正德乙亥，九川初见先生于龙江[1]。先生与甘泉先生论「格物」之说。甘泉持旧说[2]。先生曰：「是求之于外了。」甘泉曰：「若以格物理为外，是自小其心也。」九川甚喜旧说之是。先生又论「尽心」一章，九川一闻，却遂无疑。
后家居，复以「格物」遗质。先生答云：「但能实地用功，久当自释[3]。」山间乃自录《大学》旧本读之，觉朱子「格物」之说非是；然亦疑先生以「意之所在为物」，「物」字未明。
己卯归自京师，再见先生于洪都[4]。先生兵务倥偬，乘隙讲授。首问：「近年用功何如？」
九川曰：「近年体验得『明明德』功夫只是『诚意』。自『明明德于天下』，步步推入根源，到『诚意』上再去不得，如何以前又有『格致』工夫？后又体验，觉得意之诚伪，必先知觉乃可；以颜子『有不善未尝不知，知之未尝复行』为证，豁然若无疑。却又多了『格物』工夫；又思来吾心之灵，何有不知意之善恶？只是物欲蔽了；须格去物欲，始能如颜子未尝不知耳。又自疑功夫颠倒，与『诚意』不成片段。后问希颜[5]。希颜曰：『先生谓格物、致知是诚意功夫，极好。』九川曰：『如何是诚意功夫？』希颜令再思体看，九川终不悟，请问。」
先生曰：「惜哉！此可一言而悟。惟濬所举颜子事便是了。只要知身、心、意、知、物是一件。」
九川疑曰：「物在外，如何与身、心、意、知是一件？」
先生曰：「耳、目、口、鼻、四肢，身也；非心安能视、听、言、动？心欲视、听、言、动，无耳、目、口、鼻、四肢，亦不能。故无心则无身，无身则无心。但指其充塞处言之，谓之身；指其主宰处言之，谓之心；指心之发动处，谓之意；指意之灵明处，谓之知；指意之涉著处，谓之物；只是一件。意未有悬空的，必著事物。故欲诚意，则随意所在某事而格之，去其人欲而归于天理，则良知之在此事者，无蔽而得致矣。此便是诚意的功夫。」九川乃释然破数年之疑。
又问：「甘泉近亦信用《大学》古本，谓『格物』犹言『造道』；又谓穷如穷其巢穴之穷，以身至之也，故格物亦只是『随处体认天理』。似与先生之说渐同。」
先生曰：「甘泉用功，所以转得来。当时与说『亲民』字不须改，他亦不信。今论『格物』亦近，但不须换『物』字作『理』字，只还他一『物』字便是。」
后有人问九川曰：「今何不疑『物』字？」曰：「《中庸》曰：『不诚无物。』；程子曰：『物来顺应。』；又如『物各付物』、『胸中无物』之类，皆古人常用字也。」
他日，先生亦云然。[6]
正德乙亥年，九川初次在龙江拜见先生。先生正与甘泉先生（湛若水）论「格物」之说，甘泉坚持旧说。先生说：「这是求之于外了。」甘泉说：「若把格物之理看作外，是自家小看了自己的心。」九川当时很认同旧说。先生又讲论《孟子》「尽心」一章，九川一听，疑虑顿消。
后来在家闲居，又以「格物」之疑致信请教。先生回信说：「只要能切实用功，久了自然明白。」九川在山中便自录《大学》旧本来读，觉得朱子「格物」之说不对；但也怀疑先生「以意之所在为物」的说法，「物」字未明。
己卯年从京师回来，在洪都再见到先生。先生军务倥偬，趁间隙讲学。先生首先问：「近年用功怎样？」
九川说：「近年体验得『明明德』的功夫只是『诚意』。从『明明德于天下』步步推入根源，到『诚意』上再推不上去，为什么以前又有个『格物致知』的功夫？后来又体验，觉得意的诚与伪，必先有知觉才行；用颜子『有不善未尝不知，知之未尝复行』作证，豁然似乎无疑了。却又多出个『格物』的功夫；又想，我心灵明，哪有不知意之善恶的？只是被物欲蔽了，须格去物欲，才能像颜子那样未尝不知。又自疑功夫颠倒，与『诚意』不成一片。后来问希颜，希颜说：『先生讲格物致知是诚意的功夫，极好。』我问：『怎样是诚意的功夫？』希颜让我再思量体察，终究不悟，所以请教。」
先生说：「可惜！这可以一句话点悟。惟浚举的颜子之事便是了。只要知道身、心、意、知、物本是一件。」
九川疑道：「物在外，怎么与身、心、意、知是一件？」
先生说：「耳、目、口、鼻、四肢，是身；没有心怎能视、听、言、动？而心要视、听、言、动，没有耳、目、口、鼻、四肢也不能。所以无心则无身，无身则无心。只是就其充塞处说，叫作身；就其主宰处说，叫作心；就心之发动处说，叫作意；就意之灵明处说，叫作知；就意之涉著处说，叫作物：只是一件。意没有悬空独立的，必附着于事物。所以要诚意，就随意之所在就那件事去格，去掉人欲而归于天理，那么良知在这件事上，便无蔽而得致了。这就是诚意的功夫。」九川于是豁然，破了数年之疑。
又问：「甘泉近来也信从《大学》古本，说『格物』犹如『造道』；又说穷如穷其巢穴之穷，是亲身到那里的意思，所以格物也只是『随处体认天理』。似乎与先生之说渐渐相同。」
先生说：「甘泉用功，所以转得过来。当时与他说『亲民』字不须改，他还不信。如今论『格物』也相近了，只是不必把『物』字换成『理』字，还它一个『物』字便是。」
后来有人问九川：「如今为何不疑『物』字了？」九川答：「《中庸》说『不诚无物』，程子说『物来顺应』，又如『物各付物』『胸中无物』之类，都是古人常用的字。」
另一天，先生也这样说。
