user11674: The Buddha repeatedly said to avoid ignorant, immoral people as much as possible, but isn't this - at least a little - opposed to kindness? I associate kindness with being benevolent, caring & somewhat open. Am I missing here something?
Thanks

user700: I think it is a very wise advice. Immoral, ignorant people are selfish, narcissistic, unable to feel guilty and can harm others easily. The immoral people are also "fool" so I think the word "fool" refers to the immoral people. But this foolishness is "generally" not about having a low IQ, but it is about how a person sees life in general, is completely ignorant in their relationships with others and being completely identify wth the evil nature of humanity. Also "immoral" means who are prone to harm others easily. Often you will see that many "immoral" people are absolutely moralists but because these people are completely enslaved by the dark nature of humanity and because they don't have any awareness(other than being able to walk in the street or drive a car etc) they can do the evil actions that they criticize very easily. Also they have wrong perceptions of what is moral and what is immoral, what is good and what is evil too. So these people can do extremely evil things but think that they are doing the "moral" thing without feeling guilty. 

Not associating with fools,
  Associating with the wise,
  Honoring those worthy of honor;
  This is the greatest blessing.

The beings who are in same level of frequency comes together naturally

Beings of low dispositions come together & associate with beings of low dispositions. Beings of admirable dispositions come together & associate with beings of admirable dispositions.

Vulnerability grows as you move forward in the Buddhist path. Vulnerability is being completely open to every possibility and form in life. But it doesn't require you to willingly associate with immoral, ignorant people and let them pull you down to their darkness. Just like the sun, is completely open and vulnerable and gives sunshine to every form in the world, is far enough to protect and take care of itself. Kindness and caring isn't about hugging people who have the capasity to stab you in the back anytime. Love is realizing that underneath of the evil nature of humanity, there is Buddha nature, Emptiness. Also every form is empty. No form is real in their essence. But most humans are not aware of it and they are completely identified with their forms. So when you recognize that humans are ignorant, don't have awareness of their own essence, you start to have compassion and love towards everyone. But as a "form" every human is naturally prone to do evil things because there are many layers of ignorance and dark energies in the human mind that comes from maybe millions of life times. Love is not about liking or being friends with everyone. 

user14789: There is a funny sutta where Punna wanted to live among bad people and the buddha questionned him on his skils

"Lord, there is a country called Sunaparanta. I am going to live
  there."
"Punna, the Sunaparanta people are fierce. They are rough. If they
  insult and ridicule you, what will you think?"
"If they insult and ridicule me, I will think, 'These Sunaparanta
  people are civilized, very civilized, in that they don't hit me with
  their hands.' That is what I will think, O Blessed One. That is what I
  will think, O One Well-gone."
"But if they hit you with their hands, what will you think?"
"...I will think, 'These Sunaparanta people are civilized, very
  civilized, in that they don't hit me with a clod.'..."
"But if they hit you with a clod...?"
"...I will think, 'These Sunaparanta people are civilized, very
  civilized, in that they don't hit me with a stick.'..."
"But if they hit you with a stick...?"
"...I will think, 'These Sunaparanta people are civilized, very
  civilized, in that they don't hit me with a knife.'..."
"But if they hit you with a knife...?"
"...I will think, 'These Sunaparanta people are civilized, very
  civilized, in that they don't take my life with a sharp knife.'..."
"But if they take your life with a sharp knife...?"
"If they take my life with a sharp knife, I will think, 'There are
  disciples of the Blessed One who — horrified, humiliated, and
  disgusted by the body and by life — have sought for an assassin, but
  here I have met my assassin without searching for him.' [1] That is
  what I will think, O Blessed One. That is what I will think, O One
  Well-gone."
"Good, Punna, very good. Possessing such calm and self-control you are
  fit to dwell among the Sunaparantans. Now it is time to do as you see
  fit."

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.088.than.html

user254: I think it's a matter of degree, not entirely black-and-white -- how stable you are, how much contact there is between you and of what type, etc.
A monk's giving a formal dhamma talk to a polite audience might be not-very-adversely affected, for example.
Whereas, conversely, your joining a criminal gang would be maybe not so harmless.
It might possibly be a conceit, too, to imagine that you're better than someone else; that you're able to benefit them even when they don't already benefit themselves; that your goodness is stable and is independent of the situation you're in (the company you're with); and so on.
It's good to want to be kind, but you might beware of pathological codependency for example -- which might seem well-intentioned but maybe isn't beneficial (and therefore not actually kind, or not skillful).

