The Philosophy of Wang Yang-ming

by Frederick Goodrich Henke, Yang-ming Wang

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Genres: Philosophy

540 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2013

Reviews

[Barack Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

236-The philosophy of Wang Yangming-Wang Yangming-Physiology-1529
Barack
2019/09/11
2020/06/25


—— "When you didn't look at this flower, this flower and you fell into silence; when you looked at this flower, the color of this flower became clear for a while, and you knew that this flower was not outside your heart. "

"Biography and Practice Record", created in the Ming Dynasty. It was compiled by Wang Yangming's disciples of his quotations and letters. This book records his quotations and academic letters. The etymology of "chuanxi" comes from the phrase "zhuanbuxihu" in "The Analects".

Wang Yangming, formerly known as Wang Shouren, with the word Bo'an and nicknamed Yangming, was born in 1472 in Yuyao County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province (now Yuyao City, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province), and died in 1529. He was born into a distinguished family. His father was the number one scholar in 1481, and he went to Nanjing as an official secretary. Wang Yangming entered the scholarship in 1499. Served as Shangshu of the Ministry of War of Nanjing, Zuodu Yushi of the Imperial Procuratorate, etc. He was knighted and newly established for his military merits such as the suppression of the Chen Hao Rebellion, and he was awarded as a marquis in Longqing. Later generations believed that Confucius was the founder of Confucianism, Mencius was the master of Confucianism, Zhu Xi was the master of Confucianism, and Wang Yangming was the master of Xinxue. They were collectively known as the king of Confucius, Mencius and Zhu. Representative works: "Biography and Practice Records" etc.

Part of the catalog
1. On the record
1.1. Xu Ailu
1.2. Lu Chenglu
1.3. Xue Kanlu
2. In the history
2.1. Answer to Gu Dongqiao's book
2.2. Answers to Zhou Dao Tong Shu
2.3. Answer to Lu Yuanjing's book
3. Pass the record down
3.1. Chen Jiuchuan Records
3.2. Huang Zhilu
3.3. Huang Xiuyilu

"Destroy human desires and preserve nature" is a concept mentioned by Wang Yangming and his disciples many times. Human beings are biological, and life is material. We can't regard biological desires as the part to be removed. According to my understanding, "human desires" should be desires beyond the limits. As for the degree of this limit, it is actually based on the scale of the specific era and society at that time. The so-called "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, don't move any evil", the "ritual" here is the threshold, which changes with the changes of the times and society.

What is Tianli? The body of the heart is the law of heaven. Heart is Tao, Tao is heaven. Socrates also said "know yourself". The world may exist objectively, but for each individual, his world only exists in his heart. Before he was born, his world did not exist, and after his death, his world was wiped out. When there is no thought, the world is annihilated. Therefore, "The Analects of Confucius" says that "the gentleman seeks himself, the villain seeks others", perhaps it can also be understood that the gentleman explores himself inwardly, but not all in the outside world. All things in the world and man are one.

There is a quite classic statement in the "Biography of the Study": "When you have not seen this flower, this flower and your heart are in silence. When you look at this flower, the color of this flower becomes clear for a while. You know that this flower is not outside your mind. "A well-known philosophical thinking experiment also raised a similar question. "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is nearby to hear it, does it make a sound?" From a psychological perspective, as long as I don't Hear it, then no. This sounds rather idealistic, but we don't have to rush to conclusions. After we have experienced more life, we may have different ideas .

Wang Yangming compared the principle of heaven to "sun" and "human desire" to "cloud". The so-called sage of Confucianism is a person who can achieve a clear sky; the so-called sage of Confucianism can achieve the sky high and the cloudlessness; and ordinary people are the dark clouds that suppress the city.

