The Role of the Good Friend in the Gandavyuha Sutra

Written for the Bodhi Journal Issue 14 (10/12/2009) – submitted to

Wong Weng Hon at wongwh49@streamyx.com after 11/09/09

Raymond Lam

Theme: Buddhism and Self-cultivation

What is a Good Friend?

The Japanese master Nichiren once gave a simile: if a tree is newly

planted and held by a firm stake, even fierce winds will not be able

to topple it. But a tree that has grown up can still fall over if its roots

are weak. In the same way, a feeble person will not stumble if her

supporters are strong, but even a person of considerable strength

might fall down on a deficient path if she attempts to make the

journey alone (Nichiren, vol. 6, p. 109).

This sums up how a good friend (kalyanarmitra) or spiritual friend is

conceived of in Buddhism. Essentially, a good friend serves three

purposes: that of inspiration, teacher, and sustainer to the Dharma

(Unno, 1998, p. 90). Of course, Buddhists do not hold a monopoly on

having good friends. However, what is the difference between a

“typical” good friend and a kalyanarmitra? Is the former inferior to

the latter? These two conceptions of friendship should not be

distinguished in terms of superiority or inferiority, but in terms of

vision. In encountering a kalyanarmitra, a Buddhist has a particular

orientation toward education, in encountering the transcendent

dimension that orients her to the existential dissatisfaction in the

human condition. In the Buddhist tradition, this is saṃsāra.

Therefore, the Buddhist conception of the good friend is different on

the basis of its vision and orientation in spiritual education.

A good friend appears in the world in many forms – as a neighbour,

a stranger, a holy person, or layman. A good friend can be someone

who introduces or embodies the teachings of the Buddha to the

benefit of others. A good friend is supportive of wholesome

endeavours and strives to be a foil for her companions. She brings

affirmation and encouragement and is not afraid to urge someone

to improve in his character or moral practice. However, she is also

characterized by compassion and readily adjusts her teaching for

different people, understanding the diverse spectrum of inclinations

and capabilities. And of course, she opens up a “space” in which her

companions feel welcome and able to express their true self.

Calling someone a good friend indicates that care and nurture been

provided. A good friend offers comfort and helpful, meaningful

knowledge. In the Buddhist mind, a good friend primarily provides

spiritual care and sustenance, which is essential for growth in the

Dharma and persistence in practice. Traditionally, the Buddha is the

supreme good friend to all sentient beings, followed by the monks

and venerables who teach the Dharma. However, there is one more

echelon at the conventional level, which is that of each person, all of

who are capable of sustaining one another in the teachings. Several

Mahayana scriptures in the vast canon, in fact, acknowledge that

the layman or laywoman can actually surpass monastics in spiritual

capabilities (see the Vimalakirti Sutra, Chapter Two).

The Concept of the Good Friend in the Gandavyuha Sutra

One of the most important narratives concerning the good friend is

in the Gandavyuha Sutra, which was incorporated into the vast

Avatamsaka Sutra as its thirty-first book. In this visually and

linguistically extravagant epic, a monk called Sudhana embarks on a

pilgrimage to see the cosmos reflected in a being called Universal

Good. Along the way, he encounters fifty-three spiritual teachers, or

good friends. In the conversation that takes place in the meeting

between Sudhana and the future Buddha, Maitreya, Maitreya’s

welcome is characteristic of a particularly authoritative good friend.

He offers a hearty welcome, is hospitable, does not hold back in

sincere praise and encouragement, and reminds Sudhana of the

task he’s set out to do – the practice of supreme enlightenment. He

praises him as a “son of compassion and love, universally kind,” and

urges him not to flag in practice. He continues:

Welcome, pure of heart, tireless in mind; / Welcome, buoyant in

sense; do not flag in practice.

Having set out to contemplate all truths, guide all beings, / And

follow all spiritual benefactors, / You are welcome, with your

 unshakable, steadfast resolve (Avatamsaka Sutra, Book 31,

trans. Cleary: p. 1463).

From these passages, it is apparent that four things characterize a

good friend’s wardship. She praises goodness and effort, she

encourages progress towards more virtue, she provides

constructive exhortation against regression, and inspires people

further towards enlightenment. As a spiritual friend, Maitreya uses

vivid and poignant language to invigorate Sudhana.

From the embryo of the aspiration for enlightenment, compassion,

and love, / Gradually developing the limbs of enlightenment, this

baby buddha is growing. /

…All the Tathagatas are minding you; the enlightening beings are

caring for you, / And you are grounded in their teaching – bravo,

Sudhana, you live a good life (p. 1466, 71).

Good friends also communicate new information for spiritual

awakening. Another good friend of Sudhana’s is a night goddess

called Vasanti. She notes that she has always been a woman for

countless aeons as she practiced the teaching, showing how her

great compassion is so deep that she does not seek to leave the

world (p. 1606). For Vasanti, to see any thing or any being as other

than Buddha is frankly a false view. In this sense, there is an

interesting tension between Vasanti’s instructions and other

teachers in Buddhist history who have asserted that women are not

as capable of spiritual mastery as men.

Conclusion

In this discussion I have demonstrated that spiritual carers must

embody karuna in everything they say and do. A totalistic model of

the kalyanarmitra can therefore be developed into a framework of

friendship and spiritual care relevant to many different walks of life.

The relationship that is forged with a good friend is, according to

Buddhism, a most fortunate opportunity. A good friend is the

beginning of the journey to enlightenment, and is also a constant

companion on that journey. As such, a good friend’s spiritual care is

of measureless value and can only be repaid through gratitude and

reciprocating friendship. Accordingly, we will conclude with a

segment from the verses of Sudhana’s praise to the night goddess

Vasanti, which highlights the mutual respect and love in the

relationship between good friends.

You have taught me the consummation / Of all the teachings to aid

me: / For my benefit, thinking to assist me, / You present supreme

spiritual instruction.

You have blocked the path to woe and calamity / And shown the

way to felicity; / You have also shown the way to omniscience, /

 Followed by all enlightened ones.

…I always think of spiritual friends / As fulfillers of the path of

omniscience. / Therefore I think by serving them all, / Good can be

quickly developed.

All advantages come from that, / And achievements of good

qualities; / Having honoured this infinite group, / I will tell the world

of the path of all knowledge.

You are my mentor, of measureless virtue, / My guide on the way of

omniscience; / Even in countless millions of eons / I could never

thank you enough, O sage. (p. 1368 – 9)

Bibliography

The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka

Sutra. Trans. Thomas Cleary, 1984 – 1993. Boston and London:

Shambhala Publications

Nichiren Dashonin (1990) The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,

Vol. 6. Tokyo: Nichiren Shoshu International Center

Pembroke, Neil (2006) Renewing Pastoral Practice: Trinitarian

Perspectives on Pastoral Care And Counselling. England and the

United States: Ashgate

Unno, Taitetsu (1998) River of Fire, River of Water: An Introduction

to the Pure Land Tradition of Shin Buddhism. Broadway, New York:

Doubleday