“Friend (mitta) in Theravada Buddhism“
Having a good friend can lead someone to the Sotapanna stage. This friend needs to have a great understanding of the Dhamma. Our great friend is the Lord Buddha himself. He left us a generation of Ariya Sangha for our liberation. In modern times, anyone who teaches the correct Dhamma is a good friend. Many people on this forum and the founder, sir Lal are examples. They do their best to preserve the Dhamma.