Unity of knowledge and action. The one who knows the beginning of action, the one who knows the achievement. Knowing is the idea of action, and action is the skill of knowing. If a person says he knows but cannot do it, he actually doesn't know it. If a person does it but claims that he does not know it, it is actually knowing. Because I want to do it. What is the benefit of suspense ? There must be the desire to act, and then know the way, the desire to act is the intention; that is, the beginning of the act. Just thinking about keeping the principles of heaven is determined. If you can not forget this, you will naturally condense in your heart for a long time. In this sense, what people get, no matter the blessings or evils, is what they ask for themselves. Some people often say that they understand the truth, but they can’t persevere; from the perspective of the unity of knowledge and action, they can’t persevere, but in fact they still don’t understand the truth. The so-called thoughtlessness. What a person thinks, what he will do after all, others may or may not see it.

Zhang Zai, a Neo-Confucian of the Northern Song Dynasty, once said, “Establish the heart for the heaven and the earth, establish the life for the people, for the sacred learning, and open peace for all generations.” Wang Yangming also believed that “the lady is the heart of the heaven and the earth. . Everyone’s world is different, and everyone’s world is in his heart. The same thing, different people feel different at the same time; the same thing, the same person feels different at different times.

This is why we need to cultivate the mind, or the reason for self-cultivation. Because people change the world they live in through self-cultivation, because people only live in the world in their own eyes. There is also an observer effect in quantum mechanics. Before observing, all possibilities exist in the form of probability clouds. Once observed, all possibilities collapse into a certain fact. The so-called observation can also be understood as being attentive to this, I am attentive to this, my heart is convenient for creating a world here. Just like in the game, no matter how big the map is, the map will only be rendered when the player enters the map.

People have to grind on things. Sitting quietly, seems to have some experience. However, once encountered distress, he was panicked and still had no time to repair. The more melancholy, the more tempering, the more time I see. People have to hone their skills in things, which is beneficial. If you have to be quiet, you will be chaotic when things happen, and there will be no progress. At that quiet time, the effort seemed to converge, but it was actually drowning.

The Analects says, "A gentleman does not violate benevolence between the last food, so he must be inferior, and he must be surpassed." If we are not limited to the word "benevolence", the meaning can be understood as a gentleman who practices his original mind all the time It is easy to be safe and self-sufficient in a peaceful and peaceful time, and to be able to do it in times of hardship, is the difference between people. Some people encounter natural disasters and man-made disasters. Therefore, it is expensive to self-study.

Confucianism cultivates into the world, Taoism cultivates the birth, and Buddhism cultivates the afterlife. These three prominent schools are like three roads, choose one of the main roads, and the other two can only be auxiliary. And the different thinking of choosing the core values also determines the difference in a person's external performance, which in turn determines his life. The so-called seeking benevolence gains benevolence.

"The Analects" says, "When you are young, your blood is indeterminate, and you can exercise restraint in your sexuality; it is strong, your blood is strong, and you can avoid fighting; and when you are old, your blood is decayed, but you have to avoid it." In order to self-study, people have to go through a lot of struggles and contradictions. Sometimes I think, why do I need to study myself ? Why not let it flow? My current view is that self-cultivation is not something that everyone has to do. Some people are born to pursue this kind of spiritual things, and some people are influenced by chance to pursue it. The road is like a puppy chasing its tail in circles. Confucianism sees people who pursue sensuality and canines as lost lambs, but those who are immersed in secular pleasures see Confucianism as old-fashioned corrupt Confucianism?

The so-called Tao is not conspiring. Life has no meaning, it only depends on the process, and everyone consciously or unconsciously chooses what they want to pursue in this process. This is everyone's own heart, and this is everyone's natural principle.

" I love to ask: "Zhu Zi said that it was regarded as a "new people", and the later chapters of "as a new people" seemed to have some basis; the gentleman thought it was appropriate to use the old book as a "close to the people", is there any evidence? "The gentleman said: "The'new' of'being a new citizen' is a self-renewing citizen, which is different from the'new' of a new citizen. How can this be a basis? The word'zuo' is opposite to the word'qin', which is not the meaning of the word'qin'. The following "ruling the country and peace the world" are all in the word "new" without invention, like a cloud. "The gentleman is wise and wise and kisses his relatives, and the villain is happy and profitable, such as protecting the poor; the people are good, the people Whatever is evil and what is evil, what is called the "parents" of the people, are all "pro".

