1At Sāvatthī.

“Mendicants, the dawn is the forerunner and precursor of the sunrise. In the same way good friendship is the forerunner and precursor of the noble eightfold path for a mendicant. 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.”

1Sāvatthi­nidānaṁ.

"Sūriyassa, bhikkhave, udayato etaṁ pubbangamaṁ etaṁ pubbanimittaṁ, yadidaṁ – aruṇuggaṁ; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno ariyassa aṭṭhangikassa maggassa uppādāya etaṁ pubbangamaṁ etaṁ pubbanimittaṁ, yadidaṁ – kalyāṇamittatā. Kalyāṇamittassetaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno pāṭikankhaṁ – ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvessati, ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarissati.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodha­nissitaṁ vossaggapari­ṇāmiṁ … pe … sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodha­nissitaṁ vossaggapari­ṇāmiṁ. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarotī"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.