黄以方问：「先生格致之说，随时格物以致其知，则知是一节之知，非全体之知也，何以到得『溥博如天，渊泉如渊』地位？」
先生曰：「人心是天、渊。心之本体无所不该，原是一个天，只为私欲障碍，则天之本体失了；心之理无穷尽，原是一个渊，只为私欲窒塞，则渊之本体失了。如今念念致良知，将此障碍窒塞一齐去尽，则本体已复，便是天、渊了。」乃指天以示之曰：「比如面前见天，是昭昭之天，四外见天，也只是昭昭之天。只为许多房子墙壁遮蔽，便不见天之全体，若撤去房子墙壁，总是一个天矣。不可道跟前天是昭昭之天，外面[1]又不是昭昭之天也。于此便见一节之知即全体之知，全体之知即一节之知，总是一个本体。」
黄以方问：「先生格致之说，随时格物以致其知，那么这知是一节之知，不是全体之知，怎么达到『溥博如天，渊泉如渊』的地步？」
先生说：「人心就是天、就是渊。心之本体无所不包，原是一个天，只因私欲障碍，天的本体便失了；心之理无穷尽，原是一个渊，只因私欲窒塞，渊的本体便失了。如今念念致良知，将这障碍窒塞一齐去尽，本体已复，便是天、渊了。」于是指着天给他看：「比如面前见天，是昭昭之天；四外见天，也只是昭昭之天。只因许多房子墙壁遮蔽，便见不到天的全体；若撤去房子墙壁，总是一个天。不可说眼前是天，外面的天又不是天。由此可见一节之知即全体之知，全体之知即一节之知，总是一个本体。」
Huang Yifang asked: 'On your doctrine, correcting things at each moment to extend knowledge, that knowledge is a section's knowledge, not the whole — how reach the breadth-like-heaven, spring-like-the-abyss stature?'
The Master said: 'The human mind is that heaven, that abyss. The mind's substance leaves nothing out — a heaven entire, lost only as private desire blocks it; the mind's principle is inexhaustible — an abyss entire, lost only as desire chokes it. Thought after thought extending innate knowledge, sweep block and choke away at once: the substance restored — that is heaven and abyss.' And he pointed to the sky: 'The bit of heaven before you is bright heaven; the heaven seen on every side is the same bright heaven. Only the walls and roofs shut out the whole; pull down walls and roofs, and it is one heaven. You may not say the heaven here is heaven and the heaven out there is not. Hence a section's knowledge is the whole's knowledge, the whole's a section's — one substance throughout.'
- 闾东本，「外面」下有「天」字。