The Prohibition Against Explicitly Revealing the Esoteric Intent Is to Enable the Realization of Manas

In Buddhism, all Dharmas that require realization belong to the secret Dharma. The so-called secret Dharma means that these Dharmas must be personally investigated and verified by oneself; one should not expect ready-made answers from others, nor should one speculate or imagine with the conscious mind. This is because ready-made answers obtained from others, as well as answers derived from speculation and imagination, only correspond to the conscious mind. The conscious mind may easily comprehend and grasp them, but the manas (the fundamental mind) cannot understand or grasp them. For the manas to understand and grasp, it must undergo the process of investigation. The manas must personally participate in the conscious mind's thinking and verification, comprehending every detail transmitted by the conscious mind and mastering each piece of evidence for examination and deliberation. Only when the evidence is sufficient can the manas deliberate clearly and ultimately attain true knowledge. If the manas does not know, it does not realize; if the manas does not realize, doubt arises. With doubt and no realization of truth, there can be no merit or benefit of liberation.

Therefore, in Buddhism, not only does the Mahayana strictly prohibit explicitly revealing the secret meaning, but even in the Hinayana, it is forbidden to explicitly state overly specific contemplative practices, so as to prevent the conscious mind from knowing while the manas remains ignorant. If explicitly stated, the conscious mind can quickly comprehend it, leaving no room for further investigation. Without undergoing investigation, the manas cannot understand or realize. If the manas harbors unresolved doubt, then there can be no merit or benefit of liberation.