Jin Si Lu (近思錄) · Volume 5

伊川先生曰學者須敬守此心不可急迫當栽培深厚涵泳於其間然後可以自得但急迫求之只是私己終不足以達道【養心莫善於持敬然不可執持太迫反成私意於道卻有礙】

Master Yichuan said: "A student must reverently guard this heart, but must not be hasty or pressing; he should cultivate it deeply and generously and steep himself in it, and only then can he attain it for himself. If he seeks it in haste, it is only selfishness, and in the end it cannot lead him to the Way. [To nurture the heart nothing is better than maintaining reverence, but one must not grip it too tightly, or it turns into a selfish intention and becomes an obstacle to the Way.]"

明道先生曰思無邪毋不敬只此二句循而行之安得有差有差者皆由不敬不正也【詩魯頌曰思無邪曲禮曰毋不敬心存乎中而邪念不作則見之所行自無差失○朱子曰思無邪是心正意誠毋不敬是正心誠意】

Master Mingdao said: "'Thoughts without depravity' and 'Let nothing be done without reverence': if one simply follows these two sentences, how could there be any error? All errors come from lack of reverence and lack of rectitude. [The Odes, in the Hymns of Lu, speak of 'thoughts without depravity', and the Record of Rites, in Qu Li, says 'Let nothing be done without reverence'. When the heart is preserved within and no wicked thoughts arise, what is done will naturally be free of error. Note by Zhu Xi: 'Thoughts without depravity' means a heart that is upright and a will that is sincere; 'let nothing be done without reverence' means rectifying the heart and making the will sincere.]"

今學者敬而不自得又不安者只是心生【持敬而無自得之意又為之不安者但存心未熟之故】亦是太以敬來做事得重此恭而無禮則勞也恭者私為恭之恭也禮者非體之禮是自然底道理也只恭而不為自然底道理故不自在也須是恭而安【作意太過勉強以為恭而不知禮本自然是以勞而不安也私為恭者作意以為恭而非其公行者也非體之禮謂非升降揖遜之儀鋪筵設幾之文葢自然安順之理】今容貎必端言語必正者非是道獨善其身要人道如何只是天理合如此本無私意只是個循理而已【私意謂矯飾作為之意循理則順乎自然盡乎當然何不安之有】

Master Mingdao said: "Nowadays students who are reverent but do not feel at ease with themselves or at peace are simply people whose hearts are unripe. [To maintain reverence yet have no sense of self-possession and even feel uneasy about it is only because one has not yet preserved the heart to ripeness.] It is also that they take reverence too heavily in handling affairs; this is what 'respectfulness without ritual propriety becomes laborious' means. The respect here is respect practiced out of private motive, and the ritual is not the formal ritual of ceremony but the natural principle. If one is only respectful and does not follow the natural principle, one is not at ease. One must be respectful and at peace. [To act with too much deliberate intention and force oneself to be respectful, without knowing that ritual is by nature spontaneous, makes one weary and uneasy. 'Respect out of private motive' means deliberately making oneself respectful, which is not public conduct. 'Ritual that is not formal' means it is not the ceremony of ascending and descending steps, bowing and yielding, or spreading mats and setting out tables, but the principle of natural ease and compliance.] If today one's appearance must be correct and one's speech must be proper, it is not to improve oneself alone or to have people praise one; it is only that Heavenly principle ought to be so, with no private intention, simply following principle. [Private intention means the intention to feign and contrive. If one follows principle, one accords with what is natural and fulfills what is proper, so what unease could there be?]"

今志於義理而心不安樂者何也此則正是剩一個助之長雖則心操之則存舍之則亡然而持之太甚便是必有事焉而正之也亦須且恁去【有志問學而作意太迫則有助長欲速之患○朱子曰正預期也春秋傳曰戰不正勝是也説見孟子】如此者只是徳孤徳不孤必有鄰到徳盛後自無窒礙左右逢其原也【孤謂寡特而無輔也涵養未充義理單薄故無自得之意及徳盛而不孤則胷中無滯礙左右逢其原沛然有餘裕又何不安樂之有】

Master Mingdao said: "Now, when one sets one's will on moral principle but the heart finds no peace and joy, why is that? It is precisely a case of the surplus of 'helping it grow.' Although it is true that the heart 'is preserved if held and lost if let go,' to hold it too tightly is to 'be sure to work at it and yet to expect results.' One should just go on like this for the time being. [To set one's will on study but be too pressing in one's intention brings the trouble of helping things grow and wanting speed. Note by Zhu Xi: 'Expecting' means anticipating a result. The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals says 'In battle, do not count on victory,' which is the same idea. The saying comes from Mencius.] People like this are only 'virtue that stands alone.' 'Virtue does not stand alone; it must have neighbors.' When virtue is abundant, there will naturally be no obstruction, and one will meet the source on every side. ["Alone" means isolated and without support. When cultivation is not yet full and moral principle is thin, there is no sense of having it for oneself; but when virtue is abundant and does not stand alone, there is no blockage in the chest, one meets the source on left and right, and overflows with ease, so what lack of peace and joy could there be?]"

敬而無失便是喜怒哀樂未發謂之中敬不可謂中但敬而無失即所以中也【此言靜而主敬事物未交心主乎敬不偏不倚即所謂未發之中敬非中敬所以養其中也】

Master Cheng said: "To be reverent without lapse is exactly what is meant by 'before joy, anger, sorrow and delight are aroused, it is called the mean.' One cannot say that reverence is the mean, but reverence without lapse is the means of attaining the mean. [This speaks of maintaining reverence in stillness: before things have been engaged, the heart is centered on reverence, neither inclining to one side nor leaning to the other, which is precisely what is called the mean before arousal. Reverence is not the mean; reverence is what nurtures the mean.]"

伊川先生曰司馬子防甞作坐忘論是所謂坐馳也【司馬承楨字子防唐天寳中隠居於天台之赤城甞著論八篇言清淨無為坐忘遺照之道按程子又曰有忘之心乃是馳也】

Master Yichuan said: "Sima Ziwei once wrote the 'Discourse on Sitting in Forgetfulness,' which is exactly what is called 'sitting while the mind gallops.' [Sima Chengzhen, courtesy name Ziwei, lived in seclusion at Chicheng on Mount Tiantai during the Tianbao era of the Tang, and wrote eight essays on the way of purity, non-action, sitting in forgetfulness, and illumination without effort. Master Cheng also said: a mind that is intent on forgetting is itself galloping.]"

伯淳昔在長安倉中閒坐見長廊柱以意數之已尚不疑再數之不合不免令人一一聲言數之乃與初數者無差則知越著心把捉越不定【著意把捉則心已為之動故愈差】明道先生曰人心作主不定正如一個翻車流轉動揺無須臾停所感萬端若不做一個主怎生奈何張天祺昔甞言自約數年自上著床便不得思量事不思量事後須強把他這心來制縛亦須寄寓在一個形象皆非自然君實自謂吾得術矣只管念箇中字此又為中所繫且中有何形象【張戩字天祺欲強絶思慮然心無安頓處司馬溫公欲寓此心於中字亦未免有所繫著○朱子曰譬如人家不自作主卻請別人來作主】有人胷中常若有兩人焉欲為善如有惡以為之間欲為不善又若有羞惡之心者本無二人此正交戰之驗也持其志使氣不能亂此大可驗要之聖賢必不害心疾【此言應事處有善惡交戰之患亦是心無所主故也苟能持守其志不為氣所勝則所主者定何有紛紜】

Master Mingdao said: "Once, when Bochun (I) was sitting idle in a granary in Chang'an, I looked at the pillars of the long corridor and counted them in my mind, and there was no doubt about the count. When I counted again it did not agree, so I could not help but have someone count them aloud one by one, and the result was no different from my first count. From this I knew that the harder one tries to grasp the mind, the less settled it becomes. [When one tries to grasp it by intention, the mind has already been disturbed by that, so the error grows.] When the human heart has no settled master, it is just like a water-wheel, turning and swaying without a moment's rest, affected by ten thousand things. If it does not set up a master, what can one do? Zhang Tianqi once said that he disciplined himself for several years: from the time he got into bed he allowed himself no thinking about affairs; but after not thinking about affairs he still had to force and bind this mind, and it had to be lodged in some image, and none of this was natural. Junshi said of himself that he had found the technique, and just kept repeating the word 'center,' but then he was tied down by 'center.' And what image does 'center' have? [Zhang Dai, courtesy name Tianqi, wanted to cut off thoughts and worries by force, yet his mind had nowhere to settle. Sima Wengong wanted to lodge his mind in the word 'center,' but he too could not avoid being attached to something. Note by Zhu Xi: It is like a household that does not act as its own master but invites someone else to be master.] There are people who always feel as if there are two persons in their chest: when they want to do good, it is as if something evil gets in between; when they want to do wrong, there is again a sense of shame and aversion. There are not really two people; this is precisely the proof of an inner battle. To hold fast to one's will so that the qi cannot disorder it can be greatly tested in this. In short, sages and worthies certainly do not suffer from heart sickness. [This speaks of the trouble of a battle between good and evil in dealing with affairs, which is also because the heart has no master. If one can hold fast to one's will and not be overcome by qi, then what is mastered is settled, and how could there be confusion?]"

