萧惠问：「己私难克，奈何？」
先生曰：「将汝己私来，替汝克。」
又曰：「人须有为己之心，方能克己；能克己，方能成己。」
萧惠曰：「惠亦颇有为己之心，不知缘何不能克己？」
先生曰：「且说汝有为己之心是如何？」
惠良久曰：「惠亦一心要做好人，便自谓颇有为己之心。今思之，看来亦只是为得个躯壳的己，不曾为个真己。」
先生曰：「真己何曾离著躯壳？恐汝连那躯壳的己也不曾为。且道汝所谓躯壳的己，岂不是耳、目、口、鼻、四肢？」
惠曰：「正是。为此，目便要色，耳便要声，口便要味，四肢便要逸乐，所以不能克。」
先生曰：「『美色令人目盲，美声令人耳聋，美味令人囗爽，驰骋田猎令人发狂』，这都是害汝耳、目、囗、鼻、四肢的，岂得是为汝耳、目、口、鼻、四肢？若为著耳、目、口、鼻、四肢时，便须思量耳如何听，目如何视，口如何言，四肢如何动。必须非礼勿视、听、言、动，方才成得个耳、目、口、鼻、四肢，这个才是为著耳、目、口、鼻、四肢。汝今终日向外驰求，为名、为利，这都是为著躯壳外面的物事。汝若为著耳、目、口、鼻、四肢，要非礼勿视、听、言、动时，岂是汝之耳、目、口、鼻、四肢自能勿视、听、言、动？须由汝心。这视、听、言、动皆是汝心，汝心之视，发窍于目；汝心之听，发窍于耳；汝心之言，发窍于口；汝心之动，发窍于四肢。若无汝心，便无耳、目、口、鼻。所谓汝心，亦不专是那一团血肉；若是那一团血肉，如今已死的人，那一团血肉还在，缘何不能视、听、言、动？所谓汝心，却是那能视、听、言、动的，这个便是性，便是天理。有这个性，才能生。这性之生理，便谓之仁。这性之生理：发在目，便会视；发在耳，便会听；发在口，便会言；发在四肢，便会动；都只是那天理发生。以其主宰一身，故谓之心。这心之本体，原只是个天理，原无非礼，这个便是汝之真己，这个真己是躯壳的主宰。若无真己，便无躯壳；真是有之即生，无之即死。汝若真为那个躯壳的己，必须用著这个真己，便须常常保守著这个真己的本体，戒慎不睹，恐惧不闻，惟恐亏损了他一些；才有一毫非礼萌动，便如刀割、如针刺，忍耐不过，必须去了刀、拔了针。这才是有为己之心，力能克己。汝今正是认贼作子，缘何却说有为己之心，不能克己？」
萧惠问：「自己的私欲难以克除，怎么办？」
先生说：「把你的私欲拿来，我替你克。」又说：「人必须有为己之心，才能克己；能克己，才能成就自己。」
萧惠说：「我也颇有为己之心，不知为什么不能克己？」
先生说：「且说你怎样的为己之心？」
萧惠想了很久说：「我也一心要做好人，便自以为颇有为己之心。如今想来，看来也只是为得个躯壳的自己，不曾为那个真己。」
先生说：「真己何曾离开过躯壳？恐怕你连那个躯壳的自己也不曾为。且说你所谓的躯壳的自己，岂不是耳、目、口、鼻、四肢？」
萧惠说：「正是。为此，眼便要看美色，耳便要听美声，口便要尝美味，四肢便要安逸享乐，所以不能克。」
先生说：「『美色令人目盲，美声令人耳聋，美味令人口爽，驰骋田猎令人发狂』，这都是害你耳目口鼻四肢的，难道是为你的耳目口鼻四肢好吗？若真为耳目口鼻四肢着想，便须思量耳怎样听、眼怎样看、口怎样说、四肢怎样动。必须非礼不视、不听、不言、不动，才成得了耳目口鼻四肢，这才是为耳目口鼻四肢着想。你如今终日向外驰求，为名为利，这都是为着躯壳外面的东西。你若为耳目口鼻四肢着想，要非礼勿视、勿听、勿言、勿动时，难道是你的耳目口鼻四肢自己能不看、不听、不说、不动？必须由你的心。这视、听、言、动都是你的心：你心之视，开窍于眼；你心之听，开窍于耳；你心之言，开窍于口；你心之动，开窍于四肢。若没有你的心，便没有耳目口鼻。所谓你的心，也不专是那一团血肉。若是那一团血肉，如今已死的人那团血肉还在，怎么不能视、听、言、动？所谓你的心，正是那能视、能听、能言、能动的，这个便是性，便是天理。有这个性，才能生。这性之生理，便叫作仁。这性之生理发在眼，便会看；发在耳，便会听；发在口，便会说；发在四肢，便会动；都只是那天理的生发。因为它主宰一身，所以叫作心。这心的本体，原只是个天理，原本没有非礼，这个便是你的真己。这个真己是躯壳的主宰。没有真己，便没有躯壳；真是有它就生，没它就死。你若真为那个躯壳的自己着想，必须用着这个真己，便须常常保守这个真己的本体，戒慎不睹、恐惧不闻，唯恐亏损了它一丝一毫；才有一毫非礼的念头萌动，便如刀割、如针刺，忍耐不住，必须去了刀、拔了针。这才是有为己之心，才能力能克己。你如今正是认贼作子，为什么却说有为己之心而不能克己？」
Xiao Hui asked: 'My selfish desires are hard to master — what to do?'
The Master said: 'Hand me your selfish desire and I will master it for you.' He added: 'One must have a heart for one's own self before one can master oneself; mastering oneself, one can perfect oneself.'
Xiao Hui said: 'I too have a heart for myself — why then can I not master myself?'
'Tell me what your heart for yourself is like.'
After a long while Hui said: 'I have single-mindedly wished to be a good person, so I supposed I had such a heart. Thinking on it now, it was only for the bodily self, never for the true self.'
