大般涅槃經疏 6.4

6.4

Furthermore, continuing from the preceding text: the great earth is an analogy for the Buddha-jewel, the various mountain medicinal herbs are an analogy for the Dharma-jewel, and being used for the sake of sentient beings is an analogy for the Saṅgha-jewel. Next, matching them to the text: "My Dharma is also thus" is the Buddha; "producing the ambrosia" is the Dharma; and "for the sake of sentient beings" is the Saṅgha. Third, from "What is called..." onward, this explains the "secret treasury"; first presenting others' interpretations, and next matching the text. The Dilun masters say: the ālayavijñāna, being within deluded defilements, is called the secret treasury. The Chengshi masters say: the future resultant Buddha is outside sentient beings; all sentient beings will attain the Buddha-fruit; because this principle pertains to the person, it is also inside, but because at the present time it does not yet exist, it is also outside; being outside, it is not inside, and being inside, it is not outside—hence it is called the secret treasury. The *Treatise on the Inherent Existence of Nirvāṇa* (*Niepan benyou lun*) says: "Inside the bodies of sentient beings there is a Buddha—this is not secret. Outside the body there is [a Buddha]; neither inside the body nor outside the body does [one] exist; neither not-inside nor not-outside does [one] exist—none of these is secret; that sentient beings are identically it, is therefore called secret." The previous two interpretations are refuted by this treatise (and so on). If spoken according to the past teachings: concealed, it is called secret; covered, it is called a treasury. That is, impermanence covers permanence, characteristics cover characterlessness, and the non-definitive covers the definitive, causing permanence and so forth to be concealed—this is called the secret treasury. Like the physically deformed person, like the treatises of non-Buddhists, and various other analogies expounded in detail below—this is named the secret treasury of the past teachings. The present sūtra opens it wide: like the moon dwelling in the sky, pure and clearly revealed, it is unlike the past teachings. It is only because the true Dharma is subtle, inconceivable, beyond names, and divorced from characteristics, such that sentient beings cannot comprehend it, that it is named secret; and because the dharmadhātu contains and embraces all dharmas, and its functioning cannot be exhausted, it is named a treasury. Therefore, the text below says: "Neither vertical nor horizontal, neither conjoined nor distinct—this is the meaning of secret; the three dharmas being complete without any deficiency—this is the meaning of its treasury." The text and meaning are radiant and clear—how could any other interpretation hold? The *Nirvāṇa Treatise* is cited to refute the various human teachers, and the *Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra* is cited to refute the provisional teachings—a great wind sweeps away the mist, and the clear Milky Way shines brightly (and so on).