After the appearance of Yangming's theory of mind, what influence did it have on the society in the middle and late Ming Dynasty?

The impact on China mainly has two stages:

The first stage was the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Yangming's theory of mind spread all over the country, and there was a situation that "disciples spread all over the world for more than a hundred years". After Wangmen, there were eight schools, namely, Qianzhong, Jiangyou, Zhezhong, Chuzhong, Fujian and Guangdong, Nanzhong, North and Taizhou. In particular, Wangmen's psychology in Taizhou went deep into the people and eventually led the Lindong School's academy lecture movement.

The second stage is from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China. Under the background of modern national peril, Yangming's mind was revived in the late Qing Dynasty. From Zeng Guofan to Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Tan Sitong, and then to Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek, Wang Yangming's spirit of "unity of knowledge and action" has attracted much attention. Sun Yat-sen's speech to China students in Japan focused on Wang Yangming's influence on Japan becoming an Asian power.

Later, many young students from China went to Japan to study, and they attached great importance to Yangming studies. Chiang Kai-shek also praised Wang Yangming and proposed "studying". Chiang Kai-shek came to Guiyang for three times to write articles and take photos with inscriptions. After Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Taiwan Province Province, he changed the palace to "Yangming Mountain", named his study "Yangming Bookstore" and later built "Yangming University".

After 1949, the modern neo-Confucianists in China and Taiwan also "followed Wang Yangming's words" and proposed that the essence of culture lies in the theory of mind, and China culture, including Yangming's theory of mind, will have an important impact on the future world peace and development. ?

As an ideological system of Confucianism in China, Yangming's theory of mind has become a frenzy in China's ideological circle since it came into being in the mid-Ming Dynasty, and it has influenced people from all walks of life at home and abroad to varying degrees. Not only the feudal rulers admired it, but also some literati were deeply influenced by it.

It not only has a deep influence at home, but also has a great market abroad (except China, his thoughts have traveled across the ocean, deeply affecting Japan, South Korea, North Korea and other East Asian countries, and he himself is regarded as a god and worshipped every day. For example, in 1905, the waist tag of Tougou Heihachirou, a Japanese navy general, was engraved with seven characters: Do your best and worship Yangming all your life).

Especially in modern China, some historical figures, such as reformists Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao; Revolutionaries Sun Yat-sen, Zhang Taiyan and Song Jiao Ren; Wang Ching-wei, Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong in the Kuomintang were all influenced by Yangming's theory of mind to varying degrees in their early ideological development.

These figures, whether they advocate reform or revolution, whether they are positive or negative, have all read Wang Yangming's books and are influenced by Wang Yangming's mind system to varying degrees. But they took different roads, with different results and different social influences. This became a unique "landscape" in modern China. ?

Wang Yangming's theory of mind is a wonderful work in the history of China civilization and a treasure worthy of our pride. He blew the clarion call for the liberation of human nature and led the trend of ideological emancipation in the late Ming Dynasty. His thoughts have been circulating for a long time, and until modern times, there was still a theory of mind active in the ideological circle.

Extended data

Wang Shouren (1472, 1 0,31-1529,19), Han nationality, was born in Yuyao County, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province (now Yuyao, Ningbo). Scholars call him Mr. Yangming, also known as Wang Yangming, because he once built a room in Yangming Cave in Huiji Mountain. A famous thinker, writer, philosopher and strategist in Ming Dynasty, he was proficient in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, and was a master of Wang Lu's mind.

Formation process

Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism and Buddhism and Taoism

Huang Zongxi pointed out in Volume 10 of Confucianism in the Ming Dynasty: "Mr. (referring to Wang Yangming)' s learning began to flood in ci chapters, and then he read the book of Kao Ting (Zhu) from the beginning, and was sentenced to two turns. He took care of my heart and got nothing, so he went in and out of the Buddha for a long time."

Wang Yangming himself once said: "It is a career move to be benevolent in my early years. I am addicted to the habit of writing poems." Because I know a little about orthodox learning, but I am tired of arguing about various viewpoints, so I can't get in. Because I am looking for the release of the old, I am happy to have a meeting, thinking that the learning of saints is here. However, due to the teachings of Confucius, there are differences between the two, and the measures used in daily life are often clumsy and unrewarding, violating the rules, and believing or doubting. "

As an intellectual in the feudal society of Ming Dynasty, Wang Yangming began to study in order to cope with the imperial examination at that time, which is understandable, because it was the only way for feudal intellectuals to seek fame.

After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, in the field of culture and education, it was the basic policy to respect Confucian classics and learn from Neo-Confucianism in Zhu Cheng. As early as the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of Ming Dynasty, clearly pointed out in the Imperial edict: "To affirm the old chapter of the former king of China, we must have the relationship between father and son, the righteousness of monarch and minister, the difference between husband and wife, the order of age and the trust of friends.

