1.
The Good Friend Discourse
84.
"I do not, monks, perceive any other single phenomenon by which the unarisen noble eightfold path arises, or the arisen noble eightfold path goes to fulfilment through development, as does, monks, good friendship.
For a monk with good friends, monks, this is to be expected -
he will develop the noble eightfold path, he will cultivate the noble eightfold path.
And how, monks, does a monk with good friends develop the noble eightfold path, cultivate the noble eightfold path?
Here, monks, a monk develops right view, with the removal of lust as its final goal, with the removal of hate as its final goal, with the removal of delusion as its final goal, etc.
he develops right concentration, with the removal of lust as its final goal, with the removal of hate as its final goal, with the removal of delusion as its final goal.
Thus, monks, a monk with good friends develops the noble eightfold path, cultivates the noble eightfold path."
The first.