侃问：「专涵养而不务讲求，将认欲作理，则如之何？」
先生曰：「人须是知学。讲求亦只是涵养，不讲求只是涵养之志不切。」
曰：「何谓知学？」
曰：「且道为何而学？学个甚？」
曰：「尝闻先生教，学是学存天理。心之本体即是天理，体认天理，只要自心地无私意。」
曰：「如此，则只须克去私意便是，又愁甚理欲不明？」
曰：「正恐这些私意认不真。」
曰：「总是志未切。志切，目视、耳听皆在此，安有认不真的道理？『是非之心，人皆有之』，不假外求。讲求亦只是体当自心所见，不成去心外别有个见？」
薛侃问：「专务涵养而不讲究求索，将会把私欲认作天理，那怎么办？」
先生说：「人必须是知道学。讲求也只是涵养，不讲求只是涵养之志不真切。」
问：「什么叫知学？」
答：「你说说为什么而学？学个什么？」
答：「曾听先生教，学是学存天理。心的本体就是天理，体认天理，只要自己心上无私意。」
问：「如此，只须克去私意就是，还愁什么理欲不明？」
答：「正怕这些私意认不真。」
答：「总是志不真切。志真切了，眼所看、耳所听都在这上头，哪有认不真的道理？『是非之心，人皆有之』，不须外求。讲求也只是体察印证自己心上的发现，难道心上之外另有个见解？」
Xue Kan asked: 'If one attends only to nourishing the mind and neglects inquiry, may one not mistake desire for principle?'
The Master said: 'One must know what learning is. Inquiry itself is nourishing; to neglect it is only that the will to nourish is not earnest.'
'What is knowing learning?'
'Tell me: for what do you learn? What do you learn?'
'I once heard your teaching: learning is learning to preserve heavenly principle. The mind's substance is heavenly principle; to recognize it requires only that one's own mind be without private intent.'
'Then one need only remove private intent — why fear principle and desire unclear?'
'My fear is precisely that these private intents are not truly recognized.'
'It is always that the will is not earnest. With the will earnest, eye and ear are all upon it — how could it fail to be recognized? The sense of right and wrong all men have; it need not be sought outside. Inquiry too is only verifying what one's own mind sees — is there another seeing outside the mind?'