佛說處處經 1.27

1.27

「佛說生死懃苦三惡道事，有黠人意解，便取阿羅漢，雖作阿羅漢，於中最尊。所以者何？用前世行菩薩道五百劫，有慈心欲度十方人故，雖得阿羅漢智慧，能曉方俗語。初為阿羅漢時，不能自覺前世為菩薩，佛便說佛功德，復為說阿羅漢功德，爾乃知佛功德大，便自悔欲轉意取佛。」

"When the Buddha expounds on the suffering and toil of birth and death and the affairs of the three evil destinies, there are wise people whose minds understand and immediately take [the stage of] arhat; although becoming arhats, they are the most venerable among them. Why is this? Because in past lives they practiced the bodhisattva path for five hundred kalpas, and having a compassionate mind they wished to deliver the people of the ten directions; therefore, although attaining the wisdom of an arhat, they can understand regional and vernacular dialects. When first becoming an arhat, one cannot spontaneously realize that in past lives he was a bodhisattva; the Buddha then expounds the Buddha's virtues, and further expounds the arhat's virtues for him; only then does he realize the Buddha's virtues are vast, and he regrets [his choice] and wishes to turn his mind to attain Buddhahood."