Journey to the Pacific Rim

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No Vaishnava thinks himself 'I am very big man! No! He is not Vaishnava. Vaishnava means 'trnad api sunicena taror api sahişnuna'. This is Vaishnava. Even if he is exalted more than anyone in this world, still he thinks himself as lowest.

In February 1993 I visited West Bengal to take part in the Nabadwip Parikrama, a circumambulation of the nine islands of the Holy Dham that takes seven days. In talking with devotees about the upcoming Prabhupada Centennial, I received a number of requests to write about my experiences with Srila Prabhupada, especially regarding the early days of our missionary activities in the Far East and Asia.

When I contemplated the feasibility of this idea, my first reaction was that I was unfit to undertake the project. Later, upon further reflection, there were three things that convinced me to change my mind. The first was Srila Prabhupada's instruction in the last letter he wrote to me; he said that I should "continue to write very nicely." For me, this was clear confirmation, but I still doubted my qualification.