與后世質疑和批評形成鮮明對照的是,陽明自身堅信"四句教"是既具普遍性且無弊的工夫指點語。在他看來,"無善無惡"和"有善有惡"不過是對"已發"之意識狀態的描述,是不同條件下達致"好善惡惡"的不同進路。無善無惡指意念完全出于良知的動力,因而沒有且不必刻意和執著;有善有惡指受私欲牽累而必須有所刻意、執著。分別以兩者為核心的"四無"和"四有"的為學進路并無高下之分,差異主要在入手處不同。四句教包含四無和四有兩條為學進路;無善無惡的含義包含好善惡惡,并以其為根本。這兩點分別保證了四句教的普遍性和無弊性。后世往往忽視這兩點,質疑和批評也就由此而起。

In stark contrast with later ages’ questionings and criticisms,Wang Yangming himself regarded"the Foursentence Doctrine"as a perfect instruction suitable for everyone. In his opinion,the ideas of "being neither good nor evil"and "being good or evil"only serve to describe the already manifested state of consciousness;they are two different means of achieving the ends of liking the good and disliking the evil."Being neither good nor evil"means that motive originates from consciousness,and therefore there is no deliberation or obsession."Being good or evil"on the other hand refers to the deliberation and obsessive effort that results from the implications of selfish desires. There is no essential difference between the two except their starting points."The Four-sentence Doctrine"contains two different approaches to learning,namely the "Four Haves"and the "Four Voids"; "being neither good nor evil"includes "liking the good and disliking the evil,"and further sets it as its foundation. The two above-mentioned points respectively guarantee the universality and perfection of "the Four-sentence Doctrine,"which was often neglected by later generations; this is what led to their questionings and criticisms.