1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sakyans, where they have a town named Nagaraka. Then Venerable Ānanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“Sir, good friends, companions, and associates are half the spiritual life.”

2“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.

3And how does a mendicant with good friends develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path? It’s when a mendicant develops right view, which relies on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens as letting go. They develop right thought … right speech … right action … right livelihood … right effort … right mindfulness … right immersion, which relies on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens as letting go. That’s how a mendicant with good friends develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path.

4And here’s another way to understand how good friends are the whole of the spiritual life. For, 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.”

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ — ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sakyesu vihārati nagarakaṁ nāma sakyānaṁ nigamo. Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasankami; upasankamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

"upaḍḍhamidaṁ, bhante, brahmacariyaṁ, yadidaṁ – kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavankatā"ti.

2"Mā hevaṁ, Ānanda, mā hevaṁ, Ānanda. Sakalamevidaṁ, Ānanda, brahmacariyaṁ, yadidaṁ – kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavankatā. Kalyāṇamittassetaṁ, Ānanda, bhikkhuno pāṭikankhaṁ kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavankassa – ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvessati, ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarissati.

3KathañcĀnanda, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavanko ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti? IdhĀnanda, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodha­nissitaṁ vossaggapari­ṇāmiṁ; sammāsaṅkappaṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ … pe … sammāvācaṁ bhāveti … pe … sammākammantaṁ bhāveti … pe … sammāājīvaṁ bhāveti … pe … sammāvāyāmaṁ bhāveti … pe … sammāsatiṁ bhāveti … pe … sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodha­nissitaṁ vossaggapari­ṇāmiṁ. Evaṁ kho, Ānanda, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavanko ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti.

4Tadamināpetaṁ, Ānanda, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā sakalamevidaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, yadidaṁ – kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavankatā. Mamañhi, Ānanda, kalyāṇamittaṁ āgamma jātidhammā sattā jātiyā parimuccanti; jarādhammā sattā jarāya parimuccanti; maraṇadhammā sattā maraṇena parimuccanti; soka­parideva­dukkha­domanassupāyā­sadhammā sattā sokaparideva­dukkhadomanas­supāyāsehi parimuccanti. Iminā kho etaṁ, Ānanda, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā sakalamevidaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, yadidaṁ – kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavankatā"ti.

Dutiyaṁ.