Keri Pederson will lead a meditation and give a Dharma talk with time for discussion the evening before her day long retreat, on Friday, June 7th from 7:00-8:30 pm. The topic for Keri's talk on Friday evening will be the same as the topic for the retreat on Saturday. The Friday evening event will also be held at All Saints Episcopal Church, 1322 Kimball Ave., Richland, in the Parish Hall on the lower level in the rear of the Church. There is no fee or registration for the Friday evening event and drop-ins are welcome; donations to support Keri and the meditation group will be accepted.

Here is a detailed description of the central topic of the retreat:

The Power of Spiritual Friendship

The Buddha rather famously said that spiritual friendship (kalyana mittata) is not just one half, but the whole of the holy life. He also identified spiritual friendship as a model for healthy relatedness within ourselves and within our communities, as well as a prerequisite for awakening. What are we to make of this emphasis on beautiful, wholesome friendship running through a teaching that also invites us to investigate fully and take responsibility for ourselves, and come to our own understanding? In our time together Friday evening and during the day on Saturday, we’ll explore the qualities of spiritual friendship that the Buddha pointed to — its potency and its challenges, and how we can nurture it as a vital support for (and expression of) awakening.