On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c14.27

v1.c14.27

By the term "good friend" *shan-yu* (善友), which the pilgrim here tells us was applied by the king to devout princes and statesmen, we are to understand the *kalyāṇamitra* of Buddhist use. This term means *good or auspicious friend*, and it is also employed in the sense of *spiritual adviser, or good counseler in matters of religion*.