Theragāthā 185

Verses of the Senior Monks 3.16

The Book of the Threes

Chapter One

Vimala (2nd)

1 Shunning bad friends,

associate with the supreme individual.

Stick to the advice he gave you,

aspiring to unshakable happiness.

2 If you’re lost in the middle of a great sea,

and you clamber up on a little log, you’ll sink.

So too, a person who lives well

sinks by relying on a lazy person.

Hence you should avoid such

a lazy person who lacks energy.

3 Dwell with the noble ones

who are secluded and determined

and always energetic;

the astute who practice absorption.