11674: <p>The Buddha repeatedly said to avoid ignorant, immoral people as much as possible, but isn't this - at least a little - opposed to kindness? I associate kindness with being benevolent, caring &amp; somewhat open. Am I missing here something?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>
 700: <p>I think it is a very wise advice. Immoral, ignorant people are selfish, narcissistic, unable to feel guilty and can harm others easily. The immoral people are also "fool" so I think the word "fool" refers to the immoral people. But this foolishness is "generally" not about having a low IQ, but it is about how a person sees life in general, is completely ignorant in their relationships with others and being completely identify wth the evil nature of humanity. Also "immoral" means who are prone to harm others easily. Often you will see that many "immoral" people are absolutely moralists but because these people are completely enslaved by the dark nature of humanity and because they don't have any awareness(other than being able to walk in the street or drive a car etc) they can do the evil actions that they criticize very easily. Also they have wrong perceptions of what is moral and what is immoral, what is good and what is evil too. So these people can do extremely evil things but think that they are doing the "moral" thing without feeling guilty. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Not associating with fools,
  Associating with the wise,
  Honoring those worthy of honor;
  This is the greatest blessing.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The beings who are in same level of frequency comes together naturally</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Beings of low dispositions come together &amp; associate with beings of low dispositions. Beings of admirable dispositions come together &amp; associate with beings of admirable dispositions.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Vulnerability grows as you move forward in the Buddhist path. Vulnerability is being completely open to every possibility and form in life. But it doesn't require you to willingly associate with immoral, ignorant people and let them pull you down to their darkness. Just like the sun, is completely open and vulnerable and gives sunshine to every form in the world, is far enough to protect and take care of itself. Kindness and caring isn't about hugging people who have the capasity to stab you in the back anytime. Love is realizing that underneath of the evil nature of humanity, there is Buddha nature, Emptiness. Also every form is empty. No form is real in their essence. But most humans are not aware of it and they are completely identified with their forms. So when you recognize that humans are ignorant, don't have awareness of their own essence, you start to have compassion and love towards everyone. But as a "form" every human is naturally prone to do evil things because there are many layers of ignorance and dark energies in the human mind that comes from maybe millions of life times. Love is not about liking or being friends with everyone. </p>
 14789: <p>There is a funny sutta where Punna wanted to live among bad people and the buddha questionned him on his skils</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"Lord, there is a country called Sunaparanta. I am going to live
  there."</p>
  
  <p>"Punna, the Sunaparanta people are fierce. They are rough. If they
  insult and ridicule you, what will you think?"</p>
  
  <p>"If they insult and ridicule me, I will think, 'These Sunaparanta
  people are civilized, very civilized, in that they don't hit me with
  their hands.' That is what I will think, O Blessed One. That is what I
  will think, O One Well-gone."</p>
  
  <p>"But if they hit you with their hands, what will you think?"</p>
  
  <p>"...I will think, 'These Sunaparanta people are civilized, very
  civilized, in that they don't hit me with a clod.'..."</p>
  
  <p>"But if they hit you with a clod...?"</p>
  
  <p>"...I will think, 'These Sunaparanta people are civilized, very
  civilized, in that they don't hit me with a stick.'..."</p>
  
  <p>"But if they hit you with a stick...?"</p>
  
  <p>"...I will think, 'These Sunaparanta people are civilized, very
  civilized, in that they don't hit me with a knife.'..."</p>
  
  <p>"But if they hit you with a knife...?"</p>
  
  <p>"...I will think, 'These Sunaparanta people are civilized, very
  civilized, in that they don't take my life with a sharp knife.'..."</p>
  
  <p>"But if they take your life with a sharp knife...?"</p>
  
  <p>"If they take my life with a sharp knife, I will think, 'There are
  disciples of the Blessed One who — horrified, humiliated, and
  disgusted by the body and by life — have sought for an assassin, but
  here I have met my assassin without searching for him.' [1] That is
  what I will think, O Blessed One. That is what I will think, O One
  Well-gone."</p>
  
  <p>"Good, Punna, very good. Possessing such calm and self-control you are
  fit to dwell among the Sunaparantans. Now it is time to do as you see
  fit."</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.088.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.088.than.html</a></p>
 254: <p>I think it's a matter of degree, not entirely black-and-white -- how stable you are, how much contact there is between you and of what type, etc.</p>

<p>A monk's giving a formal dhamma talk to a polite audience might be not-very-adversely affected, for example.</p>

<p>Whereas, conversely, your joining a criminal gang would be maybe not so harmless.</p>

<p>It might possibly be a conceit, too, to imagine that you're better than someone else; that you're able to benefit them even when they don't already benefit themselves; that your goodness is stable and is independent of the situation you're in (the company you're with); and so on.</p>

<p>It's good to want to be kind, but you might beware of pathological <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codependency" rel="nofollow noreferrer">codependency</a> for example -- which might seem well-intentioned but maybe isn't beneficial (and therefore not actually kind, or not skillful).</p>
