The heart is like a door that can be open or closed and locked. When it is open, the treasure or rock and sand in the heart can then be minded. If the treasure of our heart is locked up, it becomes a deep mystery nobody can understand.

So what is in the minds of some people? They lock up their cravings, emotions, and secrets. A lock helps us to safeguard our possessions so that we will not lose them, and no one can take them away from us. Therefore, we lock our drawers, doors, safe and the doors of our heart.

The rules of immigration and customs of every country are like locks, which do not easily allow people to go through. Sometimes the sea may be locked, and ships cannot pass the waterways. Air space may also be locked, and planes can no longer fly. Criminals are handcuffed and shackled, thus losing their freedom. Locks mean the lack of freedom and a form of imprisonment. Therefore, we must keep intelligence information of our country locked up. By not publicizing others' shortcomings and commending their benevolence, such concealment is also a virtue. There are multiple gates in the world, just as everyone's life has its own secret code, and every person is securely locked by it.

When something is being locked up there is a secret within. Someone asked the Sixth Patriarch, Venerable Master Hui Neng, "Other than the Dharma you taught, is there any secret meaning? The Sixth Patriarch replied, "The secret is within you!" The meaning of which is, "My Dharma is not locked up. When your heart is wide open, the Dharma will enter naturally!"

Are there any secrets in the world? Some people think there are not. However, for the sake of their ancestors and family name, a lot of people will keep a family secret. Or, for the sake of morals and race, stories of illegitimate children are strictly guarded. There were moving stories in Chinese history where loyal ministers protected the imperial lineage by keeping the identity of heirs to the throne secret.

Can a secret be really kept? One person tells a friend, "I have a secret to tell you, but don't tell anybody." The friend turns around and tells another person the same thing, and as it carries on, the so-called secret is known by the whole world.

There are inevitably reasons to keep secrets. For instance, business secrets, personnel information, finance data, and technical breakthroughs should be kept confidential. However, many people believe that special recipes or methods should be kept secret and refuse to pass them onto others, resulting in losing the opportunity to benefit the world. Therefore, the lock to the heart should be open or closed as appropriate. The door of the heart should be open especially because with an open heart, we can understand the meaning of the truth. Otherwise, how can we possibly embrace human relations, ethics, and reason?