某寫字時甚敬非是要字好只此是學【篤於持敬無往非學】伊川先生曰聖人不記事所以常記得今人忘事以其記事不能記事處事不精皆出於養之不完固【聖人無心記事故其心虛明自然常記今人著心強記故其心紛擾愈不能記然記事不能與處事不精二者又皆出於所養不厚則明徳曰昏故已往者不能記方來者不能察也】

Master Mingdao said: "When I write characters I am very reverent. It is not that I want the writing to be good; this is itself study. [If one is earnest in maintaining reverence, nothing one does is not study.]" Master Yichuan said: "The sage does not try to remember things, and so he always remembers. People nowadays forget things because they try to remember. Being unable to remember things and being imprecise in handling them both come from nurturing the heart in a way that is not complete and firm. [The sage has no intention of remembering, so his heart is empty and bright and naturally always remembers. People today set their minds on forced memorizing, so their hearts are disturbed and they can remember even less. Yet failing to remember and being imprecise in handling affairs both come from not nurturing deeply enough, so that bright virtue grows dim day by day, with the result that one cannot remember what is past and cannot discern what is to come.]"

明道先生在澶州日修橋少一長梁曽博求之民間後因出入見林木之佳者必起計度之心因語以戒學者心不可有一事【或問凡事須思而後通朱子曰事如何不思但事過則不留於心可也】伊川先生曰入道莫如敬未有能致知而不在敬者【非敬則心昏雜理有不能察而知有不能致】今人主心不定視心如宼賊而不可制不是事累心乃是心累事當知天下無一物是合少得者不可惡也【事至當應初何為累顧心無所主不能定應反累事耳】

When Master Mingdao was in Chanzhou repairing a bridge, they lacked one long beam and sought it widely among the people. Afterward, whenever he came and went and saw fine timber, he would always start to calculate and plan, and so he warned students: the heart must not hold a single thing. [Someone asked: Surely one must think before one can understand anything. Zhu Xi said: How could one not think about things? Just do not let them linger in the heart once they have passed.] Master Yichuan said: "To enter the Way, nothing is better than reverence; there is no one who can extend knowledge without being rooted in reverence. [Without reverence the heart is dull and confused, and there are principles one cannot discern and knowledge one cannot extend.] People nowadays have a master within that is not settled, and they regard the heart as a bandit that cannot be controlled. It is not that affairs burden the heart, but that the heart burdens affairs. One should know that there is nothing in the world that is rightly lacking, and nothing to be hated. [When affairs come they should be answered; at first how are they a burden? It is only that the heart has no master and cannot respond with steadiness, and so burdens affairs instead.]"

人只有一個天理卻不能存得更做甚人也【人之所以靈於萬物者特以全其天理而已】

Master Cheng said: "A person has only one Heavenly principle, and if he cannot preserve it, what sort of person is he? [What makes people more spiritually alive than all other creatures is precisely that they keep their Heavenly principle whole.]"

人多思慮不能自寜只是做他心主不定要作得心主定惟是止於事為人君止於仁之類如舜之誅四凶四凶已作惡舜從而誅之舜何與焉【止者事物當然之則如大學為人君止於仁之類人之應事能止所當止則亦無思慮紛擾之患矣舜誅四凶惡在四凶自應殛舜何與焉】人不止於事只是攬他事不能使物各付物物各付物則是役物為物所役則是役於物有物必有則須是止於事【以上並伊川語○應事而不止其所當止是以一己之私智攬他事而不能物各付物者也所謂物各付物者物來而應不過其則物往而化不滯其跡是則役物而不為物所役】

Master Yichuan said: "People who have many anxious thoughts and cannot be calm are simply people whose heart's master is not settled. To make the master of the heart settled, there is only to rest in the matter at hand, like a ruler resting in benevolence. Take Shun's execution of the Four Evildoers: the Four Evildoers had already done evil, and Shun simply executed them, so what had Shun to do with it? ["Rest" means the proper standard of things, as in the Great Learning's 'a ruler rests in benevolence.' If a person can stop where he ought to stop when dealing with affairs, he will not suffer the trouble of disorder from anxious thoughts. When Shun executed the Four Evildoers, the evil lay in them, and they should naturally have been executed; what had Shun to do with it?] People who do not rest in the matter merely take other affairs upon themselves and cannot let each thing be assigned to itself. To let each thing be assigned to itself is to command things; to be commanded by things is to serve things. Where there is a thing there must be a standard, and one must rest in the matter. [All the above are sayings of Yichuan. When dealing with affairs without stopping where one should stop, one takes other matters on oneself by one's own private cleverness and cannot let each thing be assigned to itself. What is meant by letting each thing be assigned to itself is: when a thing comes, one responds without exceeding its standard; when it goes, one lets it go without clinging to its traces. This is commanding things and not being commanded by them.]"

不能動人只是誠不至於事厭倦皆是無誠處【誠實懇至則人無不感遇事有一毫厭倦之意則是不誠】

Master Cheng said: "If one cannot move people, it is only because one's sincerity has not arrived; to be weary of affairs is always a place where there is no sincerity. [When one is truly sincere and earnest, there is no one who is not moved; if one has even a trace of weariness when meeting affairs, that is insincerity.]"

靜後見萬物自然皆有春意【明道先生詩曰萬物靜觀皆自得四時佳興與人同胷中躁擾詎識此意】

Master Cheng said: "After stillness, one sees that all things naturally have a spring-like intent. [Master Mingdao's poem says: 'Viewing all things in stillness, each is content in itself; the fine delights of the four seasons are shared with people.' If one's chest is restless and disturbed, how can one recognize this meaning?]"

孔子言仁只説出門如見大賓使民如承大祭看其氣象便須心廣體胖動容周旋中禮自然惟慎獨便是守之之法【胖安舒也仲弓問仁子曰出門如見大賓使民如承大祭無非敬謹之意然玩其氣象則必心無隠慝而廣大寛平體無怠肆而安和舒防充其至則動容周旋自然中禮者也學者守之則唯在謹獨蓋隠防之中常存敬謹之意則出門使民之際乃能及此】聖人脩己以敬以安百姓篤恭而天下平惟上下一於恭敬則天地自位萬物自育氣無不和四靈何有不至此體信達順之道【子路問君子子曰脩已以敬曰如斯而已乎曰脩己以安百姓中庸曰君子篤恭而天下平自其敬以脩己充而廣之則政理清明而百姓安風化廣被而天下平葢惟上下孚感一於恭敬舉無乖爭凌犯之風和氣薫蒸自然隂陽順軌萬物遂宜禮運曰鳯凰麒麟皆在郊藪龍在宮沼所謂四靈畢至也人曰體信以達順朱子曰信是實理順是和氣體信是無一毫之偽達順是發而皆中節無一物不得其所】聰明睿智皆由是出以此事天饗帝【敬則心專靜而不昏故明睿生推此敬可以事天饗帝天以理言故曰事動靜語黙無非事也帝以主宰言故曰饗如郊祀之類○朱子曰聰明睿智皆由是出非程子實因持敬而見其效何以語及此】

Master Cheng said: "When Confucius spoke of benevolence, he only said: 'When going out, behave as if receiving a great guest; when employing the people, behave as if conducting a great sacrifice.' Looking at the air of this, one must have a broad heart and a relaxed body, and in every movement and turn naturally accord with ritual. Only watchfulness over oneself when alone is the means to keep it. ["Relaxed" means at ease and comfortable. When Zhonggong asked about benevolence, Confucius said that when going out one should behave as if receiving a great guest and when employing the people as if conducting a great sacrifice, all of which is reverence and care. But savoring the air of it, one must have a heart with nothing hidden, vast and level, and a body with no laziness or license, at peace and comfortably relaxed; and if this is fully carried out, every movement and turn will naturally accord with ritual. For learners to keep it lies only in being watchful when alone: if one always preserves a sense of reverence and care in what is hidden and subtle, then one can attain this when going out or employing the people.] The sage cultivates himself in reverence in order to bring peace to the people, and by his utmost reverence the whole world is at peace. If only those above and below are one in respect and reverence, Heaven and Earth will naturally take their places and the myriad things will naturally be nurtured, the qi will be without discord, and how could the four spiritual creatures fail to come? This is the way of embodying sincerity and reaching compliance. [Zilu asked about the noble person, and Confucius said, 'He cultivates himself in reverence'; asked whether that was all, he said, 'He cultivates himself so as to bring peace to the people.' The Doctrine of the Mean says, 'The noble person is utterly reverent and the world is at peace.' By reverence one cultivates oneself, and, expanded and extended, government is clear and orderly and the people are at peace, moral influence spreads far and wide and the whole world is tranquil. Because those above and below are bound in mutual trust and united in respect, there is no custom of discord, strife or encroachment; the harmonious qi steams up like warm mist, and yin and yang naturally follow their courses and the myriad things gain what is fitting for them. The Record of Rites, in the chapter on the Evolution of Rites, says that the phoenix and the qilin all appear in the meadows and marshes, and the tortoise and the dragon are in the palace ponds, which is what is meant by the four spiritual creatures all arriving. It says, 'People call it embodying sincerity and reaching compliance.' Zhu Xi said: Sincerity is real principle, and compliance is harmonious qi; to embody sincerity is to have not a trace of falseness, and to reach compliance is for everything to be expressed in due measure and for no creature to fail to find its place.] Clear hearing, keen sight, wisdom and insight all issue from this; with this one serves Heaven and makes offerings to the Lord on High. [When one is reverent, the heart is focused and still and not dim, so brightness and insight arise. This reverence can be extended to serve Heaven and make offerings to the Lord. Heaven is spoken of in terms of principle, so the word 'serve' is used, since every movement, stillness, word and silence is a service; the Lord is spoken of in terms of mastery, so the word 'make offerings' is used, as in the suburban sacrifices. Note by Zhu Xi: 'Clear hearing, keen sight, wisdom and insight all issue from this.' If Master Cheng had not actually seen its effect through maintaining reverence, how could he have spoken in this way?]"

