Related:: [[Ariya]], [[Brahmacariya]] Tags:: #friend # Kalyāṇa-mitta (Admirable/Dhamma Friends) ![[SN45.2 Upaḍḍhasutta#^half-of-the-path]] ![[Thag17.3 Ānandattheragāthā#^brahmacariya]] ## Following "Sappurisa" ![[MN75 Māgaṇḍiyasutta#^following-sappurisa]] ## Wonder alone, if you cannot find a wise friend > [!NOTE] In Nāgavagga (Elephants) — Dhammapada ([Dhp328-330](https://suttacentral.net/dhp320-333/en/sujato)) > If you find an **alert companion**, > _Sace labhetha nipakaṁ sahāyaṁ,_ > > **a wise and virtuous friend**, > _Saddhiṁ caraṁ sādhuvihāridhīraṁ;_ > > then, overcoming all adversities, > _Abhibhuyya sabbāni parissayāni,_ > > **wander with them, joyful and mindful**. > _Careyya tenattamano satīmā._ > > --- > **If you find no alert companion**, > _No ce labhetha nipakaṁ sahāyaṁ,_ > > **no wise and virtuous friend**, > _Saddhiṁ caraṁ sādhuvihāridhīraṁ;_ > > then, like a king who flees his conquered realm, > _Rājāva raṭṭhaṁ vijitaṁ pahāya,_ > > **wander alone like a tusker in the wilds**. > _Eko care mātaṅgaraññeva nāgo._ > > --- > **It’s better to wander alone**, > _Ekassa caritaṁ seyyo,_ > > **there’s no fellowship with fools**. > _Natthi bāle sahāyatā;_ > > Wander alone and do no wrong, > _Eko care na ca pāpāni kayirā,_ > > at ease like a tusker in the wilds. > _Appossukko mātaṅgaraññeva nāgo._ ## Suttas - SN45.2 Upaḍḍhasutta (Half the Spiritual Life) ([link](https://suttacentral.net/sn45.2/en/sujato)) - Buddha said to Ananda that kalyāṇamitta is the _whole_ of the holy life - AN5.40 Mahāsālaputtasutta ([link](https://suttacentral.net/an5.40/en/sujato)) - Just as a tree relies on the mountain to grow, 5 things grow as one rely on a person with faith — faith, ethics, learning, generosity, wisdom.