佛祖統紀 3.142

3.142

置毒不定。玄引涅槃五味譬四教位（前三教。教教皆成五味。備在玄文）故知前三教五味皆粗。圓教一味皆妙（有人云應云五味皆妙）經云。譬如有人置毒乳中則能殺人。乃至醍醐亦能殺人。此譬兩用。一通約漸頓。明不定教。處處皆得見佛性。二約行不定。行人心行譬之如乳。實相譬之以毒。此毒有殞命之能。此智有破無明之力。久遠劫來說實相毒。置於凡夫心乳。毒慧開發不可為定。或於初味發。或於後味發。不得次第往判。故言置毒乳中乃至醍醐。遍五味中悉有殺義（云云）。若圓教中發者。始聞經即破無明見佛性。是乳中殺人六根清淨去。是酪生酥熟酥等殺人。若初住去。是醍醐殺人（玄文。先列前三教。隨何位中。密見中道。即是乳中殺人。乃至醍醐殺人○昔師云。毒喻佛性。置喻體具。五味喻五道。以一毒置眾生心乳中。隨於五道受身之殊。毒性不失。毒發性顯之時。無局何身。若大道得發。即醍醐中發。義既不定。故於不定教明）一音不定。輔行引起信論云。圓音一演異類等解。又如如來八十好中一音能報眾聲。殊方異類莫不獲益。如來本非一切音辭。而能遍赴一切音辭。並與此不定義同。籤引華嚴云。佛以一妙音。周遍十方國。眾聲悉具足。法雨等充遍。又大論云。欲得一音遍十方。當學般若（此等皆大乘一音也）。毘曇論云。佛為四王作聖語說四諦。二解二不解（梵天音也）。又作毘陀羅語說四諦。一解一不解。又作梨車語說四諦。四王俱解。以此四王各念不同故。佛三說以赴彼念。總釋祕密不定。籤引大論。諸佛有二法輪。一者顯。二者密。初轉聲聞見八萬諸天得無生忍。陳如得初果（今家不定所據）。諸菩薩見無量阿僧祇人得無生忍。乃至十地一生補處。是名為密（今家祕密所據）。籤云。玄引大經。或時說深或時說淺等。名不定者。以由彼此互相知故。若祕密者。即互不相知。不定與祕密。並皆不出同聽異聞（同稟如來一音之教故曰同聽。互相知互不相知。故曰異聞）。又籤云。不定與祕密。但有互知（不定）互不相知（祕密）以辨兩異。

Poison-placing indeterminate [teaching]: The Miaoxuan cites the five flavors of the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] to illustrate the stages of the four teachings (each of the preceding three teachings includes all five flavors, fully detailed in the Miaoxuan). Thus we know that the five flavors of the preceding three teachings are all crude, while the single flavor of the perfect teaching is entirely subtle (some say it should be called 'all five flavors being subtle'). The sūtra states: 'Just as when someone places poison in milk, it can kill people, up to clarified butter, which can also kill people.' This metaphor has two applications: first, generally in terms of the gradual and sudden, to explain the indeterminate teaching, wherein the Buddha-nature can be seen at any point; second, in terms of indeterminate practice: the mental activity of the practitioner is compared to milk, and the real mark is compared to poison. This poison has the power to destroy life; this wisdom has the power to shatter ignorance. Expounding the poison of the real mark in kalpas long past, it is placed in the mental milk of ordinary beings. The activation of the poisonous wisdom cannot be fixed: it may activate at the first flavor, or it may activate at a later flavor, and cannot be determined by gradual sequence. Therefore it says that placing poison in milk up to clarified butter has the sense of killing throughout all five flavors (and so forth). If it activates within the perfect teaching: hearing the sūtra for the first time immediately shatters ignorance and reveals the Buddha-nature, which is killing in milk; from the purification of the six sense-faculties onward, it is killing in curd, fresh butter, clarified butter, and so forth; from the initial dwelling onward, it is killing in clarified butter (the Miaoxuan first lists the preceding three teachings, where secretly seeing the Middle Way in whatever stage is killing in milk, up to killing in clarified butter. An ancient master said: 'The poison illustrates the Buddha-nature, placing illustrates inherent possession within the substance, and the five flavors illustrate the five destinies. Placing the single poison in the mental milk of sentient beings, along with the differences in taking bodies in the five destinies, the poisonous nature is not lost. When the poison activates and the nature becomes manifest, it is not restricted to any particular body. If it is activated by the Great Path, then it activates in clarified butter.' Since its meaning is indeterminate, it is explained under the indeterminate teaching). One-voice indeterminate: The Fuxing cites the Awakening of Faith, stating: 'When the perfect voice is once uttered, different species equally understand.' Furthermore, just as among the Tathāgata's eighty minor marks, a single voice can respond to all sounds, and those from different places and of different kinds all receive benefit; although the Tathāgata originally has no speech whatsoever, he can ubiquitously adapt to all speech—these both share the meaning of this indeterminate [teaching]. The Qian cites the Avataṃsaka, stating: 'The Buddha, with a single wondrous voice, / pervasively fills the lands of the ten directions; / all sounds are fully present, / and the rain of Dharma equally fills everywhere.' Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states: 'If one wishes to have a single voice pervade the ten directions, one should study prajñā' (these are all the single voice of the Mahāyāna). The Abhidharma treatises state that the Buddha spoke the four truths to the four heavenly kings in the sacred tongue: two understood and two did not (the sound of the Brahmā heaven). He also spoke the four truths in the Vetāla tongue: one understood and one did not. He also spoke the four truths in the Licchavi tongue: all four kings understood. Because the thoughts of these four kings were each different, the Buddha spoke thrice to adapt to their thoughts. General explanation of the secret and indeterminate: The Qian cites the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa: 'All Buddhas have two wheels of the Dharma: the first is manifest, and the second is secret. At the first turning, śrāvakas saw eighty thousand gods attain the forbearance of non-arising, and Ājñātakauṇḍinya attained the first fruit (this is what our school bases the indeterminate on). Bodhisattvas saw incalculable asaṃkhyeyas of people attain the forbearance of non-arising, up to the ten stages and being one birth away from Buddhahood; this is named secret (this is what our school bases the secret on).' The Qian states: 'The Miaoxuan cites the Great Sūtra: "Sometimes expounding the profound, sometimes expounding the shallow," and so forth. That it is named indeterminate is because they mutually know of each other. If it is secret, then they do not mutually know of each other. Both indeterminate and secret do not go beyond hearing the same yet learning differently (because they jointly receive the teaching of the Tathāgata's single voice, it is called "hearing the same"; because they mutually know or do not mutually know of each other, it is called "learning differently").' Furthermore, the Qian states: 'Indeterminate and secret are distinguished in their difference only by mutual knowledge (indeterminate) and mutual non-knowledge (secret).'