A talk given by Acharashraddha on Manchester Buddhist Centre’s Sangha Retreat at Adhisthana, 21st April 2019.

Can we communicate and be friends with any other human being? What is spiritual friendship?

The theme of the retreat was Why I am a Buddhist based on a quote of Sangharakshita’s, given in India in the 1980s. See Why I am a Buddhist – pdf format

Using this as the starting point, three aspects of his quote were explored in three talks:

• Buddhism as a universal religion of humanity: What are the existential truths the Buddha saw What do they mean for us today?
• Humanity is basically one: Can we communicate and be friends with any other human being? What is spiritual friendship?
• The place of religion in a secular world: Is Buddhism a religion? What is faith? What can religion offer to humanity?