法苑珠林 46.23

46.23

若人近不善　則為不善人
是故應離惡　莫行不善業
隨近何等人　數數相親近
近故同其行　或善或不善
一切人求善　當近於善人
如是能得樂　善則非苦因
近善增功德　近惡增尤甚
功德及惡相　今如是略說
若近於善人　則得善名稱
若近不善人　令人速輕賤
常應親善人　遠離於惡友
以近善人故　能捨諸惡業

"If a person is close to the unwholesome, / He becomes an unwholesome person. / Therefore, one should depart from evil / And not commit unwholesome karma. / Whomever one draws near to, / Regularly keeping company with them, / Because of that closeness one acts in kind, / Whether wholesome or unwholesome. / All people seeking goodness / Should draw near to wholesome persons; / In this way one can attain happiness, / For the good is never the cause of suffering. / Drawing near to the good increases merit; / Drawing near to evil increases faults all the more. / The characteristics of merit and evil / Are now briefly spoken thus. / If one draws near to a wholesome person, / One will attain a good reputation; / If one draws near to an unwholesome person, / It quickly causes one to be despised. / One should always stay close to the wholesome, / And keep far away from evil friends; / Because of drawing near to good people, / One can abandon all evil karma."