Friends:

Without Ego, Friendship can even be Infinite:

The Blessed Buddha said of this beautiful Friendship (Kalyānamittatā):                                  
By this following method, Ananda, it may be understood how the entire
Holy & Noble Life is sole good friendship, good companionship, and good
comradeship: By relying upon me as a good friend, Ananda, beings subject
to birth are freed from birth, ageing beings are freed from their ageing,
beings subject to disease are cured from illness, beings subject to death
escape death, and beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, & desperate
despair are freed from this grief, pain, frustration and endless Suffering!
Therefore, Ananda it may be emphasized, how this entire Noble Life is all
based on good friendship, beautiful amity, and benevolent harmony...

Comments:
Selfless friendship is the most deep, genuine, sincere and sweet!
Why so? It is not limited or tainted by any egoistic self-interest,
which otherwise interferes, as soon as an assumed 'self' suspects
even minor overstepping of its perceived territorial 'my' domain..
If there is no self present, how can it ever be possessive? ")



The Blessed Buddha often emphasized: Sabbe Dhammā Anattā...
All states are selfless, egoless, ownerless, & void of any core "I"-dentity!

More on this very best good within beautiful friendship (Kalyānamittatā):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Buddha_on_Noble_Frienship.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Selfless_Friendship_is_Sweetest.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/All_Embracing_Kindness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Infinite_Friendliness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Blazing_Friendliness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/United_in_Harmony.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Good_Friend.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Goodwill_Encore.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Good-Will_Again.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Bon_Benevolence.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Blazing_&_Bright.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Good_Friendship.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Friendliness_Frees.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Unique_Unity.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Kalyanamitta.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Metta.htm

Source:
The Grouped Sayings by the Buddha. Samyutta Nikāya 3(18): [I 88]
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/samyutta/index.html

If animals despite differences can display so beautiful inter-species
friendship so more should we humans be kind towards all beings!