一友举：「佛家以手指显出，问曰：『众曾见否？』众曰：『见之。』复以手指入袖，问曰：『众还见否？』众曰：『不见。』佛说：『还未见性。』此义未明。」
先生曰：「手指有见、有不见，尔之见性常在。人之心神只在有睹、有闻上驰骛，不在不睹、不闻上著实用功。盖不睹、不闻是良知本体，戒慎、恐惧是致良知的工夫。学者时时刻刻常睹其所不睹，常闻其所不闻，工夫方有个实落处。久久成熟后，则不须著力，不待防检，而真性自不息矣。岂以在外者之闻见为累哉？」
一位朋友举出：「佛家用手指显出来，问：『大家见到了吗？』众人说：『见到了。』又把手指缩进袖子，问：『还见吗？』众人说：『不见了。』佛说：『还未见性。』这个意思不明白。」
先生说：「手指有见有不见，你的见性常在。人的心神只在有睹有闻上驰骛，却不在不睹不闻上着实用功。不睹不闻是良知的本体，戒慎恐惧是致良知的功夫。学者时时刻刻常睹其所不睹、常闻其所不闻，功夫才有落实处。久久成熟之后，便不须着力、不待防检，而真性自然不息了。哪会拿外面的见闻作拖累呢？」
A friend cited: 'The Buddha held up a finger: do you all see? We see. He drew it into his sleeve: do you still see? We do not. The Buddha said: you have not yet seen your nature. This I do not understand.'
The Master said: 'The finger is seen and unseen; your seeing-nature is ever there. Men's mind and spirit gallop only over what is seen and heard, laying no real work on the unseen and unheard. The unseen and unheard are innate knowledge's substance; vigilance and fear are the work of extending it. Let the learner at every moment see his unseeing and hear his unhearing — there the work finds solid ground. Long ripened, no effort needed, no watching required, the true nature stints not of itself. What burden from the sight and hearsay outside?'