sn.45.63 Saṁyutta Nikāya (Linked Discourses)
Good Friend
At Savatthī. “Bhikkhus, one thing is very helpful for the arising of the Noble Eightfold Path. What one thing? Good friendship. When a bhikkhu has a good friend, it is to be expected that he will develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path.
“And how does a bhikkhu who has a good friend develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops right view, which is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release…. He develops right concentration, which is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. It is in this way, bhikkhus, that a bhikkhu who has a good friend develops and cultivates the Noble Eightfold Path.”
- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi
- Editor: Blake Walsh
Good Friends (1st)
At Sāvatthī.
“Mendicants, one thing helps give rise to the noble eightfold path.
What one thing?
It’s good friendship.
A mendicant with good friends can expect to develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path.
And how does a mendicant with good friends develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path?
It’s when a mendicant develops right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go.
That’s how a mendicant with good friends develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path.”
