

5) Even if they do not become favorable we should
at least be able to make them neutral, as long as
they are unfavorable they will be hurting their
own evolution.

6) So many of us have been spoken about badly by
our own relatives, and denied inheritances etc.
because we did not take a little time to cultivate
our parents.

7) We are trying so many ways to influence the
world but we have forgotten that we have devotees
all over the world who, if somehow they are able
to make their relatives more favorable, could
generate such a naturally fantastic media campaign 
and support system.


MORNING ISTHAGOSTI

Each temple could use this period to discuss ideas
about how the devotees can try to cultivate their
parents or at least to help them not be
antagonistic. Needless to say this can also be
dangerous because in some cases the parents are 
just so antagonistic, or the devotee so weak that
there should be no question about the physical
visitation; such neutralizing in some cases can
only go on at a distance or through a third party.
Each temple and each devotee can come up with
different ideas and programs. I would like to
suggest a few ideas that could be considered:

1) Send to parents certain video, and audio tapes
especially videos like "Hare Krishna Today," as
well as copies of "ISKCON World Reviews."

2) Invite parents to special programs particularly
designed to influence them positively.

3) Implement a parents' night at the temple either
once a month, or twice a year. Have the parents
who are favorable speak to help convince those who
are unfavorable.

4) As many of us are older than some of the
parents of the youths that are now joining, we
should invite the parents to visit with us at the
temple so we can explain to them what their  
daughters or sons are doing.

5) Some devotees can visit their parents with
someone else's parent who is favorable.

6) If the relationship is too bad for any form of
visitation, we could send them a gift or letter
from time to time.

7) We should try to get a first class enthusiastic
parent to create an International or National
organization known as "Parents for Krsna!"   The
organization should have a newsletter, programs,
and projects to assist in enhancing the devotees
parents' appreciation of Srila Prabhupada and His 
mission. Each temple may want to have a
coordinator for their own parent organization.

8) For assisting with the Holy Name Petal this 
parental cultivation would be a good time to
explain to all about the importance of calling on 
various names of God, and encouraging our parents
that as they call on various names of God, and as
we are also calling on God, that this will  
spiritually always keep us in communication.   
Since may of their issues are around our physical
absence from them we should not demand that they
chant Hare Krishna, per se, but if they are
somewhat resistant, let them chant any name of God 
that they are comfortable with. one might even
encourage them to chant for five or ten minutes at
the same time every day, and as they chant at that
time, make them aware that we will also be
chanting at the same time, thinking about them,   
wishing them well.

     I have heard of a couple of cases where
devotees have very effectively cultivated their
aristocratic parents who were at very powerful
conventions, board meetings and cocktail parties
and proudly explained how their son or daughter is
a selfless Saint who has traveled all around the
world doing humanitarian services. Even if this
simply saves us from a few legal cases, or helps a
few parents to no longer be so offensive to the
movement, this will be well worth the effort, as
one important word in our managerial vocabulary is
to be PROACTIVE rather than REACTIVE! 

     In  other words, we can no longer just sit
waiting for the next parent to take legal actions,
arrange for deprogramming, negatively address the
media, or seriously hurt their own spiritual life
anymore. We owe it to our parents to find ways to
give them some mercy while we are trying to save
the world.

Yours in service to Srila Prabhupada.

Bhakti Tirtha Swami
