Sit & Meet

Discussion Topic: The Importance of noble friendships along the path

Sn, 45:63) (Bhikkhus, one thing is very helpful for the arising of the Noble Eightfold Path. What one thing? Good friendship.

Welcome to our first gathering of Meet & Sit with an optional eat. The purpose of this meet up is to build a supporting environment for growth in our practice of meditation and spiritual inquiry and connect with fellow meditators.

The session will feature a 30 minute (apprx) meditation session, fit for both beginners and experienced practitioners alike, led by Jean. This will be followed by a short reading on noble friendship and discussion on how this plays out in our lives and how to foster more noble friendships for ourselves. You are are encouraged to bring a short poem, passage or anecdote around this topic to share with everyone but this is not mandatory.

After the meditation, there will be an opportunity to mingle over snacks (@ KES 500), and share wisdom by exploring questions or topics around our insights and difficulties of our practice. We would like to keep these sessions leaderless, volunteer-driven and peer-led, so anyone is welcome to share wisdom from various meditation and mindfulness traditions.

We do not practice for our own benefit alone, we practice for the benefit of all beings

 

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Samyutta Nikāya, 45.2:

“Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was dwelling among the Sakyans in the town of Nāgaraka. Then the Venerable Ānanda went to see the Blessed One.  Having approached the Blessed One, he paid homage to the Blessed One, sat down to one side, and said to him:”

“Venerable sir, this is half of the holy life, that is, good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship.”

“Not so, Ānanda! Not so, Ānanda! This is the whole of the holy life, Ānanda, 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 he will develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path…”

“And how does a monk who has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path? Here, Ānanda, he develops right view based on seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. He develops right intention… right speech… right action… right livelihood… right effort… right mindfulness… right concentration, which is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. It is in this way, Ānanda, that a monk who has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, develops and cultivates the Noble Eightfold Path.”

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