The Buddha teaches on a friend, presenting a fivefold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 5.146 A Friend

“Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu mitto na sevitabbo. Katamehi pañcahi? Kammantaṁ kāreti, adhikaraṇaṁ ādiyati, pāmokkhesu bhikkhūsu paṭiviruddho hoti, dīghacārikaṁ anavatthacārikaṁ anuyutto viharati, nappaṭibalo hoti kālena kālaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandassetuṁ samādapetuṁ samuttejetuṁ sampahaṁsetuṁ. Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu mitto na sevitabbo.

Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu mitto sevitabbo. Katamehi pañcahi? Na kammantaṁ kāreti, na adhikaraṇaṁ ādiyati, na pāmokkhesu bhikkhūsu paṭiviruddho hoti, na dīghacārikaṁ anavatthacārikaṁ anuyutto viharati, paṭibalo hoti kālena kālaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandassetuṁ samādapetuṁ samuttejetuṁ sampahaṁsetuṁ. Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu mitto sevitabbo”ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu mitto na sevitabbo.

“Mendicants, you shouldn’t associate with a mendicant friend who has five qualities.

Katamehi pañcahi?

What five?

Kammantaṁ kāreti, adhikaraṇaṁ ādiyati, pāmokkhesu bhikkhūsu paṭiviruddho hoti, dīghacārikaṁ anavatthacārikaṁ anuyutto viharati, nappaṭibalo hoti kālena kālaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandassetuṁ samādapetuṁ samuttejetuṁ sampahaṁsetuṁ.

They start up work projects. They take up disciplinary issues. They conflict with leading mendicants. They like long and aimless wandering. They’re unable to educate, encourage, fire up, and inspire you from time to time with a Dhamma talk.

Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu mitto na sevitabbo.

Mendicants, you shouldn’t associate with a mendicant friend who possesses these five qualities.

Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu mitto sevitabbo.

You should associate with a mendicant friend who has five qualities.

Katamehi pañcahi?

What five?

Na kammantaṁ kāreti, na adhikaraṇaṁ ādiyati, na pāmokkhesu bhikkhūsu paṭiviruddho hoti, na dīghacārikaṁ anavatthacārikaṁ anuyutto viharati, paṭibalo hoti kālena kālaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandassetuṁ samādapetuṁ samuttejetuṁ sampahaṁsetuṁ.

They don’t start up work projects. They don’t take up disciplinary issues. They don’t conflict with leading mendicants. They don’t like long and aimless wandering. They’re able to educate, encourage, fire up, and inspire you from time to time with a Dhamma talk.

Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu mitto sevitabbo”ti.

You should associate with a mendicant friend who possesses these five qualities.”

Chaṭṭhaṁ.

Qualities:

Feuding

Feuding

An entrenched pattern of opposition and rivalry where parties seek to prevail over one another. It sustains hostility, disturbs peace, and obstructs harmony in community.

Also known as: competitiveness, contentiousness, quarreling, rivalry, opposition, struggle, conflict
Pāli: paḷāsa
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Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026