Kalyanamitra (Sanskrit) or kalyanamitta (Pali) refers to the “spiritual friend.” This friend can be a spiritual teacher that guides on the path and also refers to peers that travel the path along with you. The sangha (community of people who follow the teachings of the Buddha, that is, dharma) would then be comprised of spiritual friends, supporting each other in the work to awaken.
I’d like to think of everyone who reads this blog as a spiritual friend. We are traveling this path together bringing more mindfulness into our lives. Writing Mindfulness Matters is an important reminder for me of the importance and diversity of mindfulness and a helps it to be an ongoing thread throughout my day.
So, too, is daily meditation practice. I hope that these entries will inspire you to practice, if you are not already doing so. And I hope they help inspire you to find your own spiritual friends in a local sangha and invite you to join the global sangha through the eMindful.com Morning Meditations.
Joining a sangha does not necessarily require you to be a “Buddhist.” It does invite you to be “Buddha” — pursue the universal path of awakening.
I am honored to be your spiritual friend and to have you all as my spiritual friends. We’ve embarked on this journey together and I invite you to comment and to request entries on particular topics. We can also do some mindfulness-based problem solving. If you’d like to send me your questions via email to drkozak [at] exquisitemind [dot] com.
With blessings and gratitude,
Arnie.
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