1At Sāvatthī.

Seated to one side, King Pasenadi said to the Buddha: “Just now, sir, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind. ‘The teaching is well explained by the Buddha. But it’s for someone with good friends, companions, and associates, not for someone with bad friends, companions, and associates.’”

2“That’s so true, great king! That’s so true!” said the Buddha. And he repeated the king’s statement, adding:

3“Great king, this one time I was staying in the land of the Sakyans where they have a town named Nagaraka. Then the mendicant Ānanda came to me, bowed, sat down to one side, and said: ‘Sir, good friends, companions, and associates are half the spiritual life.’

4When he had spoken, I said to him: ‘Not so, Ānanda! Not so, Ānanda! Good friends, companions, and associates are the whole of the spiritual life. A mendicant with good friends, companions, and associates can expect to develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path.

5And 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. And here’s another way to understand how good friends are the whole of the spiritual life.

6For, by relying on me as a good friend, sentient beings who are liable to rebirth, old age, and death, to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress are freed from all these things. This is another way to understand how good friends are the whole of the spiritual life.’

7So, great king, you should train like this: ‘I will have good friends, companions, and associates.’ That’s how you should train.

8When you have good friends, companions, and associates, you should live supported by one thing: diligence in skillful qualities.

9–12When you’re diligent, supported by diligence, your ladies of the harem, aristocrat vassals, troops, and people of town and country will think: ‘The king lives diligently, supported by diligence. We’d better live diligently, supported by diligence!’

13When you’re diligent, supported by diligence, then not only you yourself, but your ladies of the harem, and your treasury and storehouses will be guarded and protected.”

That is what the Buddha said. …

14“For one who desires a continuous flow
of exceptional wealth,
the astute praise diligence
in making merit.
Being diligent, an astute person
secures both benefits:

15the benefit in this life,
and in lives to come.
A wise one, comprehending the meaning,
is called ‘astute’.”

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho rājā pasenadi kosalo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "idha mayhaṁ, bhante, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: ‘svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo, so ca kho kalyāṇamittassa kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa, no pāpamittassa no pāpasahāyassa no pāpasampavaṅkassā’"ti.

2"Evametaṁ, mahārāja, evametaṁ, mahārāja. Svākkhāto, mahārāja, mayā dhammo. So ca kho kalyāṇamittassa kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa, no pāpamittassa no pāpasahāyassa no pāpasampavaṅkassāti.

3Ekamidāhaṁ, mahārāja, samayaṁ sakkesu viharāmi nagarakaṁ nāma sakyānaṁ nigamo. Atha kho, mahārāja, ānando bhikkhu yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā maṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho, mahārāja, ānando bhikkhu maṁ etadavoca: ‘upaḍḍhamidaṁ, bhante, brahmacariyassa – yadidaṁ kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavaṅkatā’ti.

4Evaṁ vuttāhaṁ, mahārāja, Ānandaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocaṁ: ‘mā hevaṁ, Ānanda, mā hevaṁ, Ānanda. Sakalameva hidaṁ, Ānanda, brahmacariyaṁ – yadidaṁ kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavaṅkatā. Kalyāṇamittassetaṁ, Ānanda, bhikkhuno pāṭikaṅkhaṁ kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvessati ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarissati.

5Kathañca, Ānanda, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavaṅko ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti? IdhĀnanda, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ, sammāsaṅkappaṁ bhāveti … sammāvācaṁ bhāveti … sammākammantaṁ bhāveti … sammāājīvaṁ bhāveti … sammāvāyāmaṁ bhāveti … sammāsatiṁ bhāveti … sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ. Evaṁ kho, Ānanda, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavaṅko ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti. Tadamināpetaṁ, Ānanda, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā sakalamevidaṁ brahmacariyaṁ – yadidaṁ kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavaṅkatāti.

6Mamañhi, Ānanda, kalyāṇamittaṁ āgamma jātidhammā sattā jātiyā parimuccanti, jarādhammā sattā jarāya parimuccanti, byādhidhammā sattā byādhito parimuccanti, maraṇadhammā sattā maraṇena parimuccanti, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsadhammā sattā sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsehi parimuccanti. Iminā kho etaṁ, Ānanda, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā sakalamevidaṁ brahmacariyaṁ – yadidaṁ kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavaṅkatā’ti.

7Tasmātiha te, mahārāja, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘kalyāṇamitto bhavissāmi kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavaṅko’ti. Evañhi te, mahārāja, sikkhitabbaṁ.

8Kalyāṇamittassa te, mahārāja, kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa ayaṁ eko dhammo upanissāya vihātabbo – appamādo kusalesu dhammesu.

9Appamattassa te, mahārāja, vihārato appamādaṁ upanissāya, itthāgārassa anuyantassa evaṁ bhavissati: ‘rājā kho appamatto vihārati, appamādaṁ upanissāya. Handa mayampi appamattā viharāma, appamādaṁ upanissāyā’ti.

10Appamattassa te, mahārāja, vihārato appamādaṁ upanissāya, khattiyānampi anuyantānaṁ evaṁ bhavissati: ‘rājā kho appamatto vihārati appamādaṁ upanissāya. Handa mayampi appamattā viharāma, appamādaṁ upanissāyā’ti.

11Appamattassa te, mahārāja, vihārato appamādaṁ upanissāya, balakāyassapi evaṁ bhavissati: ‘rājā kho appamatto vihārati appamādaṁ upanissāya. Handa mayampi appamattā viharāma, appamādaṁ upanissāyā’ti.

12Appamattassa te, mahārāja, vihārato appamādaṁ upanissāya, negamajānapadassapi evaṁ bhavissati: ‘rājā kho appamatto vihārati, appamādaṁ upanissāya. Handa mayampi appamattā viharāma, appamādaṁ upanissāyā’ti?

13Appamattassa te, mahārāja, vihārato appamādaṁ upanissāya, attāpi gutto rakkhito bhavissati – itthāgārampi guttaṁ rakkhitaṁ bhavissati, kosakoṭṭhāgārampi guttaṁ rakkhitaṁ bhavissatī"ti.

Idamavoca … pe …

14"Bhoge patthayamānena,
uḷāre aparāpare;
Appamādaṁ pasaṁsanti,
puññakiriyāsu paṇḍitā;
Appamatto ubho atthe,
adhiggaṇhāti paṇḍito.

15Diṭṭhe dhamme ca yo attho,
yo cattho samparāyiko;
Atthābhisamayā dhīro,
paṇḍitoti pavuccatī"ti.