存養熟後泰然行將去便有進【所養厚則行有餘力】

Master Cheng said: "After preserving and nurturing the heart to ripeness, if one walks on with ease, one will advance. [When one has nurtured deeply, there is strength to spare in one's conduct.]"

不愧屋漏則心安而體舒【屋漏者室之西北隅謂隠暗之地也隠暗之地自反無愧則心安體舒此謹獨之效】

Master Cheng said: "If one is not ashamed even in the northwest corner of the house, then the heart is at peace and the body relaxed. [The 'house-leak' is the northwest corner of a room, meaning a dark and hidden place. If, in a dark and hidden place, one examines oneself and finds nothing to be ashamed of, then the heart is at peace and the body relaxed; this is the effect of being watchful when alone.]"

心要在腔子裡【腔子猶所謂神明之舍在腔子裡謂心不外馳也】

Master Cheng said: "The heart should be kept inside its cavity. [The 'cavity' is like what is called the house of the spirit. Being inside the cavity means the heart does not race outward.]"

只外面有些隙罅便走了

Master Cheng said: "If there is only a little crack on the outside, it runs away."

人心常要活則周流無窮而不滯於一隅【心常存則常活葢隨事應酬心常在我無將無迎故常活而無滯】

Master Cheng said: "The human heart must always be kept alive; then it circulates without end and does not stagnate in one corner. [If the heart is always preserved, it is always alive. In responding to affairs as they come, the heart always remains in oneself, neither sending things off nor going out to meet them, and so it is always alive and without stagnation.]"

明道先生曰天地設位而易行乎其中只是敬也敬則無間防【朱子曰天地亦是有個主宰方始恁地變易無窮就人心言之惟敬然後流行不息敬才間防便是不誠無物也】

Master Mingdao said: "'Heaven and Earth establish their positions, and the Changes operate within them': this is only reverence. Where there is reverence there is no interruption. [Note by Zhu Xi: Heaven and Earth too have a master, and only then do they change without end. Speaking in terms of the human heart, only through reverence does it flow without ceasing. As soon as reverence is interrupted, there is 'without sincerity there is nothing.']"

毋不敬可以對越上帝

Master Cheng said: "If one lets nothing be done without reverence, one can face the Lord on High."

敬勝百邪【朱子曰學者常提醒此心如日之升群邪自息】

Master Cheng said: "Reverence overcomes a hundred kinds of evil. [Note by Zhu Xi: If students always rouse this heart like the sun rising, the many evils will cease by themselves.]"

敬以直內義以方外仁也【敬立則內直義形則外方由內達外生理條直而無私慾邪枉之累則心徳全矣】若以敬直內則便不直矣必有事焉而勿正則直也【文言曰敬以直內而不曰以敬直內葢有意欲以之而直內則此心已有所偏倚而非直矣必有事焉而勿正者敬所當為而無期必計效之意也】

Master Cheng said: "'Reverence to straighten the inner life, righteousness to square the outer life' is just benevolence. [When reverence is established the inner life is straight; when righteousness takes form the outer life is square. Going from within to without, the principle of life runs straight and free of the burden of selfish desire and crooked wickedness, and so the virtue of the heart is whole.] If one uses reverence to straighten the inner life, then it is no longer straight. 'Be sure to work at it, but do not expect results,' and then it is straight. [The Commentary on the Words of the Text says 'reverence to straighten the inner life,' not 'to straighten the inner life by means of reverence.' For if one has the intention of using reverence to straighten the inner life, the heart has already inclined to one side and is not straight. 'Be sure to work at it, but do not expect results' means being reverent about what should be done, without any thought of fixing an expectation or calculating results.]"

涵養吾一【心存則不二】

Master Cheng said: "Cultivate my oneness. [When the heart is preserved, it is not divided in two.]"

子在川上曰逝者如斯夫不捨書夜自漢以來儒者皆不識此義此見聖人之心純亦不已也純亦不已天徳也有天徳便可語王道其要只在慎獨【朱子曰聖人見川流之不息嘆逝者之如斯原其所以然乃天命流行不息之體惟聖人之心黙契乎此故有感焉於此可見聖人純亦不已之心矣又曰有天徳則純是天理無私意間防便做得王道又曰學者謹獨所以為不已少有不謹則人慾乗之便間防也】

Master Cheng said: "When the Master stood by a river and said, 'It passes on like this, never ceasing day and night,' Confucians since the Han have not understood this meaning. It shows that the sage's heart is pure and unceasing. Pure and unceasing is Heaven's virtue, and where there is Heaven's virtue one can speak of the kingly Way, and its essential point lies only in being watchful when alone. [Note by Zhu Xi: The sage saw the river flowing without rest and sighed that what passes is like this; tracing why it is so, it is the substance of Heaven's mandate flowing without rest. Only the sage's heart is in silent accord with this, and so he was moved. Here one can see the sage's heart that is pure and unceasing. He also said: To have Heaven's virtue is to be purely Heavenly principle, with no gap or interruption from selfish intention, and then one can practice the kingly Way. He also said: Students' watchfulness when alone is what makes them unceasing; if there is the slightest lack of watchfulness, human desire takes advantage of it and there is an interruption.]"

不有躬無攸利不立已後雖向好事猶為化物不得以天下萬物撓已已立後自能了當得天下萬物【防卦六三爻辭已未能自立則中心一無所主雖為善事猶為逐物而動若能自立則應酬在我物皆聴命何撓之有】伊川先生曰學者患心慮紛亂不能寜靜此則天下公病學者只要立個心此上頭盡有商量【朱子曰學者不先立個心恰似作室無基址今求此心正為要立基址得此心有個存主處為學便有歸著可以用功】

Master Cheng said: "'If he has no self, nothing will profit him.' If one has not first established oneself, then even when one turns toward good things one is still transformed by external things. One must not let the myriad things of the world disturb oneself; once oneself is established, one can naturally handle all the things of the world. [From the line text of the third line of the hexagram Meng (Youthful Folly). If one cannot yet stand on one's own, the heart within has no master, and even doing good is still moving by chasing after things; but if one can stand on one's own, then handling affairs lies in oneself and things all follow orders, so how could they disturb one?]" Master Yichuan said: "Students suffer from a heart whose thoughts are confused and cannot be calm; this is a common ailment of the world. A student need only establish a heart, and from there there is plenty to discuss. [Note by Zhu Xi: If a student does not first establish a heart, it is like building a house without a foundation. Now to seek this heart is precisely to lay the foundation. Once one has this heart with a place to rest in, one's study has somewhere to settle and one can apply effort.]"

閒邪則誠自存不是外面捉一個誠將來存著今人外面役役於不善於不善中尋個善來存著如此則豈有入善之理只是閒邪則誠自存【閒邪之意即是誠也苟役心於邪妄而暫欲存其誠則亦無可存之理】故孟子言性善皆由內出只為誠便存閒邪更著甚工夫但惟是動容貎整思慮則自然生敬【孟子言性善如孩提之愛親敬兄如見赤子入井而有怵惕惻隠之心如四端之發無非自然由中而出葢實心非外鑠操之則存矣所謂閒邪者亦不過外肅其容貎內齊其心慮則敬自然生邪自然息】敬只是主一也主一則既不之東又不之西如是則只是中既不之此又不之彼如是則只是內存此則自然天理明學者須是將敬以直內涵養此意直內是本【本注尹彥明曰敬有甚形影只收斂身心便是主一且如人到神祠中致敬時其心收斂更著不得毫髮事非主一而何○敬者心主乎一無放逸也靜而主乎一則寂然不動不防之東西常在中也動而主乎一則知止有定不滯乎彼此常在內也常存此心則天理自明】

Master Yichuan said: "If one guards against wickedness, sincerity is naturally preserved; it is not that one grabs sincerity from outside and keeps it. People today toil outwardly at what is not good and try to find some good among the not-good to keep; how could there be any way of entering goodness like that? Simply guard against wickedness and sincerity is naturally preserved. [The idea of guarding against wickedness is itself sincerity. If one lets the heart toil in wickedness and falsehood while wanting to preserve sincerity for the moment, there is no way to preserve it.] This is why Mencius says that human nature is good and all of it comes out from within; because there is sincerity, it is preserved. What further effort is there in guarding against wickedness? There is only to put one's bearing in order and straighten one's thoughts, and then reverence naturally arises. [When Mencius speaks of the goodness of human nature, he points to the toddler's love for parents and respect for elder brothers, and to the alarm and compassion one feels on seeing a child about to fall into a well, and to the sprouting of the four beginnings, none of which is anything but a natural flowing from within. The true heart is not forged from outside, and if one holds it, it is preserved. What is called guarding against wickedness is no more than composing one's appearance outwardly and aligning one's thoughts inwardly, and then reverence arises by itself and wickedness stops by itself.] Reverence is only being focused on one. To be focused on one is to go neither east nor west, and this is just the center; to go neither here nor there is just the inner. Preserving this, Heavenly principle naturally becomes bright. A student must take 'reverence to straighten the inner life' and cultivate this intention. Straightening the inner life is the root. [Original note: Yin Yanming said: What shape or shadow does reverence have? It is only gathering in body and mind, and that is focus on one. Think of a person who goes to a shrine to pay reverence: his heart is gathered in, so that not a hair's worth of anything else can be put into it; what is that if not being focused on one? Note: Reverence is the heart's being focused on one without letting go. In stillness, if one is focused on one, one is silent and unmoving, going neither east nor west, always in the center; in movement, if one is focused on one, one knows where to stop and has a settled place, does not stagnate in this or that, and is always within. If one always preserves this heart, Heavenly principle is naturally clear.]"

