白的人就認為這個秘密的東西是最好的，因為它不是公開地傳。有一些不懂佛法的人，就更神乎其神，說：「這不能講給你聽了，我這密宗啊，密宗不能講給你聽。」你不能講給人聽，為什麼你又要說呢？為什麼又要說「我不能講給你聽」啊？你根本就是密宗，就是不說就好了，為什麼又要說我不能說給你聽──我不能講給你聽，你不能講這又是講了。你不能講這是不是講？這也是講。這為什麼他要這樣說呢，就因為他不明白佛法，根本就不知道什麼叫「密宗」。

Ignorant people say that secret things are the best. Why? Because they are secret, and not publicly transmitted. So people who don't understand the Buddhadharma speak of the supernatural and mysterious saying, "Oh! I can't tell this to you! It's from the Secret School, and it can't be spoken for you to hear!" If they can't speak of it to others, why mention it? Why do they say they can't talk about it? If it's really the Secret School, and it's best not to speak of it, why do they say, "I can't tell you"? Their "not talking" is just talking about it. Is this "refusal to speak of it" speaking of it or not? Yes, it's speaking of it. Why do they talk this way? Because they don't understand the Buddhadharma, and are completely unaware of what the Secret School is.

所謂「密宗」，我現在告訴你們，這個咒啊，並不密。所謂密宗，就是你念這個咒啊，有你的靈感，我不知道；我念這個咒呢，就有我的靈感，你不知道。這彼此互不相知它的功能──它的功能和它的力量，不知道，這叫密宗。並不是這個咒是密宗，那個咒的力量才是密。這是密宗的意思。

Now I will tell you about the Secret School. Mantras are not secret. The Secret School is the magical response which comes from your recitation of mantras; I can't know your response. I recite mantras and have my magical response, and you do not know of it. This is "no mutual knowing". The ability and power are unknown, and therefore are called the Secret School. It's not mantras, but the power of mantras that is the Secret School. This is the meaning of the Secret School.

那個咒，既然是密了，你就不應該傳給人。你傳給另外一個人，這已經不密了。同樣的，六祖和惠明有這麼一番對答：

惠明：「上來所說，密意，若有秘密嘛，還有比這秘密的嗎？」

六祖：「與汝說者。即非密也。汝若返照。密在汝邊。」

If mantras are really secret, they should not be transmitted to other people; for if you transmit a mantra to someone else, it is no longer secret. It is the same as the Sixth Patriarch's answer to Hui Ming's question:

"He (Hui Ming) further asked, 'Apart from the above secret speech and secret meaning, is there yet another secret meaning?'

Hui Neng said, 'What has been spoken to you is not secret. If you reverse the illumination, the secret is on your side."'

你看，這說的明明白白的嘛，你能說出來的就不密了，能傳給你已經不密了。你要是密就不應該傳。密在汝邊嘛，密在你那個地方。這就是說的這個秘密。

Speak it and it is not secret. Take a look; he said it very clearly. Once spoken, it is no longer secret. The "secret" is that which is not transmitted. If it can be transmitted, it is not "secret". The "secret" can not be transmitted; it is on your side