Philip Jones gave this talk using the Meghiya Sutta (Anguttara Nikaya 9.3 / Udana 4.1) as a framework for exploring the importance of spiritual friends. Having good spiritual companions leads to the development of virtue, to hearing and engaging in talk on the Dhamma, to practicing with Right Effort and to the development of wisdom through directly knowing the impermanent nature of all conditioned experience. Spiritual friendship is the means for passing the Dhamma from one person to another, generation after generation.