Friendship: the Whole of the Spiritual Life

When Ananda remarked to the Buddha that Friendship was 'half the spiritual life', the Buddha replied, '"Not so, Ananda! Not so, Ananda! It is the entire spiritual life, that is: good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship." 

So we might wonder as how this can be. How can friendship be the whole of our practice? What was the Buddha getting at?

On this day retreat to celebrate Sangha Day, Mahasraddha and Shakyapada will be looking at spiritual friendship, seeing how and why it is central to our practice and indeed, how it encompasses the whole of the Dharma: from conditioned co-production right through to the practice of metta; from ethics through to the three lakshanas; from the klesas through to the six paramittas.

Join us for a day of friendship and Dharma at St Olaves Church Hall, just off Marygate. The day is open to all who have been on an Introductory Course. Please bring veggie/vegan lunch to share.

There is no charge but we would appreciate a donation of £10-£15 or whatever you can afford.

Mahasraddha is the director of the Abayaratna Trust, a Triratna Charity which provides funds for Order members worldwide who find themselves in difficult times or circumstances. He is a Preceptor and has been a part of the Manchester Buddhist Centre team for many years. He has recently moved to Scarborough where he will be setting up a new Triratna Group. He is a trustee of the Charity which runs York Buddhist Centre.