At Sāvatthī.
Sāvatthinidānaṁ.
Seated to one side, King Pasenadi said to the Buddha,
Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho rājā pasenadi kosalo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“Just now, sir, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind.
“idha mayhaṁ, bhante, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi:
‘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.’”
‘svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo, so ca kho kalyāṇamittassa kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa, no pāpamittassa no pāpasahāyassa no pāpasampavaṅkassā’”ti.
“That’s so true, great king! That’s so true!” said the Buddha. And he repeated the king’s statement, adding:
“Evametaṁ, mahārāja, evametaṁ, mahārāja.
Svākkhāto, mahārāja, mayā dhammo. So ca kho kalyāṇamittassa kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa, no pāpamittassa no pāpasahāyassa no pāpasampavaṅkassāti.
“Great king, this one time I was staying in the land of the Sakyans where they have a town named Townsville.
Ekamidāhaṁ, mahārāja, samayaṁ sakkesu viharāmi nagarakaṁ nāma sakyānaṁ nigamo.
Then the mendicant Ānanda came to me, bowed, sat down to one side, and said:
Atha kho, mahārāja, ānando bhikkhu yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā maṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho, mahārāja, ānando bhikkhu maṁ etadavoca:
‘Sir, good friends, companions, and associates are half the spiritual life.’
‘upaḍḍhamidaṁ, bhante, brahmacariyassa—yadidaṁ kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavaṅkatā’ti.
When he had spoken, I said to him:
Evaṁ vuttāhaṁ, mahārāja, ānandaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocaṁ:
‘Not so, Ānanda! Not so, Ānanda!
‘mā hevaṁ, ānanda, mā hevaṁ, ānanda.
Good friends, companions, and associates are the whole of the spiritual life.
Sakalameva hidaṁ, ānanda, brahmacariyaṁ—yadidaṁ kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavaṅkatā.
A mendicant with good friends, companions, and associates can expect to develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path.
Kalyāṇamittassetaṁ, ānanda, bhikkhuno pāṭikaṅkhaṁ kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvessati ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarissati.
And how does a mendicant with good friends develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path?
Kathañca, ānanda, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavaṅko ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti?
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.
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.
That’s how a mendicant with good friends develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path.
Evaṁ kho, ānanda, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavaṅko ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti.
And here’s another way to understand how good friends are the whole of the spiritual life.
Tadamināpetaṁ, ānanda, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā sakalamevidaṁ brahmacariyaṁ—yadidaṁ kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavaṅkatāti.
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.
Mamañhi, ānanda, kalyāṇamittaṁ āgamma jātidhammā sattā jātiyā parimuccanti, jarādhammā sattā jarāya parimuccanti, byādhidhammā sattā byādhito parimuccanti, maraṇadhammā sattā maraṇena parimuccanti, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsadhammā sattā sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsehi parimuccanti.
This is another way to understand how good friends are the whole of the spiritual life.’
Iminā kho etaṁ, ānanda, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā sakalamevidaṁ brahmacariyaṁ—yadidaṁ kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavaṅkatā’ti.
- Christian’s suggestion of having a master who monitors our progress is valid and essential. It is only valid for people below the sotāpanna stage. It is at the sotāpanna stage that one does not need a master since a sotāpanna is independent in the Dhamma. No matter his negligence and actions, a sotāpanna will become an arahant in a maximum of 7 bhava (state of existence), of course, he or she will never commit apayagami acts. The slightest negligence of a puthujunas can lead him into a very painful niraya like Avīci even if the person practices Dhamma. See the story of Queen Mallika. We must not make the mistake of missing the sotāpanna course because of our ego. It is safer to go and discuss with members of the Sangha to have the best chance. Of course, the person must have enough Kusalas Kamma to understand the Dhamma too. King Ajatasattu is another example of a missed opportunity. He had the Kusalas to become a sotāpanna but, committed anantariya Kamma under the influence of Devadatta. He’s in a niraiya right now. A puthujunas needs to hear the Dhamma from a noble person to attain the sotāpanna stage. We must understand what taking refuge in the Sangha is. Taking refuge in the Sangha means listening to the Dhamma of a noble person, that is to say, a person who has reached at least the sotāpanna stage. Lord Buddha has reached Parinibbāna, it is impossible to see him face to face again. The Dhamma is around us but our ignorance prevents us from seeing it. It takes a noble person to show us the beginning of the path to Nibbāna. It is only a Bodhisatta and a Paccekabodhisatta who are capable of attaining the Dhamma by themselves without the help of people. As beings who do not aspire to Buddhahood, we must associate with noble people to reach the first stage of Nibbāna. Since we did not know who was an ariya or not, the best way was to talk with bhikkhus or bhikkhunis. Of course, an ariya can be a layman or a laywoman. However, it is among the community of monks and nuns that one will be most likely to come across ariyas.
- Sangham saranam gacchami. I go to the Sangha for refuge.
- The Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples is practicing the way that’s good, sincere, systematic, and proper. It consists of the four pairs, the eight individuals. This is the Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples that is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’“suppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho ujuppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho ñāyappaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho sāmīcippaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, yadidaṁ cattāri purisayugāni aṭṭha purisapuggalā esa bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, āhuneyyo pāhuneyyo dakkhiṇeyyo añjalikaraṇīyo anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassā”ti.