Spiritual Friendship: Ideal Versus Real

The Keynote talk from Day 2 of the 2018 Great Gathering at Taraloka.

In this talk, Maitrisiddhi shows us the importance and value in holding the Ideal of spiritual friendship alongside the reality of life in the Sangha. Beautiful illustrations from Rumi, Shantideva and Sangharakshita encourage us develop Kshanti and forgive ourselves and others as we inevitably disappoint.

Our teacher Sangharakshita has said: "It is in friendship (maitri) that we may find the emotional equivalent of the intellectual understanding of the doctrine of ‘no self’”. The gift of these teachings can help us move beyond self-clinging into a deeper and far more mysterious connection with one another; a Greater Love.