“Śāriputra! Some disciples of mine, who think that they are Arhats or Pratyekabuddhas, will not be my disciples or Arhats or Pratyekabuddhas if they do not hear or know that the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, teach only Bodhisattvas.”

Wishing the Tao to prevail in the world, how can [the Buddha] not explain the distinction between attainment and loss, advising men to do away with [the cause of] loss and to follow [that of] attainment? If one calls oneself an arhat but does not know that the Buddha is [in the world] solely for converting [potential] bodhisattvas, one is not an arhat [in the true sense of the word]. One is then a man of error and loss. When a man is able to keep this sūtra, he can be said to have attained [the arhatship].