At Savatthī. Then the Venerable Sāriputta approached the Blessed One … and said to him:
“Venerable sir, this is the entire holy life, that is, good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship.”
“Good, good, Sāriputta! This is the entire holy life, Sāriputta, that is, good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship. When a bhikkhu 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.
“And how, Sāriputta, does a bhikkhu who has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path?”
The rest as in the preceding sutta.