閒邪則固一矣然主一則不消言閒邪【閒其邪思則心固一矣然心既主一則自無私邪之念不必閒也】有以一為難見不可下工夫如何一者無他只是整齊嚴肅則心便一一則自是無非僻之幹此意但涵養久之則天理自然明【外整齊而內嚴肅則心自一理自明】有言未感時知何所寓曰操則存舍則亡出入無時莫知其鄉更怎生尋所寓只是有操而已操之之道敬以直內也【人心無常亦惟操之則存學者實用力而有見於斯則直得所以存心之要而不患於出入無時莫知其鄉矣】

Master Yichuan said: "By guarding against wickedness one's heart is already firmly one, but once one is focused on one, there is no need to speak of guarding against wickedness. [By guarding against wicked thoughts the heart is already firmly one; but when the heart is focused on one, there are naturally no selfish or wicked thoughts, and one need not guard against them.] Some say that 'one' is hard to see and one cannot work on it. What about that? 'One' is nothing else: if one is orderly and solemn, the heart is one, and when it is one there is naturally no interference from what is depraved. If one only cultivates this intention for a long time, Heavenly principle will naturally become bright. [Orderly outwardly and solemn inwardly, the heart is naturally one and principle naturally bright.] Someone asked: Before feeling is aroused, where does the heart dwell? He said: 'Hold it and it is preserved, let go and it is lost; it goes out and comes in at no fixed time, and no one knows its home.' How can one then look for where it dwells? There is only holding it. The way to hold it is reverence to straighten the inner life. [The human heart has no constancy, and only if one holds it is it preserved. If a student truly applies effort and sees this, he gains the essence of preserving the heart, and need not worry that it goes out and comes in at no fixed time and that no one knows its home.]"

敬則自虛靜不可把虛靜喚做敬【朱子曰周子説主靜正是要人靜定其心自作主宰程子又恐人只管求靜遂與事物不交渉卻説個敬雲敬則自虛靜】

Master Cheng said: "If one is reverent, one is naturally empty and still; but one must not call emptiness and stillness reverence. [Note by Zhu Xi: Master Zhou's saying about 'putting stillness first' was precisely to have people make their hearts still and settled and become their own masters. Master Cheng, fearing that people would seek stillness alone and so have no dealings with affairs, spoke instead of reverence: if one is reverent, one is naturally empty and still.]"

學者先務固在心志然有謂欲屏去聞見知思則是絶聖棄智有欲屏去思慮患其紛亂則須坐禪入定如明鑑在此萬物畢照是鑑之常難為使之不照人心不能不交感萬物難為使之不思慮【絶聖者黜其聰明棄智者屏其智慮老氏之絶聖棄智釋氏之坐禪入定皆純天理害人心之教也】若欲免此惟是心有主如何為主敬而已矣有主則虛虛謂邪不能入無主則實實謂物來奪之【免此謂有思慮而無紛亂林用中主一銘雲有主則虛神守其都無主則實鬼闞其室○或問程子言有主則實又曰有主則虛何也朱子曰此只是有主於中外邪不能入自其有主於中言之則謂之實自其外邪不入言之則謂之虛】大凡人心不可二用用於一事則他事更不能入者事為之主也事為之主尚無思慮紛擾之患若主於敬又焉有此患乎【主敬則自不為事物紛擾】所謂敬者主一之謂敬所謂一者無適之謂一且欲涵泳主一之義不一則二三矣至於不敢欺不敢慢尚不愧於屋漏皆是敬之事也【主一無適者心常主乎我而無他適也葢若動若靜此心常存一而不二所謂敬也不欺不慢不愧屋漏皆戒懼謹獨之意此意常存所主自一○朱子曰程子有功於後學最是拈出敬字有力敬則此心不放事事從此做去又曰無適者只是持守得定不馳騖走作之意耳無適即是主一主一即是敬展轉相解非無適之外別有主一主一之外又別有敬也】

Master Yichuan said: "The first task of a student certainly lies in the heart's will. But some say that one should cast out hearing, seeing, knowing and thinking, and that is to 'cut off sageliness and discard wisdom'; some want to cast out thoughts and worries because they are troubled by their confusion, and then they must sit in meditation and enter concentration. It is like a bright mirror set here, which reflects all things; that is the mirror's constancy, and it is hard to make it not reflect. The human heart cannot but be in contact with all things, and it is hard to make it not think. [To 'cut off sageliness' is to drive out one's keenness of hearing and sight, and to 'discard wisdom' is to cast out one's knowledge and thought. Laozi's 'cutting off sageliness and discarding wisdom' and the Buddhists' sitting meditation and entering concentration are teachings that fully pursue Heavenly principle yet harm the human heart.] To avoid this, there is only to have a master in the heart. What is the master? Reverence, and nothing more. Where there is a master the heart is empty, and 'empty' means that wickedness cannot enter; where there is no master the heart is full, and 'full' means that things come and seize it. [To avoid this means to have thoughts and worries without confusion. Lin Yongzhong's 'Inscription on Focusing on One' says: 'With a master, it is empty, and the spirit guards its capital; without a master, it is full, and ghosts peer into its house.' Someone asked: Master Cheng says that having a master makes it full and also that having a master makes it empty; why? Zhu Xi said: It is just that with a master within, external evil cannot enter. Speaking of its having a master within, one calls it full; speaking of external evil not entering, one calls it empty.] In general the human heart cannot be used for two things: when it is used for one matter, no other matter can enter, because that matter has become its master. If a matter as master already leaves no trouble of thoughts and worries in disorder, how could one who takes reverence as master have this trouble? [If one takes reverence as master, one is naturally not disturbed by affairs.] What is called reverence is being focused on one, and what is called one is not going elsewhere. Let us steep ourselves in the meaning of being focused on one: if one is not one, one becomes two or three. Not daring to deceive, not daring to be careless, and not being ashamed even in the corner of the house are all matters of reverence. [Being focused on one and not going elsewhere means the heart always has me as its master and goes nowhere else. Whether in movement or stillness, this heart is always preserved, one and not two, and that is called reverence. Not deceiving, not being careless, and not being ashamed in the corner of the house are all the idea of caution and watchfulness when alone; if this idea is always kept, what one is focused on will naturally be one. Note by Zhu Xi: Master Cheng's service to later students lies most strongly in picking out the word 'reverence.' If one is reverent, this heart is not let go, and one goes on doing every matter from this. He also said: 'Not going elsewhere' only means holding firmly and settled, without racing about or going astray. 'Not going elsewhere' is just being focused on one, and being focused on one is just reverence; they explain one another in turn. It is not that apart from 'not going elsewhere' there is a separate 'focus on one,' and apart from 'focus on one' another separate 'reverence.']"

嚴威儼恪非敬之道但致敬須自此入【敬存於中嚴威儼恪著於外者然未有外貎弛慢而中能敬著】

Master Yichuan said: "Severity, dignity and stern gravity are not the way of reverence, but to reach reverence one must enter by this. [Reverence is preserved within, and severity, dignity and stern gravity show on the outside; yet no one whose outward manner is lax and negligent can be reverent within.]"

舜孳孳為善若未接物如何為善只是主於敬便是為善也以此觀之聖人之道不是但黙然無言【孳孳者亹亹不倦之意聖人為善固無間防然方其未接物之時但有主敬而已是即善之本也不是但黙然無言謂其靜而有所存也靜而有存故善】

Master Yichuan said: "Shun 'was diligent in doing good.' If he had not been in contact with things, how could he do good? To be focused on reverence is just doing good. Seen from this, the way of the sage is not merely silence and wordlessness. ["Diligent" means untiring effort. The sage's doing good certainly has no gap; but in the time before he has contact with things, there is only maintaining reverence, and that is the root of good. 'Not merely silence and wordlessness' means that in stillness he has something preserved; with something preserved in stillness, it is good.]"

