在陈白沙的心学体系中,实指仁、善作为一种客观实体而存在,表现为道体与心体两种存在实体。陈白沙通过日常生活中所呈露的仁、善的端倪渐次扩充,达致至仁、至善的修养境界,从而实现了心体与道体的贯通。虚是一种“无欲”的德性境界,致虚是陈白沙心学基本的工夫论,“闲邪存诚”与“勿助”是陈白沙心学致虚工夫的基本路径。陈白沙以体证仁、善之为人的本质作为立德的根基,在致虚工夫的基础上实现了人与物的贯通,即“惟仁与物同体”。实中有虚,虚中有实,虚实一体是陈白沙心学的核心内容。
In Chen Baisha' s philosophy of mind, benevolence and goodness exist as objective entities, characterized by the human body and heart, thus characteristic of being. According to Chen, inklings of benevolence and goodness in life can be enlarged so that self-cultivation can be achieved and integrity of the human body and heart can be reached. Non-being refers to the virtue of "being desireless". Extreme non-being refers to self-cultivation which is the kernel of Chen Baisha' s philosophy of mind. "Being honest while in bad times" and "self-reliance" are the basic routes leading to this highest spiritual status. Chen Baisha uses objective entities such as the human body and heart to enhance the basic concepts such as benevolence and goodness which are essential to the creation of a self-cultivated person, so that the integrity between nature and human beings can be achieved, a state described by Chen as "only benevolence can co-exist with the uni- verse". The co-existence of being and non-being is the kernel of Chen Baisha' s philosophy of mind.