In the yihai year of Zhengde, I first met the Master at Longjiang. He was discussing the doctrine of investigating things with Master Ganquan, who held the old view. The Master said: 'That seeks it outside.' Ganquan said: 'To take the investigating of things' principles as outside is to belittle one's own mind.' I much approved the old view then. The Master next discussed the chapter on realizing the mind, and at one hearing my doubts were gone.
Later, at home, I wrote again about investigating things. He replied: 'Work on solid ground, and in time it will open of itself.' In the mountains I copied out the old text of the Great Learning and read it, finding Zhu Xi's doctrine of investigating things mistaken; yet I still doubted the Master's 'where intention lies is the thing' — the word thing was unclear.
In the jimao year, returning from the capital, I saw him again at Hongdu. Amid pressing military business he taught in the gaps. He first asked how my work had gone.
I said: 'Of late I have found the work of brightening bright virtue to be only sincerity of intention. Pushing step by step from brightening virtue through the world down to the root, at sincerity one can go no further — how then could there be a prior work of investigation and extension? Then again I found the sincerity or falseness of intention must be preceded by awareness; with Yan Hui's doing ill, he never failed to know it; knowing it, he never repeated it as proof, I seemed suddenly beyond doubt. But then investigation appeared once more; and I thought, my mind being so numinous, how could it not know intention's good and evil? Only thing-desire veils it: the desire must be corrected away, and then, like Yan Hui, one never fails to know. Again I suspected the work was inverted, no continuous piece with sincerity. I asked Xiyan; he said the Master calls investigation and extension the work of sincerity — excellent. How is it the work of sincerity? He bade me think again; I never woke to it, so I ask.'
The Master said: 'A pity! One word could wake you: Weijun's case of Yan Hui is it. Only know that body, mind, intention, knowledge and thing are one thing.'
I doubted: 'Things are outside — how one thing with body, mind, intention and knowledge?'