問人之燕居形體怠惰心不慢者可否曰安有箕踞而心不慢者昔呂與叔六月中來緱氏閒居中某甞窺之必見其儼然危坐可謂敦篤矣學者須恭敬但不可令拘迫拘迫則難久也【盤坐曰箕蹲跱曰踞箕踞乃傲惰之所形見學者始須荘敬持守積久自然安舒矣】

Someone asked: "When people are at leisure at home and their bodies are lazy but their hearts are not careless, is that acceptable?" He said: "How could anyone sit sprawled with legs spread and yet not be careless in the heart? In the past, when Lu Yushu stayed idle at Goushi in the sixth month, I once peeked at him and saw that he was always sitting upright and solemn, and one could say that he was sincere and steady. A student must be respectful, but must not be cramped, for what is cramped is hard to keep up for long. [Sitting with legs crossed is called 'ji,' and squatting is called 'ju.' Sprawling is where arrogance and laziness show. A student should at first be grave and reverent and hold himself firmly, and with long accumulation it will naturally become easy and comfortable.]"

思慮雖多果出於正亦無害否曰且如在宗廟則主敬朝廷主荘軍旅主嚴此是也如發不以時紛然無度雖正亦邪【敬存於防事荘示於等威嚴施於法制皆發於心而見於事者發之而當則無害也苟發不以時或雜然而發或過而無節其事雖正亦是邪念】

Someone asked: "If one has many thoughts and worries, but they truly come from rectitude, is there no harm?" He said: "Take for example: in the ancestral temple one focuses on reverence, at court on gravity, among the army on sternness; this is right. But if thoughts arise at the wrong times, in confusion and without measure, then even if they are upright they are wicked. [Reverence is kept in all affairs, gravity shows in ranks and dignity, and sternness is applied in laws and institutions; all of these arise from the heart and appear in affairs. If they arise appropriately there is no harm; but if they arise at the wrong time, or arise in confusion, or go beyond measure, then even if the matter is upright it is a wicked thought.]"

蘓季明問喜怒哀樂未發之前求中可否曰不可既思於喜怒哀樂未發之前求之又卻是思也既思即是已發【本注云思與喜怒哀樂一般】才發便謂之和不可謂之中也【蘓昞字季明張程門人也喜怒哀樂未發謂之中發而皆中節謂之和方其未發此心湛然無所偏倚故謂之中一念才生便屬已發之和矣】又問呂學士言當求於喜怒哀樂未發之前如何曰若言存養於喜怒哀樂未發之前則可若言求中於喜怒哀樂未發之前則不可【呂學士與叔也四者於未發之前可以涵養是中若有意求之則不得謂之未發】又問學者於喜怒哀樂發時固當勉強裁抑於未發之前當如何用功曰於喜怒哀樂未發之前更怎生求只平日涵養便是涵養久則喜怒哀樂發自中節【未發之前不容著力用功但有操存涵養而已】曰當中之時耳無聞目無見否曰雖耳無聞目無見然見聞之理在始得【朱子曰喜怒哀樂未發之時雖是耳無聞目無見然須是常有個主宰操持底在這裡始得不然向空寂了】賢且説靜時如何曰謂之無物則不可然自有知覺處【朱子曰無物字恐當作有物字】曰既有知覺卻是動也怎生言靜人説復其見天地之心皆以為至靜能見天地之心非也復之卦下面一畫便是動也安得謂之靜【復者動之端也故天地之心於此可見】或曰莫是於動上求靜否曰固是然最難釋氏多言定聖人便言止如為人君止於仁為人臣止於敬之類是也易之艮言止之義曰艮其止止其所也人多不能止蓋人萬物皆備遇事時各因其心之所重者更互而出才見得這事重便有這事出若能物各付物便自不出來也【此段問答皆論喜怒哀樂未發之中此條問者乃轉就動處言也止其所者動中其則而不遷也若心有所重則因重而遷物各付物而我無預焉則止其所止而心不外馳矣】或問先生於喜怒哀樂未發之前下動字下靜字曰謂之靜則可然靜中須有物始得這裡便是難處學者莫若且先理防得敬能敬則知此矣【朱子曰靜中有物者只是敬則常惺惺在這裡又曰靜中有物只是知覺不昧或問伊川雲才有知覺便是動曰若雲知寒覺暖便是知覺已動今未曽著於事物但有知覺在何妨其為靜不成靜坐便只是瞌睡】或曰敬何以用功曰莫若主一季明曰昞甞患思慮不定或思一事未了他事如麻又生如何曰不可此不誠之本也須是習習能專一時便好不拘思慮與應事皆要求一【心不專一則言動皆無實故曰不誠之本猶學奕者一心以為鴻鵠將至則非誠於學奕也思慮者動於心應事者見於言行皆不可不主於一】

Su Jiming asked: "Is it acceptable to seek the mean before joy, anger, sorrow and delight are aroused?" He said: "No. If you intend to seek it before they are aroused, that is again thinking. And thinking is already arousal [original note: thinking is the same as joy, anger, sorrow and delight]; as soon as it arises it is called harmony, and cannot be called the mean. [Su Xin, courtesy name Jiming, was a disciple of Zhang and Cheng. 'Before joy, anger, sorrow and delight are aroused, it is called the mean; when they are aroused and all hit the proper measure, it is called harmony.' When they are not yet aroused, this heart is clear and still, inclining to neither side, and so it is called the mean; as soon as a thought arises, it belongs to the harmony of arousal.]" He asked again: "Academician Lu said that one should seek it before joy, anger, sorrow and delight are aroused; what about that?" He said: "If one says to preserve and nurture before they are aroused, that is acceptable; if one says to seek the mean before they are aroused, it is not. [Academician Lu is Yushu. Before the four are aroused, one can cultivate the mean; but if one seeks it with deliberate intention, it cannot be called unaroused.]" He asked again: "When joy, anger, sorrow and delight arise, a student must of course force himself to restrain them; but before they arise, how should he apply effort?" He said: "Before joy, anger, sorrow and delight are aroused, what is there further to seek? Only cultivation in ordinary days. When cultivation has lasted long, joy, anger, sorrow and delight will, when they arise, naturally be in due measure. [Before arousal there is no room to apply strength; there is only holding and nurturing.]" He asked: "At the time of the mean, do the ears hear nothing and the eyes see nothing?" He said: "Even though the ears hear nothing and the eyes see nothing, the principle of seeing and hearing must be there. [Note by Zhu Xi: When joy, anger, sorrow and delight are not aroused, even though the ears hear nothing and the eyes see nothing, there must always be a master holding fast within, otherwise one slips into empty stillness.]" "Please tell me what it is like in stillness." He said: "To say there is nothing is not right, but there is naturally awareness. [Note by Zhu Xi: The words 'there is nothing' should perhaps read 'there is something.']" He said: "Since there is awareness, that is already movement, so how can you call it stillness? People say 'In Return one sees the heart of Heaven and Earth,' and all think that one sees the heart of Heaven and Earth in utmost stillness, but that is wrong. The bottom line of the hexagram Fu is movement, so how can it be called stillness? [Return is the beginning of movement, so the heart of Heaven and Earth can be seen in it.]" Someone said: "Is it perhaps seeking stillness within movement?" He said: "Yes, but that is the hardest. Buddhists often speak of concentration, while the sage speaks of stopping, as in 'a ruler rests in benevolence, a minister rests in reverence.' In the Changes, the hexagram Gen speaks of the meaning of stopping: 'Keeping still at his stopping place; stopping at the proper place.' Most people cannot stop. For in a person all things are complete, and when a matter arises, each according to what his heart weighs most comes out in turn: as soon as he sees this matter as weighty, this matter comes out. If one can let each thing be assigned to itself, nothing comes out of itself. [This whole exchange discusses the mean before joy, anger, sorrow and delight are aroused; in this item the questioner turns to speak of the place of movement. 'Stopping at the proper place' means that in movement one hits the standard and does not shift. If the heart weighs something heavily, it shifts because of that weight; if one lets each thing be assigned to itself and has no part in it, one stops where one should stop and the heart does not race outward.]" Someone asked: "Before joy, anger, sorrow and delight are aroused, would you say 'movement' or 'stillness'?" He said: "One may call it stillness, but in stillness there must be something. This is the hard part. Students should first understand reverence, and if they can be reverent they will know this. [Note by Zhu Xi: 'Something in stillness' is only that with reverence one is always alert in this place. He also said: 'Something in stillness' is only that awareness is not dim. Someone asked about Yichuan's saying that as soon as there is awareness there is movement. He said: If knowing cold and feeling warmth is awareness, then awareness has already moved; but now one has not yet attached to anything and simply has awareness present, and what harm is there in calling that stillness? One cannot suppose that sitting in stillness is merely dozing off.]" Someone asked: "How should one apply effort to reverence?" He said: "Nothing is better than being focused on one." Jiming said: "I once suffered from unsettled thoughts and worries: before I had finished thinking of one matter, other matters sprang up like hemp; what should I do?" He said: "That will not do; it is the root of insincerity. One must practice, and when practice can make one focused, that is good. Whether one is thinking or handling affairs, one must seek oneness. [If the heart is not focused on one, then neither words nor actions are real, so it is called the root of insincerity. It is like one who studies chess but thinks all the while that a swan is about to arrive; he is not sincere in learning chess. Thinking is movement in the heart and handling affairs shows in words and deeds; neither can fail to be focused on one.]"

