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Our Family Business

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About this bookA clear overview of the title

What if you could build your devotee community, deepen your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, give others the opportunity to learn about bhakti, and perform the dharma of the age all at the same time?

In this very readable book, Vaiśeṣika Dāsa discusses why we should join the family business of distributing transcendental knowledge through the written word, as well as how book distribution benefits distributors, the devotional community, and all those who receive one of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books.

Our Family Business makes it clear that every devotee and every service is part of the saṅkīrtana effort. Even if book distribution is not your primary service, expect to be enlightened, encouraged, and enlivened by reading this book.

Authors and narratorsAuthor, narrator and translator details

Author information

Vaiśeṣika Dāsa

Vaiśeṣika Dāsa was born in 1956. As a teen, he was an avid spiritual seeker. Soon after receiving a /"Back to Godhead"/ magazine from a friend in the spring of 1973, he moved into the ISKCON temple in San Francisco at the age of sixteen, and with the blessings of his parents, became a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda and a full-time monk dedicated to the practice of Kṛṣṇa bhakti.

Today he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Nirakula Devī Dāsī, also a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Together they have developed an ISKCON community of three hundred families in Silicon Valley, which is based on the study and distribution of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. He is an initiating guru in ISKCON. He travels widely to teach the tenets of devotional service and the great art of distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books.

