"The Real Friend" by Manshi Kiyozawa
Citation
Kiyozawa, Manshi. “The Real Friend.” December Fan: The Buddhist Essays of Manshi Kiyozawa, translated by Nobuo Haneda, Shinshu Center of America, 2014, pp. 43–47.
Quotes
- species: #quote
- themes:
...real friendship must have a religious background. A real friend trusts in the Infinite. He is content, neither begrudging his fortune nor expecting things from others. Independent in all things, he lives totally undisturbed by other people or external things. He always abides in the great path of Tathāgata and makes it his first principle to do his best in every situation.
Collations
- Real friendship must have a religious foundation.
- Real friends must share the same trust in the Infinite Power Beyond the Self. This will make their friendship unique, immutable, and lack the need to hurt or control each other.
- Friendships based on social grounds could end any time.
- When your friendship is founded on trust in the Infinite Power Beyond the Self, you could never say that a friend's action is unforgivable or inconsistent with your friendship.
- Real friends understand that our friends must act according to their unique personality and situation.
- We can only criticize our transgression toward our relationship with the Infinite Power Beyond the Self.
- You don't have to seek real friends. To do so is an expression of lack. But we lack nothing. Focus on developing the qualities of a real friend—relying on the Infinite.
- Develop the qualities of a real friend by establishing religious conviction and trusting the Infinite.
- Once you've developed the qualities of a real friend, you can be friends with anyone. You don't have to choose your friends. Doing so is self-centered. Practice your virtues with anyone, even difficult people. These could be occasions for improvement.