'When did the true self ever leave the body? I fear you have not even served the bodily self. Is not what you call the bodily self just ears, eyes, mouth, nose and limbs?'
'Just so. For their sake the eye craves sights, the ear sounds, the palate flavors, the limbs ease — hence I cannot master myself.'
'The finest sights blind the eye, finest sounds deafen the ear, finest flavors spoil the palate, the chase maddens — all these harm your ears, eyes, mouth, nose and limbs: is that serving them? Truly to serve them, you would have to consider how the ear should hear, the eye see, the mouth speak, the limbs move; only by nothing improper seen, heard, said, moved do ears, eyes, mouth, nose and limbs become themselves — that alone serves them. You now gallop outward all day for fame and gain — serving things outside the body. If you would serve eye, ear, mouth, nose and limbs by shunning the improper — can the eye itself forbear to see, the ear to hear, the mouth to speak, the limbs to move? It must be through your mind. Seeing, hearing, speaking, moving are all your mind: the mind's seeing opens through the eye, its hearing through the ear, its speech through the mouth, its moving through the limbs. Without your mind there are no ears, eyes, mouth, nose. Nor is your mind merely that lump of flesh: the dead man's flesh remains, yet it neither sees, hears, speaks nor moves. Your mind is what can see, hear, speak and move — this is nature, this is heavenly principle. With this nature one lives. Its life-giving principle is called humaneness: issuing in the eye it sees, in the ear it hears, in the mouth it speaks, in the limbs it moves — all the outflowing of heavenly principle. Because it masters the whole body it is called the mind. The mind's substance is heavenly principle only, nothing improper in it — this is your true self, master of the body. Without the true self there is no body: with it, life; without it, death. If you truly serve the bodily self, you must employ this true self, ever preserving its substance, vigilant over the unseen, fearful over the unheard, dreading to chip it by a hair; the instant an improper thought stirs, it is knife-cut, needle-stab, past enduring — the knife must go, the needle be drawn. That is having a heart for one's self, that is power to master oneself. You are taking the thief for your son — and still you say you have a heart for yourself and cannot master yourself?'