This post goes to Maya, the girl in the pic. My best friend in India.Readings from Hinduism
Spiritual advancement through friendship
"Those who know the thoughts of a friend, without the friend speaking, are like jewels in the earth. The ability to know the thoughts of friends is a sign of spiritual wisdom; through spiritual discipline people acquire this priceless capacity.
Outwardly such people appear quite ordinary; but inwardly they are extraordinary. Their eyes can look at a friend’s face, and read the mind that lies behind it.
True friends are like good books; they are perpetual delight. The purpose of friendship is the acquisition of spiritual wisdom; friends support one another on the spiritual path. Friends know by intuition each other’s feelings; when they smile to one another their smiles come from their hearts. Ask your friends to correct you when you go wrong; and correct them when they go wrong. Ask your friends to share their sorrows and anxieties with you; and share your sorrows and anxieties with them. When you feel your clothes slipping, you swiftly reach out to hold them up: when friends are in need, go to their aid with equal speed.
Do not make friends rashly, because you can never abandon a friend; if you make friends in haste, you will repent at leisure. Seek friends with the wisdom and the courage to correct you when you go astray."
Valluvar 701-705, 783-788, 791-792, 795
