Kalyāṇa-Mitta (Spiritual Friends)
“...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 (s)he will develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path.” - The Buddha, (SN 45;V 2-3)
The sutta above emphasizes the importance of spiritual friendship. The Buddha declares that spiritual friendship is not merely half the spiritual life but the whole of it. The Buddha recognized that the path to a spiritual life is not just an individual process but occurs in dependence on close personal relationships.
Sometimes even when we are doing our best to follow the eightfold path we still struggle and need some support. In the suttas (SN 45 V 2-3) the Buddha speaks of the importance of spiritual friendship, good companionship, and good comradeship. At IMFW we offer a small group experience to develop this type of relationship with others.
Currently two Kalyana Mitta (KM) groups meet at IMFW. These groups have members who meet on a bi-weekly schedule to deepen their spiritual practice. Each group develops its own unique style, which includes time for meditation, group sharing and reflection. We have found that we need the interest of 10-12 people in order to start a KM group. Once a KM group is formed, the members decide whether they want to be open or closed to the inclusion of new members. If you are interested in becoming part of a KM group at IMFW please submit your information below. Pam Steinbach is our KM coordinator. Please feel free to contact her if you have questions.
Thank You!