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Bad friends and why we don’t need them

Bad friends and why we don’t need them

A series of talks based on Don’t Believe Everything You Think given at Sravasti Abbey’s monthly Sharing the Dharma Day starting in March 2013. The book is a commentary on The 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas.

When you keep their company your three poisons increase,
Your activities of hearing, thinking, and meditating decline,
And they make you lose your love and compassion.
Give up bad friends—
This is the practice of Bodhisattvas.

  • Looking at who we hang out with and what effect they have on us
  • Why we should avoid hanging out with those who influence us to engage in negative activity or discourage us from spiritual practice
  • It’s better to have relationships with those we respect and influence us in a positive way
  • How to be a good friend to others

SDD 05: Bad friends and why we don’t need them (download)

Venerable Thubten Chodron

Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.