"Kin to the people" is just like Mencius, "Kin to the benevolent". If the people did not kiss each other, Shun made a contract as Situ and respected the Five Religions, so he kissed them. Yao Dian 'Keming Jun De' is 'put the family'; to 'pro-clan' to 'manager of Concorde', is the 'People First', is 'put the family in the world'. Just as Confucius said,'Cultivating oneself to protect the people','cultivating oneself' is'Ming Mingde';'An ordinary people' is'kind to the people'. To say'close to the people' is to educate people, and to say'Xinmin' is to be biased. ' "

"University" is one of the Confucian classics . It is the foundation of scholars' self-cultivation. For such an important book. Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming have different views. Visible these worthies also not not hang dogmatism of generation . If they think that they have sufficient evidence to support a certain explanation, they will strengthen their views . Even if his ideas are at odds with the authority of his predecessors , he will not be shaken.

" Ask for love: "The perfection only seeks all the hearts, for fear that the affairs of the world cannot be exhausted. "Mr. said: "Heart is reason." In the world, there are things outside the heart, and there are reasons outside the heart? Love said: "As with the filial piety of the father, the loyalty of the emperor, the trust of making friends, and the benevolence of governing the people, there are many reasons in it, and you must not ignore it. "Mr. sighed and said: "This is a long way to go, how can you understand it in one word?" The person asked by Jin said: And if the father fails, go to the father to ask for a filial principle; if the king fails, go to the king to ask for a loyal reason; make friends and govern the people, go to friends and people Benevolent reason: It is only in this mind, and the mind is reason. The concealment of this selfless desire is the principle of heaven, and there is no need to add a point outside. In this way, it is purely the heart of heaven. The father is filial piety, the emperor is loyal, and the friendship and people are faith and benevolence. Just work hard here to get rid of human desires and preserve the principles of nature. " "

Wang Yangming's doctrine is marked by idealism. He puts a lot of emphasis on self- examination, exploring his own heart. At this point, I agree with Wang Yangming relatively more , rather than less preference to Zhu Xi emphasis on external management point of view. For the individual, perhaps some kind of objective world exists, but for the individual. The world in our eyes is just our own perception of the world. In other words, the world is kind of how , depends on how we feel. Before I was born , the world exist? After my death , the world still exist? When I sleep, coma , the world where and when ?

" Ai said: "Nowadays, people know that the father should be filial and the brother should be the brother, but they cannot be filial or the brother. Knowing and doing are clearly two things. "The gentleman said: "This has been cut off by selfish desires, and is not the body of Zhixing." Those who do not know but do not do. Knowing but not doing, just unknown. Saints and sages teach people to know and do, it is to restore the body, not just for you. Therefore, "University" refers to a true knowledge and deeds, and people see it, saying'like lust, like stench.' Seeing lust is knowing, lust is doing. I just healed myself when I saw that lust, not when I saw it and set my mind on it. To smell bad smell is to know, and bad smell is to do. You hate yourself when you only smell the stench, not when you smell it, don't stand up to it. For example, even if a person with a stuffy nose sees the stench in front, but has never smelled it in the nose, it is not very bad, and it just doesn't know the stench.

Just like saying that someone knows filial piety and someone knows his brother, he must be a filial brother who has practiced filial piety before he can be called a filial brother. If he only knows to say something about his filial brother, he can be called a filial brother. Another example is to know the pain, you must have self-pain, then you will know the pain, and you will be cold when you know the cold; when you know you are hungry, you must be hungry; how can you separate your knowledge and behavior? This is the body of knowledge, and turned not had selfish partition. The saint teaches that it must be so before it can be said to know, otherwise, it is just not known. What a real effort this is! Now, what does it mean to say that knowing and doing two things? What does it mean to be one? If you don’t know the purpose of Liyan, just say one or two. What is the use? "

Ai said: "The ancients said that knowing and doing two things, but also to see a difference, one line does the kung fu of knowing, the other line is the kung fu, that is, kung fu begins to fall." Mr. said: "This has lost the ancients' purpose. Someone says that knowing is the idea of action, and action is the skill of knowing; knowing is the beginning of action, and action is the accomplishment of knowing.