Mass Prasadam Production Thoughts
For me the pleasure of making prasadam and giving it to others is an amazing gift, so I was somewhat disturbed to hear of a plan for the mass production of cheesecakes.
The reason is for me two fouled:
1) It is a proposal from a preaching centre, with money raised from private individuals in order to finance the adventure
2) For me the pleasure in Prasadam is giving it out to others, it is an special gift and a loving exchange.
Yes I know centres need money, this is practical, and it must also be in some way applauded that the idea of mass-producing prasadam for sale in supermarkets like Tesco and ASDA.
But I am feeling that a word of caution and concern should also be voiced, on two accounts:
1) The making of money is the business of those with the vaisya’s propensity and living in the grhastha ashram, to make money to raise funds in order to speculate then to use this money to help fund temple/centre activities. I feel that it is not those who are in the brahmana or brahmacarya ashram, who should be free to help progress and advance individuals in Krishna consciousness.
2) We are missing the power and preaching opportunities given to us by personal contact, by making a nice prasadam preparation and then giving it directly, this is an amazing loving exchange. People recognise this unique exchange it breaks down barriers and gives many opportunities to share love of god.
Yes I am aware that centres and temples need money, but when we are distributing in a away that for me appears to be hinders the exchange between devotee and those who have forgotten that their devotees, people who need to see and understand that the prasadam is given and made by devotees for the pleasure of Krishna.
I have seen first hand were centres have been successful and profitable, the key has been not that they are focused on making money to run the centres; but simply on making devotees. The emphasis is simple a small class then prasadam, in exchange those attending gets lots of devotee association and all this for the price of a Big Mac, the only difference is that eating prasadam and taking association will save the eternal soul, the Big Mac will only stave off hunger for a few hours.
I wish the devotees in the preaching centre all the best in their venture, but I just in my hearts of hearts wish they would just spend a few months in these successful centres and realise that the personal touch is the only way.
That a box with a name and ingredients is no substitute for a smiling devotee simply coming up and asking “so would you like some more?
I could be seen as wrong in my views but I cant help but feel the need to express myself in this way, for me prasadam is a special gift not to be boxed and mass marketed.
But may be just may be I could be wrong.
December 27th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
i understand and appreciate your concerns, but with the information you provide, i don’t see that the devotees in the preaching center necessarily act against the principles you want to protect.
giving prasadam in a personal exchange doesn’t have to be stopped because it’s also sold to supermarkets. mass production is a business, to be sure, but many devotees have to engage in business activities in order to maintain themselves and their families.
obviously brahmacaris would not be the ideal choice for such engagement, but if the situation of the temple or center is such that they have to do something else apart from studying and preaching to maintain their center, baking lots of cakes is far better IMO than many other things, like selling stickers on the road, or some type of ugra-karma.
how far this prasadam will affect the customers who purchase and eat it, not knowing that it is, in fact, prasadam depends on the attitude and consciousness of the devotees who prepare and offer it. if it’s done unwilling and offered to the deities or srila prabhupada superficially only, there won’t be much effect; but if the cooks, pujaris, and other devotees engaged in this enterprise manage to meditate on perparing something wonderful for krsna, even while producing a thousand cakes, why shouldn’t He accept it? and then the customers _will_ benefit, even if they consume the prasadam in ignorance.
just my opinion, of course…
ys phani.