Quotes:
The Buddha told the monk Mahākāśyapa, “Although the audiences of this assembly are all pure and simple, many of them do not have a good understanding of the hidden teachings.” Mahākāśyapa asked the Buddha, “What is meant by the hidden teachings?” The Buddha replied, “The hidden teachings refer to the saying that the ultimate nirvāṇa of Tathāgata is, in fact, Tathāgata, which permanently abides and is inextinguishable, and the notion of complete nirvāṇa is not a destructible dharma. This sūtra departs from concealment and denotes purity, distinctly voicing out and expounding hundreds or thousands of different causes and conditions to the masses. Thus, Mahākāśyapa, you should again observe all the people in this assembly.” The Great Drum Sutra
佛告迦葉：「今此會眾雖復一切清淨純一，然於隱覆之說，有不善解。迦葉白佛言：「云何名為隱覆之說？」佛告迦葉：「隱覆說者，謂言：如來畢竟涅槃，而實如來常住不滅，般涅槃者非毀壞法。此修多羅離覆清淨，明顯音聲百千因緣分別開示。是故，迦葉！當更觀察此諸大眾。 」《大法鼓經》
Remarks:
In the Great Drum Sutra, Mahākāśyapa asked, “What is the meaning of preaching dharmas employing hidden teachings?” The Buddha answered, “Preaching by employing hidden teachings means preaching that Tathāgata has attained the ultimate remainderless nirvāṇa when Tathāgata in fact abides eternally and is inextinguishable. The state of parinirvāṇa is not a destructible dharma.”
The quotes of this passage indicate that “this sūtra” is detached from obscuration and is pure. Furthermore, it constantly discerns and incessantly reveals causes and conditions, applying distinct sounds, to the multitude of sentient beings among the hundreds or thousands of causes and conditions. It is for this reason that the Buddha said, “Mahākāśyapa, we should again observe all the people in this assembly.”
The Path to Liberation is based on the total extinguishment and cessation of the phenomenal world, the dharmas of aggregates, sense fields, elements, and so forth, thereby exhausting all future existence in the three realms. In this way, it can be understood as the Two-Vehicle nirvāṇa, consisting of the nirvāṇa with remainder and the remainderless nirvāṇa.
However, the actual attainment of prajñā involves realizing “this sūtra,” called the eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha. Importantly, “this sūtra,” the tathāgatagarbha, constantly and instantaneously displays its real and suchness nature. This nature of reality-suchness essentially denotes intrinsicality, nature, purity, and nirvāṇa. Furthermore, this mind of reality-suchness is permanently abiding, inextinguishable, and without arising or ceasing. Naturally, “Tathāgata permanently abides and is inextinguishable.”
According to the factual records of the Āgama Sūtras, Tathāgata taught the Path to Liberation to those pursuing the Two Vehicles and the Path to Buddhahood to those pursuing the Buddha Bodhi by relying on this Mind. Given that this eighth-consciousness mind remains eternal and unceasing and Tathāgata has already attained the four kinds of nirvāṇa, Tathāgata no longer needs to enter the remainderless nirvāṇa.
Thus, the hidden teachings of the Buddha in the Āgamas had already encompassed both the Path to Liberation and the Path to Buddhahood before the Buddha manifested parinirvāṇa.
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