Paṭhamamittasutta — Devatāvagga — the fourth chapter of the Sevens
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A single seven-item list, closing on verse — the first of two genuinely different discourses on friendship in this chapter
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
The pairing of giving what is hard to give with keeping secrets as marks of true friendship recurs widely across the Chinese Āgamas' ethical material; this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief and concrete, naming qualities recognizable from ordinary experience rather than technical categories
Why this discourse
AN 7.36 shifts this chapter's register entirely, from deity-delivered respect formulas to the ordinary, recognizable qualities of a true friend: giving what is hard to give, doing what is hard to do, enduring what is hard to endure, sharing and keeping secrets, and standing by someone in times of trouble or loss.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
One should associate with a friend who gives what is hard to give, does what is hard to do, endures what is hard to endure, shares and keeps secrets, and doesn't abandon or look down on you in times of trouble or loss.
Difficulty as the list's own organizing thread
The first three items are explicitly framed around what is hard (dukkara): giving what is hard to give, doing what is hard to do, enduring what is hard to endure — friendship tested against exactly the circumstances where lesser relationships would fail.
Reciprocal trust, at the list's center
The fourth and fifth items concern secrets specifically: a true friend both reveals their own secrets to you and keeps the secrets you share with them — trust running in both directions, not a one-sided disclosure.
Loyalty in decline, closing the list
The final two items name what a true friend does not do: abandon you in times of trouble, or look down on you in times of loss — naming friendship's real test as what happens precisely when a person has least to offer in return.
Key terms
dukkaraṁ dadāti, dukkaraṁ karoti, dukkaraṁ khamati — “gives what is hard to give, does what is hard to do, endures what is hard to endure” — the first three items, explicitly framed around difficulty.
guyhamassa āvi karoti, guyhamassa pariguhati — “reveals their secrets to you, keeps your secrets” — the fourth and fifth items, trust running in both directions.
āpadāsu na jahati — “doesn't abandon you in times of trouble” — the sixth item.
khīṇena nātimaññati — “doesn't look down on you in times of loss” — the seventh and closing item.
mitta — “friend” — this discourse's own subject, defined here through seven concrete, recognizable qualities.
The text
The discourse in full: seven qualities of a friend worth associating with, closing on verse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Seven qualities of a friend
§1“Mendicants, you should associate with a friend who has seven factors. What seven? They give what is hard to give. They do what is hard to do. They endure what is hard to endure. They reveal their secrets to you. They keep your secrets. They don’t abandon you in times of trouble. They don’t look down on you in times of loss. You should associate with a friend who has these seven factors.
The closing verse
§2A friend gives what is hard to give, and does what’s hard to do. They put up with your harsh words, and with things hard to endure. They tell you their secrets, and keep your secrets for you. They don’t abandon you in times of trouble, or look down on you in times of loss. The individual in whom these things are found is your friend. If you want to have a friend, you should keep company with that sort.”
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Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
What organizes the first three items on this discourse's list, according to the guide?
Correct: B. Friendship tested against circumstances where lesser relationships would fail.
Question 2 of 6
What do the fourth and fifth items concern?
Correct: B. Reciprocal trust, not one-sided disclosure.
Question 3 of 6
What do the final two items name, according to the guide?
Correct: B. The test of friendship precisely when a person has least to offer in return.
Question 4 of 6
How does this discourse's register compare to this chapter's opening four discourses (AN 7.32–35)?
Correct: B. Concrete, everyday qualities rather than technical or formulaic content.
Question 5 of 6
Is a setting stated for AN 7.36?
Correct: B. A bare formula, despite its concrete, relatable subject matter.
Question 6 of 6
What does the discourse's closing verse do?
Correct: B. A poetic restatement reinforcing the same seven qualities.
