法華文句記 2.35

2.35

「羅云以沙彌之年」者，《中含》第三云：「佛乞食訖至溫泉羅云住處，羅云為敷坐具汲水洗足，佛取水器瀉留少水。問羅云：見不？答：見。佛言：我說彼道少亦復如是。次令水盡，次令器覆，皆答佛。佛言：彼道盡，彼道覆。皆語羅云：當作是意不得戲笑妄語。而說偈言：人狂一往謂妄語是，不畏後世無惡不作。說是頌已，問羅云曰：如人照鏡，欲見其面見淨不淨。如是羅云，將己身業觀於彼淨及以不淨、善不善、已作當作，皆當受善惡果報，乃至口意亦復如是一一觀察。」四大羅漢名，如前。佛勅云：「吾法滅盡然後涅槃。」準《寶雲經》第七，佛記十六羅漢令持佛法，至後佛出方得入滅。彼經一一皆列住處人名眾數等，故諸聖者皆於佛前各發誓言：我等以神力故，弘護是經不般涅槃。賓頭盧、羅云在十六數，却不云迦葉。

Regarding “Rāhula at the age of a novice (śrāmaṇera),” the third fascicle of the Madhyama Āgama says: “After begging for food, the Buddha arrived at the hot springs where Rāhula dwelt. Rāhula spread a sitting mat for him and drew water to wash his feet. The Buddha took the water vessel, poured it out, and left a small amount of water. He asked Rāhula, ‘Do you see this or not?’ He replied, ‘I see it.’ The Buddha said, ‘I declare that his path is also small like this.’ Next, he had him empty the water completely, and next, he had him turn the vessel upside down; [Rāhula] answered the Buddha in each case. The Buddha said, ‘His path is exhausted; his path is overturned.’ In each case, he told Rāhula, ‘You must maintain this awareness: you must not joke, laugh, or speak falsely.’ And he spoke a verse: ‘When a mad person persists in claiming that false speech is right, / Not fearing future lives, there is no evil he will not commit.’ Having spoken this verse, he asked Rāhula, ‘Just as a person looking into a mirror wishes to see his face, seeing whether it is clean or unclean, so too, Rāhula, taking your own bodily actions, observe their cleanliness and uncleanliness, good and not good, what has been done and what is to be done; all will receive good or evil retributions. Up to mouth and mind, one should likewise observe each one.’” The names of the four great arhats are as before. The Buddha ordered, saying: “Only after my Dharma is completely extinguished shall you enter nirvāṇa.” According to the seventh fascicle of the Ratnamegha Sūtra, the Buddha prophesied that sixteen arhats were to uphold the Buddha-dharma, and only when a later Buddha appears may they enter extinction. That sūtra lists their dwelling places, personal names, numbers in their assemblies, and so forth one by one. Therefore, all these noble ones each made a vow before the Buddha: “By our supernatural powers, we will propagate and protect this sūtra and not enter parinirvāṇa.” Piṇḍola and Rāhula are among the sixteen, but Kāśyapa is not mentioned.