1At Sāvatthī.

Then Sāriputta went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

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

2“Good, good, Sāriputta! 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.

And how does a mendicant with good friends develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path?

3It’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.

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.”

1Sāvatthi­nidānaṁ.

Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto yena bhagavā tenupasankami; upasankamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

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

2"Sādhu sādhu, sāriputta. Sakalamidaṁ, sāriputta, brahmacariyaṁ, yadidaṁ – kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavankatā. Kalyāṇamittassetaṁ, sāriputta, bhikkhuno pāṭikankhaṁ kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavankassa – ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvessati, ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarissati.

Kathañca, sāriputta, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavanko ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti?

3Idha, sāriputta, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodha­nissitaṁ vossaggapari­ṇāmiṁ … pe … sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodha­nissitaṁ vossaggapari­ṇāmiṁ. Evaṁ kho, sāriputta, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavanko ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti.

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

Tatiyaṁ.