法苑珠林 51.7

51.7

As the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Bhikṣu Ānanda stated that half of the holy life (brahmacarya) is a good friend (kalyāṇamitra). The Buddha said, 'It is not so. Only the complete holy life is called a good friend.' It also says: 'A good friend speaks in accordance with the Dharma and acts in accordance with what he speaks. What is meant by speaking in accordance with the Dharma and acting in accordance with the Dharma? Not killing living beings oneself and teaching others not to kill living beings, and so forth up to practicing right view oneself and teaching others to practice right view. If one can do so, one may then be called a true good friend. Cultivating bodhi oneself and also being able to teach others to cultivate and practice bodhi—for this reason one is called a good friend. Being able oneself to cultivate and practice faith, the precepts, generosity, extensive learning, and wisdom, and also being able to teach others to cultivate and practice faith, the precepts, generosity, extensive learning, and wisdom—moreover, for this reason one is called a good friend. A good friend possesses good qualities. What are these good qualities? In all that he undertakes he does not seek his own pleasure, but constantly seeks happiness for sentient beings. Seeing the faults of others, he does not publicize their shortcomings, and his mouth constantly proclaims purely wholesome matters. For this reason he is called a good friend. Good sons, just as the moon in the sky gradually waxes from the first day to the fifteenth day, so too is a good friend: he causes all practitioners gradually to move away from evil dharmas and to increase good dharmas. Good sons, if there are those who draw close to a good friend, even if they originally lacked concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation, they immediately come to possess them; and those who have not yet perfected them attain their increase and expansion.' It also says: 'A good friend should observe whether this person's greed, hatred, delusion, or discursive thought is predominant. If he knows that this person has excessive greed, he should explain to him the method of contemplating impurity. For one with excessive hatred, he explains benevolence and compassion. For one with excessive discursive thought, he teaches him to count breaths. For one with strong attachment to a self, he should analyze for him the eighteen realms and so forth. Having heard this, the person practices in due order and successively attains the four bases of mindfulness: contemplating the body, feelings, mind, and dharmas. Having attained this contemplation, he next contemplates the twelve links of dependent origination. Having contemplated in this way, he next attains the stage of warmth. From attaining the stage of warmth onward, he gradually attains the fruits of an arhat and a pratyekabuddha. The Mahāyāna Buddha-fruit of the bodhisattva and so forth all arise reliant upon this without any further doubt or hindrance. Benefiting oneself and benefiting others without adding water to the milk—this is called the rank of a true good friend and Dharma master. If one does not possess these [qualities], one is not a good friend. The method of adding water cannot be relied upon.' Therefore, quoting a sūtra, a verse in the Treatise on Buddha-Nature (Foxing lun) says: