Destroyer of friends

Here deception means cunning or treachery. Like anger destroys love and pride annihilates humility, similarly deception also destroys friends.

Faith is the foundation of friendship and betrayal is the foundation of deception. Hence, friendship and deception – in the two mind-sets – there is great enmity, great antagonism. Both of them cannot simultaneously exist in a man. When propensity to friendship resides in one’s mind then evil disposition like deception cannot find a place in it; and when the darkness of deception reigns, then at that time light of friendship cannot find a place there.

A deceitful man can cheat others by telling lies so that he can achieve his goal but he forgets that, as a wooden pot cannot be put on fire a second time, so also he can deceive someone only once, not repeatedly. When they come to know that the man is a cheat, deceiver, then they do not believe in him; and then the cheater cannot play his tricks on them any more, because deception is the destroyer of friendship.

- Dasavaikalika Sutra 8/38