法苑珠林 46.23

46.23

"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."