人於夢寐間亦可以卜自家所學之淺深如夢寐顛倒即是心志不定操存不固【朱子曰魂與魄交而成夢心在其間依舊能思慮所以做出夢若心神安定夢寐亦不至顛倒】

Master Yichuan said: "A person can also gauge the depth of his own learning by his sleep and dreams. If dreams are confused and topsy-turvy, then the heart's will is unsettled and holding and preserving it is not firm. [Note by Zhu Xi: The hun and po soul meet and make a dream, and the heart is still able to think within it, and that is how dreams are made. If the heart and spirit are settled, dreams will not be confused.]"

問人心所繫著之事果善夜夢見之莫不害否曰雖是善事心亦是動凡事有眹兆入夢者卻無害舍此皆是妄動【吉凶云為之兆見於夢者則此心之神應感之理卻不為害苟無故而夢皆心妄動】人心須要定使他思時方思乃是今人都由心曰心誰使之曰以心使心則可人心自由便放去也【人心操之則在我放而不知求則任其所之以心使心非二心也體用而言之耳】

Someone asked: "If what the human heart attaches to is truly good and one dreams of it at night, is that not harmful?" He said: "Even if it is a good thing, the heart is still moving. If something comes with an omen into a dream, there is no harm, but apart from that all is random movement. [If omens of good or ill and of what is to be done appear in dreams, then the spirit of the heart and the principle of response are not harmful; but dreaming without cause is all random movement of the heart.] The human heart must be settled, so that it thinks only when it is time to think. People today let the heart do as it pleases." He asked: "Who commands the heart?" He said: "It is acceptable to use the heart to command the heart. If the human heart is free to do as it likes, it is let loose and lost. [If one holds the human heart, it is in one's own hands; if one lets it go without knowing to seek it, it is left to go where it will. Using the heart to command the heart does not mean there are two hearts; it is said in terms of substance and function.]"

持其志無暴其氣內外交相養也【持其志者有所守於中無暴其氣者無所縱於外然中有所守則氣自完外無所縱則志愈固故曰交相養】

Master Cheng said: "'Hold fast to your will and do not abuse your qi' means that inner and outer nurture each other. [To hold fast to one's will is to have something guarded within; not to abuse the qi is to give no license outwardly. If there is something guarded within, the qi is naturally whole; if there is no license outside, the will is firmer still, and so it is said they nurture each other.]"

問出辭氣莫是於言語上用工夫否曰須是養乎中自然言語順理若是慎言語不妄發此卻可著力【曽子曰出辭氣斯逺鄙倍矣中有所養而後發於外者不悖至若謹言語此亦學者所可用力但不可專於言語上用功】先生語繹曰吾受氣甚薄三十而浸盛四十五十而後完今生七十二年矣校其筋骨於盛年無損也繹曰先生豈以受氣之薄而厚為保生耶夫子黙然曰吾以忘生徇欲為深恥【張南軒曰若他人養生要康強只是利伊川説出來純是天理】

Someone asked: "'In uttering words and tone' means one should work on one's speech, surely?" He said: "One must nurture what is within, and then speech naturally accords with principle. If it is a matter of being careful in speech and not speaking carelessly, there one can apply effort. [Zengzi said, 'In uttering your words and tone, you will keep far from coarseness and impropriety.' If one has nurtured what is within, what is expressed outward does not go astray. As for being careful of speech, this too is where a student can apply effort, but one must not apply effort on speech alone.]" The master said to Yi: "I received very thin qi. At thirty it gradually grew full; at forty or fifty it was complete. Now I have lived seventy-two years, and when I compare my sinews and bones with those of my prime, there is no loss." Yi said: "Did you, sir, take care of your life carefully because you received thin qi?" The Master was silent, and then said: "I regard forgetting life and following desire as a deep shame. [Zhang Nanxuan said: If other people nurture life in order to be healthy and strong, that is only for gain; what Yichuan says is entirely Heavenly principle.]"

大率把捉不定皆是不仁【外書下同○仁者心存乎中純乎天理者也把捉不定則此心外馳理不勝欲皆是不仁】

Master Cheng said: "In general, being unable to hold oneself steady is all a lack of benevolence. [From the Outer Writings; likewise below. A benevolent person has a heart preserved within and wholly Heavenly principle. If one cannot hold steady, the heart races outward and principle does not overcome desire, and this is all a lack of benevolence.]"

伊川先生曰致知在所養養知莫過於寡慾二字【外無物慾之撓則心境凊內有涵養之素則明睿生】

Master Yichuan said: "The extension of knowledge lies in what one nurtures, and nothing nurtures knowledge better than the two words 'fewer desires.' [When no desire for things from outside disturbs one, the heart's mirror is clear; when one has the habit of cultivation within, brightness and insight arise.]"

心定者其言重以舒不定者其言輕以疾【心専而靜則言不妄發發必審確而和緩浮躁者反是】

Master Cheng said: "When the heart is settled, one's words are weighty and unhurried; when it is unsettled, one's words are light and hasty. [When the heart is focused and still, words are not uttered carelessly, and what is uttered is considered, accurate and gentle; for restless and floating people it is the opposite.]"

明道先生曰人有四百四病皆不由自家則是心須教由自家【只有此心操之在我不可任其所之也】

Master Mingdao said: "People have four hundred and four illnesses, none of which come from oneself, and that is why the heart must be made to come from oneself. [Only this heart is in one's own hands and must not be left to go where it will.]"

謝顯道從明道先生於扶溝明道一日謂之曰爾輩在此相從只是學顥言語故其學心口不相應盍若行之請問焉曰且靜坐伊川每見人靜坐便嘆其善學【心以靜而定理以靜而明朱子曰靜坐則收拾得精神定道理方有湊泊處】

Xie Xiandao followed Master Mingdao at Fugou. One day Mingdao said to him: "You all follow me here only to learn my words, and so your learning is that heart and mouth do not correspond. Why do you not put it into practice?" He asked how. Mingdao said: "Just sit in stillness for now." Whenever Yichuan saw someone sitting in stillness, he sighed that this was a good student. [The heart is settled by stillness and principle is made bright by stillness. Note by Zhu Xi: When one sits in stillness, one can collect and settle one's spirit, and only then does the Way have a place to rest.]

橫渠先生曰始學之要當知三月不違與日月至焉內外賓主之辨使心意勉勉循循而不能已過此防非在我者【文集○仁猶人之安宅也居之三月而不違者是在內而為主也其違也暫而已日月至焉者是在外而為賓也其至也暫而已過此謂三月不違以上大而化之之事非可以勉強而至矣故曰非在我者○朱子曰不違仁者仁在內而為主然其未熟亦有時而出於外日月至焉者仁在外而為賓雖有時入於內而不能久也愚按前説則是已不違乎仁後説是仁不違乎已雖似不同其實則一也】

Master Hengqu said: "The essentials at the beginning of learning are that one should know the distinction between 'not departing for three months' and 'reaching it for a day or a month,' that is, between inner and outer, host and guest, so that the mind and will earnestly and steadily follow it and cannot stop. What lies beyond this is almost not in one's own hands. [From the Collected Works. Benevolence is like a person's peaceful home. One who dwells in it for three months without departing is inside and is the host, and his departure is only momentary; one who reaches it for a day or a month is outside and is the guest, and his arrival is only momentary. 'Beyond this' means what lies beyond not departing for three months, the matter of becoming great and being transformed, which cannot be reached by forcing, and so it is said to be not in one's own hands. Note by Zhu Xi: One who does not depart from benevolence has benevolence within as host, but since he is not yet ripe he too sometimes goes outside; one who reaches it for a day or a month has benevolence outside as guest, and although at times he enters within, he cannot stay long. Note by Ye Cai: The first says that oneself does not depart from benevolence, and the second that benevolence does not depart from oneself; they seem different but are in fact the same.]"

心清時少亂時常多其清時視明聴聰四體不待羈束而自然恭謹其亂時反是如此何也葢用心未熟客慮多而常心少也習俗之心未去而實心未完也【心者耳目四肢之主天君澄肅則視明聴聰四體自然從令若存心於道者未熟則客慮足以勝其本心習俗足以奪其誠意○朱子曰橫渠大段用工夫來説得更精切又曰客慮是泛泛底思慮習俗之心是從來習染偏勝之心實心是義理之心】人又要得剛太柔則入於不立亦有人生無喜怒者則又要得剛剛則守得定不囘進道勇敢載則比他人自是勇處多【語録下同○剛則守之固行之決故足以進於道柔懦委靡必不能有立矣】

Master Hengqu said: "The times when the heart is clear are few, and the times when it is confused are often many. When it is clear, the eyes see sharply and the ears hear keenly, and the four limbs, without need of restraint, are naturally respectful and careful; when it is confused, it is the opposite. Why is this? Because the use of the heart is not yet ripe, so that stray worries are many and the constant heart is few; the heart of habit and custom has not been removed and the true heart is not yet complete. [The heart is the master of ears, eyes and limbs. When the heavenly sovereign (the heart) is clear and solemn, the eyes see sharply and the ears hear keenly and the four limbs naturally follow orders. If one who preserves his heart in the Way is not yet ripe, stray worries are enough to overcome his original heart and habit and custom are enough to seize his sincerity. Note by Zhu Xi: Hengqu applied great effort and put it more precisely and incisively. He also said: Stray worries are aimless drifting thoughts, the heart of habit and custom is the heart that has long been biased by what it has been steeped in, and the true heart is the heart of moral principle.] People also need to be firm. If they are too soft, they fall into being unable to stand on their own; and there are people born without joy or anger, and they too need to be firm. If one is firm, one can hold steady and not turn back, and advance in the Way with courage. A firm person (the original text has 'Zai' here, which is a mistake for 'firm') naturally has more courage than other people. [From the Recorded Sayings; likewise below. If one is firm, one's holding is secure and one's conduct decisive, and so one can advance in the Way; soft, timid and listless people certainly cannot establish themselves.]"

