Dharma Roadside Dialogue Series.Mentoring on the Spiritual Path.

A monthly series of talks and questions & answers sessions via Zoom, will take place every last Saturday of the month.
Join Zoom Here!

https://zoom.us/j/96413739082

From 1:30pm to 2:30pm EST, Tsony will give a talk on one of the themes requested by you!

From 3:00pm to 4:00pm EST, we’ll have time for your questions or sharing about your experiences regarding your practice.

What is the place of tradition and spiritual friends in our current world?

One day, Ananda and the Buddha were sitting alone on a hill together, overlooking the plains of the Ganges. Having served as the Buddha’s attendant for many years, Ananda often shared his reflections and insights with him. This afternoon, Ananda spoke. “Dear Respected Teacher,” Ananda said. “It seems to me that half of the spiritual life is good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship.” But the Buddha quickly corrected him: “Not so, Ananda! Not so, Ananda!” He continued, “This is the entire spiritual life, Ananda, that is, good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship. When a monk has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, it is to be expected that he will develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path.” The Buddha skillfully removed Ananda’s idea that the sangha and the dharma are separate. One is not half of the other; the sangha is not merely helpful in realizing the path. The sangha is the path. Spiritual friendship is the path.

Kalyana Mitra

In Sanskrit, Kalyana Mitra means “spiritual friend.” Kalyana may be translated as “good, true, virtuous, upright, or beneficial,” and Mitra is the root word for maitri, which means kindness. A Kalyana Mitra is someone who helps you to realize your deeper aspirations, one who uplifts your path to a higher level of ethical and spiritual well being with a selfless kindness.

Many people, presented with so many teachings praising the practice of meditation and solitude, think Buddhism is a practice for loners. But the Buddha’s encouragements to practice in solitude were balanced with an ardent emphasis on cultivating worthy friendships. Throughout his teaching career, the Buddha spoke again and again about the pivotal importance of Kalyana Mitras in order to succeed in one’s practice, stating that there is no other factor so conducive to the arising of the noble eightfold path as good friendship. “Just as the dawn is the forerunner of the sunrise, so good friendship is the forerunner for the arising of the noble eightfold path,” the Buddha stated. The “Discourse on Happiness,” which extols thirty-two blessings of a happy life, begins with “To avoid foolish persons and to live in the company of wise people… this is the greatest happiness.”