WHY ASSOCIATING WITH GOOD PEOPLE IS SO IMPORTANT ON THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

We look at the first part of the insight pathway for the way out or passing away (atthangama) of Ignorance (avijjā), which is associating with good people. This is from the Avijjā Sutta (AN 10.61). Instead of ignorance, we want to cultivate and develop to fulfillment True Knowledge and Liberation (vijjāvimutti).

The intention is to look at a few different parts of this insight pathway (which has all the main teachings of the Buddha to develop the Noble Eightfold Path and realise Nibbana) before pulling it all together to explain how to meditate on the full insight pathway.

In this session we:

• - briefly revisit Buddha's definition of a bad person (asappurisa)
• - look into the Buddha's definition of a good person (sappurisa)
• - examine some of the Buddha's teachings on why it's important to associate with good people
• - reflect on the example of Angulimala, the murderer who realised full awakening
• - run through some questions we can use as prompts for contemplation about "why associating with good people is so important on the Noble Eightfold Path" that may help us to make more conscious choices regarding the company we keep and who we spend the most time with. This is from the perspective of the spiritual growth on the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path.

Most of the suttas that are directly or indirectly referred to in this session:

• — Sappurisavagga (AN 4.201-210)
• — Samacittavagga (AN 2.32)
• — Āyācanavagga (AN 2.134-137)
• — Dutiyakhatasutta (AN 4.4)
• — Sappurisa Sutta (AN 4.73)
• — Akataññutā Autta (AN 4.223)
• — Cūḷapuṇṇama Sutta (MN 110)
• — Sappurisa Sutta (MN 113)
• — Paṭhamaasappurisa Sutta (SN 45.25)
• — Dutiyaasappurisa Sutta (SN 45.26)
• — Dasaṅga Sutta (SN 14.29)
• — Caṅkama Sutta (SN 14.15)
• — Angulimalatthera Vatthu (Dhp 173)
• — Vassakāra Sutta (AN 4.187)
• — Vatthūpama Sutta (MN 7)
• — Karaniyametta Sutta (Sn1.8)

To read the Avijjā Sutta (AN 10.61) - https://suttacentral.net/an10.61/en/bodhi

A VIDEO of this segment has been published to the Sutta Meditation Series YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfc5me6D0j8 AND on Spotify as a video podcast

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai