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 sasra. 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, Maitreyas 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 hes 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 friends 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 Sudhanas 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 Vasantis 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 friends 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 Sudhanas 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)

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