The importance of Spiritual Friendship (Kalyanamitra)

Presenter: Venerable Dhammananda

Facilitator: Tina Ng

Wed 21 Sept | 7-8.30pm

Location: In person at Metta Centre (Bankstown) or Online (Zoom link below)

Cost: By donation

As social beings, our relationships with others are significant to our wellbeing. As Buddhist practitioners, our spiritual friendships are significant to our spiritual journey. Find out why spiritual friendships are so important, why the Buddha stated that Spiritual Friendship is the whole of the holy life, how to develop and maintain these spiritual friendships, and how to bring these qualities of spiritual friendships into all types of relationships in your life. Ven. Dhammananda will be presenting from Thailand, drawing on her own experiences in exploring this topic.

About the presenter: Ven. Dhammananda is a Theravāda bhikkhuni and abbess of Wat Songdhammakalyani in Thailand. In her academic life and since ordination, Ven. Dhammananda has been a prolific writer, authoring more than 100 books exploring the history of, and issues relating to, Thai Buddhism, including the place of women. As a layperson and as a monastic, she has worked tirelessly to re-establish the Theravada bhikkhuni lineage in Thailand so that women may become fully ordained monastics. You can watch the documentary “Reclaiming the Robe: The Rebel Thai Woman Fighting for Spiritual Equality” here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXdyclB9I7A

Hybrid event: Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive session with the speaker, with the discussions facilitated by Tina Ng in person at the Metta Centre (Bankstown). You are welcome to join the session in person at the Metta Centre or online by clicking on this link to access the session: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83506489824?pwd=cmpNQ1ljSmFVYURLWVN1dWllYUN1dz09 Alternatively, you can dial in from your telephone (call charges apply): +61 2 8015 6011 | Meeting ID: 835 0648 9824| Passcode: 718905