What is spiritual friendship

Periods of solitude can be very helpful and worthwhile, but so too is contact with friends.  This is especially true of friendships that are marked by kindness and in which there is no element of game playing.  If you are trying to grow and develop spiritually it is particularly helpful to have friends that share your ideals.  It is almost impossible to practice Buddhism without the friendly support of other practicing Buddhists.    

The activities of the FWBO centres provide many opportunities for people to get to know other Buddhists and develop personal friendships.  Of course this does not happen automatically.  There is an old saying "if you want to have a friend, you need to be a friend"

Learner to be a truer and better friend is a form of spiritual practice.  It involves many things: knowing yourself more deeply and being able to communicate more clearly and openly.  It means bringing forth all sorts of positive qualities such as generosity, courage and forgiveness.  It takes time for a friendship to flower, so patience and consistency are important.

 Learning to be a good friend and interacting creatively with your friends is not just a means to an end.  It is not just a discipline to help you get through life or to help you make spiritual progress.  The enjoyment of friendship, like the enjoyment of nature and the arts, is an end in itself.  The best moments of friendship are the high watermarks of life.  They do not need to be justified in terms of other goals or values.