Oh. So thank you for all your practice up to this point and to the efforts you've been putting in throughout to maintain a safe space.

And up until this point, we've been presenting you with a whole variety of tools to inwardly connect with process, be with your internal experience in its different shapes and forms we've been talking about or

offered tools that are about concentration using the breath, using sounds, using body sensations.

We've talked about mindfulness practice,

especially using the techniques of rain,

meta practice, walking meditation.

We've done a spacious mind awareness,

you know, lying down meditation today.

And there's been other tools.

So this marks the point in the retreat where we're going to begin to focus our efforts outwards.

Instead of intra or internally focus, we're going to start focusing the spiritual practices that allow us to connect and to heal in community. So my talk is going to be introducing some of the themes that, probably into play tomorrow, but just some ideas for you to bear in mind,

not just themes you might want to

things you might want to explore

that relate to healing after this retreat.

So human beings need other human beings.

As we've talked, we are a social species and we are meant to process our emotions in empathetic relationship with others.

The Buddha, when he was asked by Nanda,

if spiritual community and wise friends was half of the spiritual path the Buddha corrected Ananda and said no it's the entirety in other words it's the foundation and in the list of spiritual prerequisites, the Buddha lists first and

foremost Kalyamemita, wise spiritual friends, is the support for our spiritual growth.

In the Itivutaka, the Buddha talks about how important it is to choose one's friends wisely.

Because he says we not only rely on the people we connect with, but we turn in a way into them.

Our friends influence us, not just with their ideas, but we pick up mannerisms, we pick up behaviors.

...