羅欽順為明中葉著名之程朱學者，在其名著《困知記》裡批評禪學，並視陸象山、陳白沙、王陽明諸人之學為禪學。其所稱禪學，約指禪宗之思惟方式，羅氏對禪學之心性觀的批評，實際上亦包括陸象山等人在內。在一定程度內，反映了儒學內部心性論之歧異。羅氏確信程朱之心性論最符合孔孟之道，堅持心之靈覺作用不能視同客觀存在之性理。 儒釋之辨為宋明儒學之主要課題，羅欽順嚴厲批評禪學之目的，在於確保儒學之純粹性，尤其在心性論方面。其視陸、陳、王諸人學說為禪學，蓋已認其非屬儒學正統。 羅欽順對禪學的批評是否客觀正確，容可再酌。惟在明代中葉程朱理學面臨陳、王等人心學之流行時，羅欽順之禪學批評，深刻地凸顯出程朱性理觀的特殊涵義。從程朱理學或儒學思想之歷史發展以觀，亦有不可忽視的時代意義。

Lo Ch'in-shun, who inherited from Chu Hsi his theory of human nature, was a prominent scholar at the middle of the Ming Dynasty. In his well-known book, Knowledge Painfully Acquired, he criticized Ch'an and regarded the theories of Lu Hsiang-shan, Ch'en Pai-sha and Wang Yang-ming as Ch'an. In Lo's book, “Ch'an” was usually used to indicate a way of thinking. As a result, Lo's criticism of Ch'an, in fact, included Lu, Ch'en and Wang. To some extent, Lo's criticism on Ch'an's theory of mind reflected the different ways of understanding mind in Confucianism at that time. Lo believed that the Ch'eng-Chu theory of human nature completely corresponded to the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and insisted that the sensible function of mind should not be considered as its substance. The reason Lo criticized Ch'an so sharply was that he hoped to ensure the purity of Confucianism, especially with respect to the theory of human nature. As a result, as indicated above, Lu, Ch'en and Wang were not regarded as legitimate Confucians. In short, though the validity of Lo's criticism perhaps still remained questionable, yet at the time when Ch'en's and Wang's thought prevailed, his achievement showed the special significance of the Ch'eng-Chu theory. From the historical point of view, Lo's criticism of Ch'an also played an important role at the middle of the Ming Dynasty.