What Do "Meaning" and "Words" Respectively Refer to in "Relying on the Meaning, Not on the Words"?

When the Buddha taught the Dharma, He told sentient beings to rely on the true meaning within the Dharma He taught, not on the surface language of His teachings. Language carries the surface meaning, while the meaning is the hidden, true intent. So why did the Buddha not directly state the true meaning when teaching the Dharma, concealing His true intent beneath the surface meaning?

Language corresponds to the mind consciousness and lies at the shallow, surface level of meaning. But behind the language and words, there is a deeper meaning that the manas wishes to express. Under special circumstances, some people find it inconvenient, are unwilling, or find it very difficult to directly express their true thoughts in speech or writing, and thus express themselves implicitly and indirectly; the listener must then listen for the overtones and understand the meaning behind what is not on the surface of the words. Sentient beings find it somewhat easier to understand the surface meaning, but after all, that is not the true meaning and is not ultimate; the deeper meaning is not easy for sentient beings to understand, yet that is the meaning the speaker truly wishes to express, the meaning they want to convey to us.

Therefore, when the Buddha was about to enter parinirvāṇa, He told His disciples to rely on the meaning and not on the language, so that sentient beings would rely on the ultimate meaning—the ultimate meaning being the true intent the Buddha wished to express. If sentient beings only understand and dwell on the surface of the language, they have not understood the Buddha's true intent and have distorted the Buddha's real meaning.

When ordinary people speak, there is also explicit reference and implicit reference: explicit reference is the surface meaning, while implicit reference is the true meaning. Explicit reference is what the mind consciousness expresses through language and words; implicit reference is the true intention behind the language and words. Why not directly express one's true thoughts and intentions? On some occasions, some thoughts cannot be expressed directly. One reason is concern that the other party cannot accept or understand them, fearing misunderstanding; another is a matter of method and strategy—inspiring a person to ponder deeply, so that the answer they arrive at through deep and careful deliberation is more readily accepted and the wisdom gained is deeper.

Those who are skilled in the art of language employ just such skillful means. Even when the Buddha taught the Dharma, He was sometimes rather indirect and did not directly express the true meaning in His mind. One reason was the fear that sentient beings could not understand it or might develop misunderstandings; another was to guide sentient beings to contemplate more deeply and draw their own conclusions, thereby increasing their wisdom and faith. Especially when sentient beings of different spiritual faculties were mixed together, the deeper meaning could not be expressed directly.