6.  The books we have had until now would be too heavy a load for oxen to pull, or too high a pile to store under a roof, but however numerous they may be, they were all written under the constraints of habit, and we can find within them no remedy for dispelling this habit. This may seem to be merely my own opinion, but that is not the case.

There is jori in heaven and earth. When jori parts things they stand distinct, when it combines things the seams are invisible, this is essentially how heaven-and-earth is. That is not what the ancients said, but what I say myself. Indeed, no-one has put forward a theory that agrees with heaven and earth exactly. And because I do not have an accurate grasp of heaven and earth, my habits must have led me to numerous errors. Therefore in my three books with their many thousands of words, those words that agree with heaven and earth should be attributed to heaven and earth, and those that do not  agree with heaven and earth should be imputed to me. One must not trust my words blindly, but verify them by heaven and earth, and accept only those things that heaven and earth show to be correct.

Often people who go to study under teachers are distressed when their own theories differ, and the teachers do not always welcome disagreement either. This happens when men are taken as teachers. I look to heaven-and-earth as my teacher, and even though pupils come to study books under me, because I regard them as fellow students they have no need to refrain from criticism.

There is book learning, and also practical learning. As an example of book learning, we might take the controversy over interpreting Confucius' comment in the Analects, namely, whether in response to being told that Chi Wan thought three times before acting, Confucius's answer was "Twice is enough" or "Twice is will do". From the practical point of view, going over all the numerous interpretations can only lead to doubt and confusion, and as no conclusion can be reached they are not much guide to action. There are times when a speedy decision is necessary, and there are times when one should make a decision on the basis of a thousand considerations and ten thousand thoughts. When thinking twice is enough, thinking twice is the appropriate thing to do, and when twice will do, it is probably advisable to think again thoroughly, so that one will have no regrets. All this has nothing to do with whether the interpreters are right or wrong.

Thus learning arising from books has the defect of emphasising the teachers' doctrines, and when we add to these our own opinions people divide into opposing factions. But if after my having said this, you should come to the conclusion that books have no significance, you have been taking my words without thinking. For those who have parents will want to learn from them, whether they be of the Sorai school or the Chu Hsi school. The objective of a man who is about to throw a spear, whether he uses a straight spear or a crossed spear, is to hit people. Now although it is appropriate to discuss which is the best way, in the end discussions of the best procedures will never cease, like the ancient debate between drinkers or abstainers about the merits and demerits of manju [bean-paste dumplings] and sake which are still not resolved.
 

6.1 Right and wrong, and good and evil in heaven-and-earth are distinguished by scholars and distinguished by laymen, superior men hate evil and ordinary people hate evil, Buddhists praise good and Confucianists praise good. But to think that one could make everyone agree with oneself about the attainment of good and the avoidance of evil would be like expecting everyone to look alike, it would be a great misconception to believe that we can do what even the creator could not!

However, if after my saying this, you should think I have said that evil things that everyone abhors can never be corrected, you have again been taking my words without thinking. Because heaven-and-earth is an active object, unless one takes active measures, one cannot bring about good states of affairs.
 

6.2 Heaven and earth are not concealed, but revealed before us, so there is no need to read books or listen to others. Nevertheless one cannot hope to make much progress in wisdom and thought if one does not make use of books or ask people questions. To this extent, even my own poor words may be used as steps to seeing with far-sightedness, provided that they should accord with heaven and earth.

If you listen to different scholars, they will say "My Way is arranged like this, and his Way is arranged like that". But heaven-and-earth is not for us to arrange, its arrangement is for us to follow. Therefore to see the whole of heaven-and-earth, or to understand human affairs in the smallest detail, we should simply see things just as they are, no other skill is required. And so although we may come to truly understand fire, fire will continue to burn as it did before, and water will continue to flow as it did before we came to understand it. Names are indeed made by people, - a reed has come to be called "naniwa's feet" in Ise, - but no-one can alter things themselves.

If we see heaven-and-earth in terms of heaven, motive power, nature, and body, we see that the hollow moving heaven and substantial earth are contained within heaven-and-earth, which is the passage of the warp and the fullness of the woof; that the sun and moon turning above, the water and soil held below, ourselves, and all the things of the manifold, follow the path and dwell in the house of the heaven-and-earth that we now see clearly.

Therefore although our eyes may be dazzled with a riotous confusion of objects, when we see heaven-and-earth itself before us, heaven-and-earth assigns positions, fire shines above and water fills up below.

Because heaven-and-earth is active, from the clashing and intermingling of the forces of yin and yang emerge two kinds, one of them animate, conscious, warm and moving, the other inanimate, unconscious, cold and motionless.

The object and the spirit change into a thousand different appearances, and thus the greatest intricacy is at the same time the utmost simplicity.