Spiritual friendship

I was reading this text by the founder of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) to which sangha I belong as a "mitra", or friend. And I wanted to share it with you!

Thank you for being a spiritual friend!

PS. I look forward to reading the next chapter: "Buddhism and business relationships".

With metta,
Kris C


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"The development of spiritual friendship is very difficult. Leading the spiritual life is very difficult. Being a Buddhist - a real Buddhist - is very difficult. We need help. And we can get that help not only from our teachers but also from one another. We can't be with our spiritual teacher all the time, but we can be with our spiritual friends all the time, or at least much of the time. We can see them regularly, perhaps even live with them, perhaps even work with them. If we spend time with spiritual friends in this way, we will get to know them better, and they will get to know us better." (p. 203)

and a little earlier in the same chapter he writes:

"We may not have the Buddha, but we do have one another. We can help one another, encourage one another in our practice of the Dharma. We can confess our faults and weaknesses to one another. We can share our understanding with one another. We can rejoice in one another's merits. In these ways we can make a practice of spiritual friendship." (p. 202)

From chapter 16, "The meaning of friendship", from the book "What is the Sangha? The nature of spiritual community" by Sangharakshita (Windhorse Publications, 2000)