Record of Teaching and Practice
Xu Ai's Postscript
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Submerged in the old explanations, I, Ai, was truly astonished and unsettled when I first heard the Master's teaching. I found no place to enter. After hearing it for a long time, I gradually learned to turn back to myself and practice personally. Only then did I begin to trust that the Master's learning is the direct transmission of Confucius' school; apart from it, all are side paths and little tracks, cut-off harbors and blocked rivers.
For example: investigating things is the work of making intention sincere; making goodness clear is the work of making oneself sincere; exhausting principle is the work of fully realizing nature; pursuing inquiry and learning is the work of honoring virtuous nature; broad learning in cultural forms is the work of restraint through ritual; refinement is the work of oneness. At first all such statements seemed isolated and difficult to reconcile. After reflecting on them for a long time, I found myself dancing with hands and feet without knowing it.
The foregoing was recorded by Yueren.
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