Buddhist Perspective on the Development of Social Welfare
by Ashin Indacara | 2011 | 61,386 words
This page relates 鈥楾he Duties Of A Good Friend鈥� of the study on the Buddhist perspective on the development of Social Welfare, employing primarily the concepts of Utthana-sampada (persistent effort) and Arakkha-sampada (watchfulness). Based on the teachings of the Buddha in the Dighajanu Sutta and other canonical texts, this essay emphasizes the importance of effort, knowledge, and good karma in achieving social welfare.
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18. The Duties Of A Good Friend
After knowing the nature and nurture of friends, we have left something to be known about the duties of friends. When a person has become a friend with another one, he has had the duties of a friend. If only he fulfills these duties, he can be called a good friend. In our society, if there is a social relation鈥揷alled making friendship, there will be social duties, responsibilities, obligations, principles, etc.
Thus, in regard it, the Buddha pointed out the duties of a friend as follows:鈥�
鈥�Pa峁僣ahi kho, gahapatiputta, 峁環膩nehi kulaputtena 耻迟迟补谤腻 诲颈蝉腻 mitt膩micc膩 paccupa峁弓h膩tabb膩鈥攄膩nena, peyyavajjena, atth膩cariy膩ya, sam膩nattat膩ya, avisa峁僾膩danat膩ya.鈥�
鈥淭here are five ways in which a man should minister to his friends and companions as the northern directions: by gifts, by kindly words, by looking after their welfare, by treating them like himself, and keeping his word.鈥�[1]
The duties of a friend can be put into series as follows:鈥�
(1) 顿腻苍补: giving friend material and spiritual support,
(2) 笔别测测补惫腻肠腻: encouraging him with kindly words,
(3) Atthacariya: looking after and helping their welfare,
(4) 厂补尘腻苍补迟迟补迟腻: treating him like oneself (not suppressing or pressing down him because of his any social status)
(5) 础惫颈蝉补峁僾腻诲补苍补迟腻: keeping his word (not making a contradiction between what he say and what he does)
These are common duties of a friend that a person should serve his friend in five ways. This is a basic principle for making friendship in social relation. If they have a good friendship, they will have good social relation.
In the same way, if they have a good social relation, they will certainly have a good social welfare. If they have good social welfare, their social welfare will certainly develop as well. That is to say having good friends will provide the development of social welfare. Thus, the Lord Buddha pointed out the accomplishment of good friend as the third way of making social welfare developed in 顿墨驳丑补箩腻峁嘘 Sutta.