"On one occasion, great king, I was living among the Sakyans, where there is a town of the Sakyans named Nägaraka. Then the bhikkhu Ananda approached me, paid homage to me, sat down to one side, and said:
"Venerable sir, this is half of the holy life, that is, good friend- ship, good companionship, good comradeship."
"When this was said, great king, I told the bhikkhu Ānanda:
Not so, Ananda! Not so, Ānanda! This is the entire holy life, Ānanda, that is, good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship. When a bhikkhu has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, it is to be expected that he will develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path."
