Soul friendships

The Buddhist term kalyanamitra refers to soul friends, companions who help one another along their spiritual paths. This concept is also one found in the Christian tradition, in which a person who s completed a spiritual journey serves as a mentor or friend to another who is embarking upon that journey. In both the Buddhist and the Christian tradition, deep listening is the cornerstone of these soul friendships. 

The Third Man is the story of the end of a youthful friendship, of unscrupulous machinations, and the abysses of the human soul. It Is a work of fiction, but one which Is based on actual events. 

Thomas H. Luxon, One Soul Versus One Flesh Friendship, Marriage, and the Puritan Self , in Vera J. Camden (ed.), Trauma and Transformation The Political Progress of John Bunyan (Stanford University Press, 2008), pp. 81-99 (P- 98). 

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