The Buddha said keeping the company of like-minded friends is one of the most important way to cultivate wholesome qualities in ourselves and that good friends are "the whole of the holy life." In this Waking Up Together retreat we explore why this is so and why Sangha is considered a "jewel", one of the Three Refuges in the teachings.
We are not separate from the rest of life. This is true in a very real sense biologically. We are an ecosystem with countless microorganisms in our body keeping us alive. Our relationships and need to belong determine whether we suffer or experience well-being. And when groups gather and are aligned a field of positive energy can be created where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