Contents243 listed sections
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for Our Family Business
  3. “The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all.”
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Dedication
  7. Contents
  8. Foreword
  9. Preface
  10. Acknowledgments
  11. Introduction
  12. Chronicles
  13. chapter one: The Ambassador of Goodwill
  14. My Prayers Are Answered
  15. My New Home
  16. God Reveals Himself Through Scripture
  17. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Labor of Love
  18. Print Books
  19. Śrīla Prabhupāda Begins Publishing
  20. A Representative from the Spiritual World
  21. chapter two: Becoming an Ambassador of Goodwill
  22. A Line of Unselfish Servants
  23. “Become Guru!”
  24. Service Inherited
  25. The Best Job in the Universe
  26. Promoted
  27. Saved By Service
  28. “Higher-Class Propaganda Work”
  29. chapter three: Apply the Order
  30. Commitment Empowers Action
  31. Doing the Impossible
  32. Guaranteed Success
  33. The Agent of Divine Mercy
  34. The Power Is in the Instruction
  35. Dive In
  36. chapter four: Press On
  37. The 1968 Macmillan Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
  38. ISKCON Press
  39. But How Will We Sell These Books?
  40. Kṛṣṇa Book Is Published
  41. Books Arrive in Waves
  42. Free from Errors
  43. Kṛṣṇa Book Saves the Day
  44. chapter five: The Rest Is History
  45. Fortune Favors the Bold
  46. Leap, and the Net Will Appear
  47. A Life-Changing Expedition
  48. Depending on Kṛṣṇa Totally
  49. A First Big Book on the Street
  50. I’m Just Doing It
  51. A Meteoric Rise
  52. Organization Begins
  53. “The Only Solace in My Life”
  54. Spontaneous Attraction for Book Distribution
  55. New Heights
  56. The BBT Book Distribution Party
  57. More Than Any Sannyāsī
  58. Vaiṣṇavī Book Distributors
  59. Persistence and Prayer
  60. Traveling Saṅkīrtana
  61. chapter six: The United Nations of Book Distribution
  62. “Profusely Throughout the World”
  63. History Repeats
  64. India
  65. Mahā-kumbha-melā
  66. Japan
  67. Europe Catches Fire
  68. Translating the Absolute Truth
  69. Dynamic Distribution on the Streets of Europe
  70. Mexico
  71. Australia
  72. Extreme Enthusiasm
  73. The UK Awakens
  74. To Russia with Love
  75. Book Distribution to the World of Academics
  76. Postscript of the Explosion
  77. Tenets
  78. chapter seven: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword
  79. The Written Word’s Sway on Humanity
  80. An Authentic Record
  81. The Literary Outspread of Ideas
  82. Fire Will Act
  83. Cut the Knots of Attachment
  84. Liberation By Sound
  85. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Books Are Literary Incarnations of God
  86. Books Penetrate Society
  87. But Do Books Sell?
  88. Intimate Association
  89. Some Day People Will Come to Understand
  90. Let Kṛṣṇa Do His Magic
  91. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Pen
  92. Conquering Empires
  93. chapter eight: Book Distribution Is Our Family Business
  94. How Is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Business Plan Transcendental?
  95. Rough Beginnings
  96. The BBT Expands
  97. ISKCON Jump-started
  98. The BBT’s Exclusive Rights
  99. “Our Book Business Is Sufficient”
  100. Giving the Gift
  101. The Origin of Our Family Business
  102. Value Added
  103. chapter nine: Literary Kīrtana and the Yuga-dharma
  104. Saṅkīrtana Means “In Public”
  105. Saṅkīrtana Means to Spread the Teachings
  106. Saṅkīrtana and the Written Word
  107. Distributing Books Is also Saṅkīrtana
  108. “Where Is Book?”
  109. “The Sales Figures Give Me Life”
  110. Our Real Business
  111. Big Saṅkīrtana
  112. The Bookstore
  113. Chanting Goes with Books
  114. Vyāsadeva’s Influence
  115. The Connoisseur of Written Scriptures
  116. chapter ten: Heavy Lifting
  117. The Gosvāmīs Rūpa and Sanātana Worked Hard
  118. Carry Firewood
  119. Sacred Fire
  120. Trust the Hand
  121. chapter eleven: Faith in God and Strength of Mind
  122. But There Are Risks
  123. Facing Adversity for Kṛṣṇa Makes One Strong
  124. “Street Smarts”
  125. Distributing Books Helps Overcome the Mind
  126. The Blessing of Tolerance
  127. Controlling Anger
  128. Spiritual Blood
  129. Special Mercy
  130. Meditation
  131. Don’t Be Liberated Alone
  132. Don’t Stop
  133. chapter twelve: Confidential Service
  134. This Is Service
  135. Become an Intimate Friend
  136. Transcendental Anxiety
  137. Transcendental Maneuvers
  138. The Navadvīpa-Vṛndāvana Link
  139. Mood of the Gopīs
  140. Go On Hearing
  141. Service to Lord Caitanya Leads One to Vṛndāvana
  142. Spiritual Currency
  143. A Guarantee
  144. Axioms
  145. chapter thirteen: Your Sādhana Must Be Strong
  146. Devotees Who Practice Strong Sādhana Are Attractive
  147. Share the Overflow
  148. Sādhakas Appreciate Scripture
  149. Strong Sādhana Gives Transcendental Vision
  150. chapter fourteen: What Is Strong Sādhana?
  151. Back to Basics
  152. Strong Sādhana Means Proper Attitude
  153. More on Attitude: One Should Feel Helpless
  154. The Strong Sādhaka Is Vigilant
  155. Strong Sādhana Is Regularly Performed
  156. The Power of Showing Up
  157. Strong Sādhana Is Attentive
  158. Sādhana Should Be Goal-oriented
  159. Practice By Personal Capacity and Taste
  160. Start the Regulation Habit
  161. chapter fifteen: Get Books!
  162. Success = Preparation + Opportunity
  163. Avoid Violence
  164. Books to Go
  165. Vincent Gets a Book
  166. A Rare Privilege
  167. chapter sixteen: The More You Show, The More You Sell
  168. Pour Out the Happiness
  169. The Best Book Distributors
  170. Display the Books
  171. Determination Pays
  172. Innovative Displays
  173. Looking for Love
  174. chapter seventeen: You Must Organize
  175. Brainstorm
  176. Mission Statement
  177. “Organize and Sell Books”
  178. Frame or Be Framed
  179. Setting Goals
  180. The Magic of Setting Goals
  181. The Written Plan
  182. Carry Out Your Plan
  183. Incremental Improvements
  184. Create Systems
  185. Get the Right and Best Tools
  186. Employ the Principles
  187. chapter eighteen: Mood and Method
  188. Our Prime Objective
  189. Methods
  190. Meeting People Who Don’t Speak Your Language
  191. Distributing eBooks
  192. The Smart Box
  193. chapter nineteen: Distributing Books Door to Door
  194. Advantages of Going Door to Door
  195. Tips for Going Door to Door
  196. chapter twenty: Selling Sets of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Books
  197. Making Space
  198. The Nuclear Option
  199. Standard Practice
  200. A Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Presentation
  201. An Outline for How to Introduce Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
  202. chapter twenty-one: The Monthly Saṅkīrtana Festival
  203. A Lot of People Each Doing a Little
  204. Lower the Bar of Expectations
  205. Emphasize Teamwork
  206. Encourage Team Members
  207. Empowerment
  208. Tools of Empowerment
  209. All the Participants Having Fun Together
  210. Everyone Rising Together to Meet Fresh Challenges
  211. Developing Themes for the MSF
  212. Plan Ahead
  213. Getting It Done
  214. New Services and Teams Within Teams
  215. Realizations
  216. chapter twenty-two: The Penny Principle
  217. It’s Better to Give Than to Receive
  218. Sacrifice Is Valuable
  219. Divine Charity
  220. Giving Grows
  221. Acts of Bhakti Are Special
  222. Kṛṣṇa’s Devotees Are His Agents
  223. Bhakti Credit Accumulates
  224. chapter twenty-three: The Thoughtfulness Principle
  225. A Legacy of Thoughtful Vaiṣṇavas
  226. Lord Caitanya and the Thoughtfulness Principle
  227. The Key Principle: Relevance
  228. “Dress... Then Address”
  229. Appreciation Opens the Heart
  230. A Spoonful of Sugar
  231. chapter twenty-four: On the Other Side of the Door
  232. Urgency
  233. Where Are the Results?
  234. Refining Our Approach
  235. Have Faith in Good Seeds
  236. Book Distribution Is Fun and Easy
  237. The Confident Path Back to Godhead
  238. Connected and Engaged
  239. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Books Are the Basis
  240. The Heart of ISKCON
  241. Concluding Words
  242. The Author
  243. Notes

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