Casey Applen

“If we have no friends who share our interest in the Dharma, our understanding of it is likely to develop slowly and perhaps lopsidedly, affected by the subjective biases that we inevitably bring to it. We need people with whom we can chew over what we have heard or read, and explore what it all means in practice – people who share our enthusiasm, and with whom we can relax and speak freely.”
― Subhuti, Buddhism and Friendship

“When a bhikkhu [monk] has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, it is to be expected that he will develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path.6”
― Subhuti, Buddhism and Friendship

“friend defends your reputation, and so protects your position in society: he ‘stops others who speak against you’ and ‘commends others who speak in praise of you’. To do that, a friend must identify with you even in your absence.”
― Subhuti, Buddhism and Friendship

“Look at the tree in the front yard. The tree doesn’t seem to be doing anything. It stands there, vigorous, fresh, and beautiful, and everyone profits from it. That’s the miracle of being. If a tree were less than a tree, all of us would be in trouble. But if a tree is just a real tree, then there’s hope and joy. That’s why if you can be yourself, that is already action. Action is based on non-action; action is being. There are people who do a lot, but who also”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh