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10 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

The Mahā Maṅgala Sutta, the interactions. Far from coming to that leads to so much harm as bad
Great Discourse on Blessings, is our personal relationships with friendship, and no other external
one of the most popular Buddhist a fixed and immutable character, factor that leads to so 1 much
suttas, included in all the standard our regular and repeated social benefit as good friendship (AN
repertories of Pāli devotional contacts implicate us in a constant I.x,13,14). It is through the influence
chants. The sutta begins when a process of psychological osmosis of a good friend that a disciple is led
deity of stunning beauty, having that offers precious opportunities along the Noble Eightfold Path to
descended to earth in the stillness for growth and transformation. Like release from all suffering (SN 45:2).
of the night, approaches the Blessed living cells engaged in a chemical Good friendship, in Buddhism,
One in the Jeta Grove and asks about dialogue with their colleagues, means considerably more than
the way to the highest blessings. our minds transmit and receive associating with people that one
a steady barrage of messages finds amenable and who share
In the very first stanza of his reply and suggestions that may work one’s interests. It means in effect
the Buddha states that the highest profound changes even at levels seeking out wise companions to
blessing comes from avoiding below the threshold of awareness. whom one can look for guidance
fools and associating with the wise Particularly critical to our spiritual and instruction. The task of the
(asevanā ca bālānaṃ, paṇḍitānañca progress is our selection of friends noble friend is not only to provide
sevanā). Since the rest of the and companions, who can have companionship in the treading
sutta goes on to sketch all the the most decisive impact upon of the way. The truly wise and
different aspects of human felicity, our personal destiny. It is because compassionate friend is one who,
both mundane and spiritual, the he perceived how susceptible our with understanding and sympathy
assignment of association with minds can be to the influence of of heart, is ready to criticize and
the wise to the opening stanza our companions that the Buddha admonish, to point out one’s faults,
serves to emphasize a key point: repeatedly stressed the value of to exhort and encourage, perceiving
that progress along the path of the good friendship (kalyāṇa-mittatā) in that the final end of such friendship
Dhamma hinges on making the the spiritual life. is growth in the Dhamma. The
right choices in our friendships. Buddha succinctly expresses the
Contrary to certain psychological The Buddha states that he sees proper response of a disciple to
theories, the human mind is not no other thing that is so much such a good friend in a verse of the
a hermetically sealed chamber responsible for the arising of Dhammapada: “If one finds a person
enclosing a personality unalterably unwholesome qualities in a person who points out one’s faults and who
shaped by biology and infantile as bad friendship, nothing so reproves one, one should follow
experience. Rather, throughout helpful for the arising of wholesome such a wise and sagacious counselor
life it remains a highly malleable qualities as good friendship (AN as one would a guide to hidden
entity continually remolding I.vii,10; I.viii,1). Again, he says that treasure” (Dhp. 76).
itself in response to its social he sees no other external factor

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