The Buddha said that wise friends is the whole of the holy life. Spiritual friendship is key is our spiritual journey, as good friends provide us with support, encouragement, advice and direction on our spiritual path and Buddhist practice. Sometimes we may feel alone and unsupported in our practice, or that we don't have fellow friends to talk to who would understand the spiritual aspect of our lives, or we ourselves may feel in need of some guidance and direction in our practice.

‘Dharma friends’ is a monthly social get-together where we share stories, questions, insights and support to one another of our everyday challenges and spiritual practice. It's an open group for Buddhists and those interested in Buddhism to attend, whether you are beginner or advanced practitioner. We can all be good friends to each other, and all benefit from a community of spiritual friends.

23 June is our launch for Dharma Friends, and therefore the topic we will be exploring is "Spiritual Friendship" and what makes it different to the usual friendship that we have, and how this friendship promotes our spiritual health and wellbeing.

We warm-up with some mingling over hot tea and biscuits. Then we settle in with a short guided meditation. After that, we enjoy a reading from a Buddhist book for practical inspiration and open up for a group discussion around a particular theme or topic of interest (different each month based on participants’ input). Then, we break into small groups of 4-5 people and take turns to share what’s going on in our lives or in our practice that we would like support on and get input from others in the group. Finally, we go out for a delicious vegetarian lunch together at a local restaurant.