戲謔不惟害事志亦為氣所流不戲謔亦是持氣之一端【朱子曰橫渠學力絶人尤勇於改過獨以戲為無傷一日忽曰凡人之過猶有出於不知而為之者至戲則皆有心為之也其為害尤甚遂作東銘】

Master Hengqu said: "Jesting and teasing not only harm affairs but also let the will be swept away by qi. Not joking is also one aspect of controlling qi. [Note by Zhu Xi: Hengqu's strength of learning surpassed others and he was especially bold in correcting his faults. Only he considered joking harmless; one day he suddenly said: Some of people's faults are done out of ignorance, but joking is all done deliberately, and its harm is greater still. He therefore wrote the 'Eastern Inscription.']"

正心之始當以己心為嚴師凡所動作則知所懼如此一二年守得牢固則自然心正矣【視心如嚴師則知所敬畏而邪僻之念不作】

Master Hengqu said: "At the beginning of rectifying the heart, one should take one's own heart as a stern teacher. Whatever one does, one then knows what to fear. If one can hold it firmly like this for a year or two, the heart will naturally be rectified. [If one regards the heart as a stern teacher, one knows to be reverent and awed, and wicked thoughts do not arise.]"

定然後始有光明若常移易不定何求光明易大抵以艮為止止乃光明故大學定而至於能慮人心多則無由光明【易説下同○此心靜定而明生焉水之止者可鑑而流水不可鑑亦是理也】

Master Hengqu said: "Only after being settled is there brightness. If one is always shifting and unsettled, how can one seek brightness? The Changes in general takes the hexagram Gen as stopping, and stopping is brightness. That is why the Great Learning says that being settled leads to the capacity to deliberate. If the human heart is full of many things, there is no way for it to be bright. [From the Explanations of the Changes; likewise below. When this heart is still and settled, brightness arises in it. Still water can serve as a mirror, while flowing water cannot, which is the same principle.]"

動靜不失其時其道光明學者必時其動靜則其道乃不蔽昧而明白今人從學之久不見進長正以莫識動靜見他人擾擾非闗己事而所修亦廢由聖學觀之防防悠悠以是終身謂之光明可乎【艮卦彖辭動靜各有其時然學者多失於不當動而動因循廢學終何光明之有】

Master Hengqu said: "'When movement and stillness do not miss their proper time, the Way is bright.' A student must time his movement and stillness, and then his Way will not be obscured but will be clear. Today people who have studied for a long time and show no growth do so precisely because they do not know movement and stillness: they see others bustling about in matters not their own, and what they themselves cultivate is also abandoned. Seen from the sage's learning, to spend one's whole life vaguely and aimlessly in this way, can one call that bright? [From the Commentary on the Judgment of the hexagram Gen. Movement and stillness each have their time, but students often err by moving when they should not move, and by drifting along and abandoning study, so in the end what brightness could there be?]"

敦篤虛靜者仁之本不輕妄則是敦厚也無所繫閡昏塞則是虛靜也此難以頓悟苟知之須久於道實體之方知其味夫仁亦在乎熟之而已【孟子説○閡閉礙也言動輕妄而不敦篤則此心外馳非仁也有所繫閡昏塞而不虛靜則此心罔覺非仁也然必存心之久實體於己然後能深知其味】

Master Hengqu said: "Sincerity, steadiness, emptiness and stillness are the root of humaneness (ren). Not being rash or reckless is steadiness and sincerity; not being tied down, obstructed, dulled or blocked is emptiness and stillness. This is hard to grasp in a sudden flash of insight; if one understands it, one must stay with the Way for a long time and embody it in practice before tasting its flavor. Humaneness too is simply a matter of becoming ripe in it. [From his Commentary on Mencius. Note: 'obstruction' means being shut in and hindered. If words and actions are rash and reckless and not steady, the mind races outward, and this is not humaneness; if one is tied down, obstructed, dulled and blocked and not empty and still, the mind is unaware, and this is not humaneness. Yet only by keeping the mind present for a long time and embodying it in oneself can one come to know its flavor deeply.]"

此卷論力行蓋窮理旣明涵養既厚及推於行已之間尤當盡其克治之力也

This chapter discusses vigorous practice. Once principle has been thoroughly investigated and self-cultivation made deep, then in applying it to one's own conduct one must especially exert the full force of self-discipline.

濓溪先生曰君子乾乾不息於誠然必懲忿窒欲遷善改過而後至幹之用其善是損益之大莫是過聖人之旨深哉【重幹相繼故九三曰君子終日干幹言君子體幹健而又健至誠不息此用幹之善者也山澤為損激於忿象山之髙必懲創之溺於欲象澤之深必窒塞之此用損之大者也風雷為益遷善象風之烈則德日長改過象雷之迅則惡日消此用益之大者也○朱子曰乾乾不息者體也去惡進善者用也無體則用無以行無用則體無所措故以三卦合而言之或曰其字亦是莫字】吉凶悔吝生乎動噫吉一而已動可不愼乎【通書○動而得則吉失則兇悔則過失而自咎吝則私小而可羞四者一善而三惡動其可不謹乎】

Master Lianxi said: "The noble person strives tirelessly in sincerity, yet can reach it only by curbing anger, blocking desire, moving toward the good and correcting faults. The Qian hexagram's use of goodness and the greatest value of Decrease and Increase surpass all else; how profound is the Sage's intent! [The Qian hexagram repeats itself, which is why the third line says the noble person strives all day long: the noble person embodies the strong and ever stronger power of Qian, sincere without rest, and this is using the goodness of Qian. Mountain over Lake is Decrease: if provoked to anger, which is imaged by the height of the mountain, one must chastise it; if sunk in desire, imaged by the depth of the lake, one must plug it up. This is the great use of Decrease. Wind over Thunder is Increase: moving toward the good is imaged by the fierceness of the wind, so virtue grows daily; correcting faults is imaged by the swiftness of thunder, so evil vanishes daily. This is the great use of Increase. Zhu Xi said: tireless striving is the substance, and removing evil and advancing in goodness is the function. Without substance, function has nothing to carry it; without function, substance has nowhere to be applied; therefore the three hexagrams are discussed together. Some say the word 'its' here is also the word 'nothing surpasses'.] Good fortune, misfortune, regret and humiliation arise from movement. Alas, there is only one good fortune; can one be careless in moving? [From the Tongshu. When movement is right there is good fortune, when wrong, misfortune; regret means blaming oneself for a fault, humiliation means being petty and selfish and so shameful. Of the four, one is good and three are bad; how can one not be careful in moving?]"

濓溪先生曰孟子曰養心莫善於寡慾予謂養心不止於寡而存耳蓋寡焉以至於無無則誠立明通誠立賢也明通聖也【遺文○朱子曰誠立謂實體安固明通則實用流行立如三十而立之立通則不惑知命而鄉乎耳順矣○或問孟子與周子之言果有以異乎曰孟子所謂欲者以耳目口鼻四肢之慾人所不能無然多而無節則為心害周子則指心之流於欲者是則不可有也所指有淺深之不同然由孟子之寡慾則可以盡周子之無慾矣】

Master Lianxi said: "Mencius said that nothing nourishes the mind better than having few desires. I say that nourishing the mind is not only a matter of having few desires but of preserving the mind. Reduce desires until there are none; with none, sincerity is established and clarity penetrates. Establishing sincerity makes one a worthy; clarity that penetrates makes one a sage. [From the Yiwen. Zhu Xi said: 'sincerity established' means that substance is firm and secure; 'clarity penetrating' means that practical function flows freely. 'Established' is like the 'stood firm' of 'at thirty I stood firm'; 'penetrating' is like having no doubts, knowing Heaven's decree, and reaching the stage where the ear is attuned. Someone asked: do Mencius and Master Zhou really differ? He replied: what Mencius calls desire is the desire of the ears, eyes, mouth, nose and limbs, which people cannot be without, though if excessive and unrestrained they harm the mind; Master Zhou points to the mind flowing into desire, which one must not have. What each points to differs in depth, yet by following Mencius' having few desires one can reach Master Zhou's having none.]"