'Ear, eye, mouth, nose, limbs are the body; without mind, how see, hear, speak, move? And the mind willing to see, hear, speak and move, without ear, eye, mouth, nose and limbs, could not. No mind, no body; no body, no mind. Spoken of as the filling, it is called body; as the master, mind; as the mind's stirring, intention; as intention's bright awareness, knowledge; as intention's engagement, thing: one thing only. Intention is never suspended in vacancy; it must attach to affairs. So to make intention sincere, follow intention to its affair and correct there — strip human desire back to heavenly principle, and innate knowledge on that affair, unveiled, is extended. That is the work of sincerity.' At that my years of doubt broke clear.
I asked further: 'Ganquan of late also trusts the old text, taking ge wu as attaining the Way, and穷 as entering the lair in person — thus investigating things is recognizing heavenly principle wherever one is. It seems to near your doctrine.'
The Master said: 'Ganquan works; hence his turning. Once I told him qin min need not be changed, and he would not believe. His ge wu now draws near — only he need not swap thing for principle: give back the word thing.'
Later someone asked me why I no longer doubted the word thing. I said: the Mean's without sincerity no thing, Chengzi's things come, respond in kind, and phrases like each thing paid to its thing, no thing in the breast — all common ancient usage.
Another day the Master said the same.
- 今江苏南京。
- 「旧说」指朱熹向外穷理的格物说。
- 此信已佚。
- 今江西南昌。
- 情况不明，或曰即蔡希渊。
- 闾本有钱德洪续刻《传习录序》载在此卷首，录于下：古人立教，皆为未悟者设法，故其言简易明白，人人可以与知而与能。而究极所止，虽圣人，终身用之有所未尽。盖其见道明彻，先知进学之难易，故其为教也循循善诱，使人悦其近而不觉其入。喜其易而各极所趋。 夫人之良知一也，而领悟不能以皆齐，有言下即能了悟者矣；有良知虽明，不能无间，必有待于修治之功者矣；有修治之功百倍于人，而后其知始彻者矣。善教者不语之以其所悟，而惟视其所入，如大匠之作室然，规矩虽一而因物曲成，故中材上下皆可与入道。若不顾其所安，而概欲强之以其所未及教者，曰：「斯道之妙也如是。」学者亦曰：「斯道之妙也如是。」彼以言授，此以言接，融释于声闻，悬解于测亿，而遂谓道固如是矣，宁不几于狂且惑乎？ 吾师阳明先生，平时论学未尝立一言，惟揭《大学》宗旨，以指示人心。谓《大学》之教自帝尧明德睦族以降，至孔门而复明。其为道也，由一身以至家、国、天下，由初学以至圣人，彻上彻下，通物通我，无不具足。此性命之真，几圣学之规矩也。 然规矩陈矣，而运用之妙则由乎人，故及门之士，各得所趋，而莫知其所由入。吾师既没，不肖如洪，领悟未彻，又不肯加百倍之功。同志归散四方，各以所得引接来学，而四方学者渐觉头绪太多。执规矩者，滞于形器，而无言外之得；语妙悟者，又超于规矩之外，而不切事理之实，愿学者病焉。 年来同志亟图为会，互相劘切，各极所诣，渐有合异同归之机。始思师门立教，良工苦心，盖其见道明彻之后，能不以其所悟示人，而为未悟者设法。故其高不至于凌虚，卑不至于执有，而人人善入。此师门之宗旨所以未易与绎也。 洪在吴时，为先师裒刻《文录》，《传习录》所载下卷，皆先师书也。既以次入《文录》书类矣，乃摘录中问答语，仍书南大吉所录，以补下卷，复采陈惟濬诸同志所录，得二卷焉，附为《续录》，以合成书。 适遭内艰，不克终事。去年秋会同志于南畿，吉阳何子迁、初泉刘子起宗，相与商订旧学，谓师门之教，使学者趋专归一，莫善于《传习录》。于是刘子归宁国，谋诸泾尹丘时庸，相与捐俸刻诸水西精舍，使学者各得所入，庶不疑其所行云。 时嘉靖甲寅夏六月，门人钱德洪序。