伊川先生曰顔淵問克已復禮之目夫子曰非禮勿視非禮勿聽非禮勿言非禮勿動四者身之用也由乎中而應乎外製於外所以養其中也【朱子曰由乎中而應乎外謂視聽言動乃此心之形見處制乎外所以養其中謂就視聽言動上克治也上二句言其理下二句是工夫】顔淵請事斯語所以進於聖人後之學聖人者冝服膺而勿失也因箴以自警【或問明知其不當視而自接乎目明知其不當聽而自接乎耳則將如何朱子曰視與見異聽與聞異非禮之色雖過乎目在我不可有視之之心非禮之聲雖過乎耳在我不可有聽之之心】視箴曰心兮本虛應物無跡操之有要視為之則蔽交於前其中則遷制之於外以安其內克己復禮久而誠矣【人心虛靈感應出入無跡可執操存之要莫先謹視則猶節也苟物慾之蔽交乎吾前惑於所見中必移矣惟能制之於外目不妄視則神識泰定內斯以安久而誠則實理流行動容周旋中禮矣】聽箴曰人有秉彝本乎天性知誘物化遂亡其正卓彼先覺知止有定閒邪存誠非禮勿聽【人稟五常之性本無不善惟知識誘於外而忘返物慾化其內而莫覺由是所稟之正日以喪矣誘者化之初化者誘之極也知止者知其所當止也有定者得其所當立也閒邪於外所以存誠於中也】言箴曰人心之動因言以宣髮禁躁妄內斯靜專矧是樞機興戎出好吉凶榮辱惟其所召傷易則誕傷煩則支已肆物忤出悖來違非法不道欽哉訓辭【躁輕肆也妄虛謬也言語之髮禁其輕肆則內靜定矣禁其虛謬則內專一矣樞扉臼也機弩牙也戶之闔闢射之中否皆由之發言乃吾身之樞機故一言之惡或至於興師一言之善或可以合好得則有吉有榮失則有兇有辱躁而傷於易則誕肆而不審妄而傷於煩則支離而逺實肆縱情也肆已者必忤物躁之致也悖乖理也悖而出者必悖而反妄之致也】動箴曰哲人知幾誠之於思志士厲行守之於為順理則裕從欲惟危造次克念戰兢自持習與性成聖賢同歸【文集○朱子曰思是動之微為是動之著思是動於內為是動於外○明哲之人知其幾防故於所思而誠之一念之動不敢妄也立志之士勉勵其行故於所為而守之一事之動不敢忽也順理而動則安裕從欲而動則危殆守於為也造次俄頃而克念不忘戰兢恐懼而自持不失誠于思也習謂修於已性謂得於天習與性合則全其本然之善而與聖賢一矣】復之初九曰不逺復無祗悔元吉伊川易傳曰陽君子之道故復為反善之義初復之最先者也是不逺而復也【陽往為剝陽來為複復卦乃善之返初爻乃復之先過而先復是不逺而復也】失而後有復不失則何復之有唯失之不逺而復則不至於悔大善而吉也【人必有所失而後有所復旣有失則不能無悔惟未逺而復故不至於悔乃元吉也】顔子無形顯之過夫子謂其庶幾乃無祗悔也過旣未形而改何悔之有【有過而知之敏改之速不待其形顯故無悔也】旣未能不勉而中所欲不逾矩是有過也然其明而剛故一有不善未嘗不知旣知未嘗不遽改故不至於悔乃不逺復也學問之道無他也惟其知不善則速改以從善而已【易傳下同○不待勉強而中乎道從心所欲而不過乎則是聖人之事無過之可改者也顔子未能及是故未免於有過然其明也故過而必知其剛也故知而即改】

Master Yichuan said: "When Yan Yuan asked for the specifics of mastering oneself and returning to ritual, the Master said: do not look at what is contrary to ritual, do not listen to it, do not speak it, do not do it. These four are the functions of the body: they arise from within and respond outwardly, and restraining them outwardly nourishes what is within. [Zhu Xi said: 'arise from within and respond outwardly' means that seeing, hearing, speaking and acting are where this mind shows itself; 'restraining outwardly to nourish within' means applying self-discipline to seeing, hearing, speaking and acting. The first two lines state the principle; the last two are the practice.] Yan Yuan asked to put these words into practice, and so advanced toward becoming a sage; those who later study to become sages should take them to heart and never lose them. So I have composed admonitions to warn myself. [Someone asked: if one knows clearly that one should not look yet the thing meets the eye by itself, or knows clearly that one should not listen yet the sound meets the ear, what then? Zhu Xi said: looking differs from seeing, and listening differs from hearing. Though an improper sight passes before the eye, I must not have a mind to look at it; though an improper sound passes the ear, I must not have a mind to listen to it.] The Admonition on Seeing says: The mind is originally empty and responds to things without trace; to hold it there is an essential, and seeing is its rule. When obscuring things crowd in front, what is within is shifted; restrain it outwardly so as to calm what is inward. Master yourself and return to ritual, and in time you will be sincere. [The human mind is empty and numinous, its response and passage leaving no trace to grasp. The key to holding it is, above all, to be careful in seeing; 'rule' is like 'measure'. If the obscuration of things crowds in front of me and I am deluded by what I see, what is within is bound to be moved. Only by restraining it outwardly, so that the eyes do not look wildly, will spirit and awareness be settled and the inner be at peace; and in time one becomes sincere, real principle flows, and every gesture and movement accords with ritual.] The Admonition on Hearing says: People have constant norms, rooted in Heaven-given nature; knowledge is lured and things transform it, and so the right is lost. Eminent were those first awakened, who knew where to stop and so were settled; they guarded against evil and preserved sincerity, and did not listen to what is contrary to ritual. [People receive the nature of the five constants, which is originally without evil. Only when knowledge is lured outward and does not return, and desire for things transforms the inside without one noticing, does the rectitude one received daily decay. 'Lure' is the beginning of transformation, and 'transform' is the extreme of luring. 'Knowing where to stop' is knowing where one should stop; 'being settled' is attaining where one should stand. Guarding against evil outwardly is how one preserves sincerity within.] The Admonition on Speech says: The movement of the human mind is expressed through words; restrain rashness and falsity, and the inner becomes still and focused. How much more so is this pivot and trigger, which can start war or create friendship; good fortune and misfortune, honor and disgrace, are all summoned by it. If one errs by being careless, one becomes extravagant; if one errs by being verbose, one becomes scattered; if one is self-indulgent one offends others; what goes out against reason comes back against one. Say nothing that is contrary to the standard; heed this instruction with reverence. ['Rashness' is being light and unrestrained, 'falsity' is being empty and mistaken. When speech comes forth, curbing rashness calms the inner, and curbing falsity makes the inner single-minded. The pivot is the door socket, the trigger is the crossbow catch; whether a door opens or closes and whether an arrow hits depends on them. Speech is the pivot and trigger of one's person, so one bad word may lead to the raising of armies and one good word may bring about friendship; if done right there is fortune and honor, if wrong there is misfortune and disgrace. Rashness that errs by being careless becomes extravagant and unconsidered; falsity that errs by being verbose becomes scattered and distant from reality. 'Self-indulgent' means giving rein to one's feelings, and one who indulges himself will offend others, which is the result of rashness; 'against reason' means contrary to principle, and what goes out against reason comes back against one, which is the result of falsity.] The Admonition on Action says: The wise know the incipient and are sincere in thought; the resolute strive in practice and hold firm in deeds. Following principle brings ease, following desire brings danger; in haste, master your thoughts, and in trembling, keep yourself steady. Habit and nature become one, and sages and worthies reach the same end. [From the Wenji. Zhu Xi said: thought is the subtle stage of action, and deeds are its manifest stage; thought is movement within, deeds are movement without. The wise know the subtle beginnings, so they make their thoughts sincere and dare not be reckless in a single stirring of thought; the resolute strive in practice, so they hold firm in what they do and dare not be careless in a single act. Acting in accord with principle brings ease and abundance, acting on desire brings peril; this is holding firm in deeds. Mastering one's thoughts even in haste and keeping oneself steady even in trembling is being sincere in thought. 'Habit' is what one cultivates oneself, 'nature' is what one receives from Heaven; when habit and nature unite, one completes one's original goodness and becomes one with sages and worthies.] The first yang line of the hexagram Return says: Return not from far; no cause for deep regret; supremely good fortune. Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: Yang is the way of the noble person, so Return carries the sense of turning back to the good. The first line is the very first of the return, which means returning before one has gone far. [When yang departs it is Stripping, when yang comes it is Return. The hexagram Return is the turning back toward goodness, and the first line is the earliest stage of the return; to turn back first after a fault is to return before going far.] Only after losing is there return; if one never lost, what return could there be? Only by returning when the loss is not far does one avoid regret, which is great goodness and good fortune. [A person must first have lost before returning; having lost, one cannot be without regret. Only by returning before going far does one not reach regret, and this is supreme good fortune.] Yan Zi had no fault that showed outwardly, and the Master said he came close to the ideal, which is to say he had no deep regret. If the fault is corrected before it has taken form, what regret is there? [One who knows a fault quickly and corrects it swiftly, not waiting for it to appear, therefore has no regret.] Since he had not yet reached the point of hitting the mean without effort and following his heart's desires without overstepping the bounds, he had faults; but because he was clear and firm, whenever something was not good he never failed to know it, and having known it, never failed to correct it at once, so he never reached regret, which is returning before going far. The way of learning is nothing else than this: on knowing what is not good, quickly correct it and follow the good. [From the Commentary on the Changes; likewise below. Hitting the way without forcing oneself and following one's heart's desires without exceeding the rule is the matter of a sage, who has no fault to correct. Yan Zi could not yet reach this, and so could not avoid faults; but because he was clear, he always knew his faults, and because he was firm, he corrected them as soon as he knew.]"