..... In the future, if you commit the teachings of the former king, it will be unforgivable. "This defines moral principles and Confucian classics as a weapon for unifying thoughts and a" Bible collection "for education.

Chen Ding once wrote in Biography of Lin Dong: After Emperor Gao ascended the throne, "research made scholars stop reading the books of Confucius and Mencius and talk about the study of Lian, Luo, Guan and Min." Emperor Cheng was brilliant and held a high position, which made Confucian scholars compile The Complete Book of Human Nature and award it to the world. "

In such a political and academic atmosphere that Confucianism is the only one who respects Zhu Cheng, most intellectuals stick to Zhu Xi's old theory and don't make inventions. "This is what Zhu said, that is what Zhu said", "things are limited" and "nourishing the heart and nature" were popular at that time. Not surprisingly, when he was young, Wang Yangming asked Kao Ting (Zhu) to read his suicide note.

According to Zhu's theory of "learning from others", he sat in the official bamboo garden to "learn from others". Later, due to the failure of bamboo, he broke down from constant overwork. From then on, Wang Yangming changed from believing in Zhu Zhixue to doubting Zhu Zhixue, which became an opportunity for him to become a subjective idealist.

Of course, Wang Yangming also has some dissatisfaction with Buddhism. For example, he said: "A Buddha is a saint; The sage is the Buddha of China. In Bidi, you can use the teachings of the Buddha to guide fools; In China, I will use the way of saints and educate myself with counselors. " (Wang Wencheng Gongquan Book, Volume 9) Wang Yangming was deeply dissatisfied with the academic circles attacking his theory as "Zen" at that time.

The basic form of "mind learning"

As the Ming Dynasty faced a deep social crisis, Wang Yangming deeply felt that Zhu Cheng Neo-Confucianism and Buddhism, which had dominated the ideological circle for two or three hundred years, were not beneficial to the world. Therefore, he began to review, reflect and criticize Neo-Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism education. He said: "The death of my husband today is due to the decline of the scholar's style; The decline of scholars' style is due to academic uncertainty; Academic ambiguity is due to the lack of heroes who advocate it. "

Wang Yangming's criticism and denial of the rigidity and dogmatism of Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism aims at reviving Confucian ethics and making it fall into moral practice. Therefore, he regarded the "honest heart" as a panacea to save the crisis. Wang Yangming advocated starting with "personality", strengthening feudal moral education, arousing people's inner moral conscience, and consciously obeying feudal ruling order and ethics, so as to eliminate the political crisis and ideological crisis in Ming Dynasty.

He once wrote a poem entitled "Sleep Occasionally", saying, "When you hit a small bell on a tall building, you are still sleepy. Even if I wake up at dusk, I don't believe that the world is deaf. "

Wang Yangming is quite confident in his ability to "have a clear conscience". He thinks that his idealistic "mind learning" can awaken the sleeping people. The Preface to the Scholars of the Ming Dynasty once recorded: "All the scholars in the early Ming Dynasty were descendants of Zhuzi's disciples, learning from each other's strong points.

Cao Duan and Hu are loyal to their own actions and the truth of Confucianism, and dare not correct their mistakes. Academic differences began in Chen Xianzhang and Wang Shouren. Zong said that the study of Jiangmen went its own way and spread far. Those who abide by benevolence say that Yao Jiang's learning has no other purpose, which obviously runs counter to Zhu, and his disciples are all over the world. "

This shows that Wang Yangming adapted to the needs of academic development in the Ming Dynasty at that time, abandoned the "materialism" model of Neo-Confucianism, and created a "mind study" trend of thought of subjective and direct reflection in his heart. This paper attempts to update and transform Confucianism on the basis of criticizing Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism.

The Establishment and Dissemination of Yangming Studies

From the age of 34, Wang Yangming taught as a disciple until his death and engaged in educational academic activities for more than 20 years. His academic thoughts and educational thoughts not only have great influence at home, but also spread abroad, and his disciples are all over the country.

After the mid-Ming Dynasty, with Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism losing control of people's hearts, Wang Yangming's thoughts and theories gradually influenced the ideological circle. Wang Yangming transformed feudal ethics into a more systematic and perfect sermon, which is easy to understand, spread and implement. This undoubtedly provided new stimulants and anesthetics for the declining feudal landlord class.

The formation of Yangming school is naturally closely related to Yangming school. The so-called Yangming school is actually a school of thought with Wang Yangming as the master and Yangming as the core. It is a school of ideological education with disciples all over the world, complicated system, great influence and lasting influence for more than a hundred years.

The rise of Yangming school is also closely related to Wang Yangming's personal reputation. As people at that time said, "The prince is a learned scholar and a civil and military man. He is very famous recently, but it is difficult for him to achieve ... the reputation of the prince is not built. " (Ming Confucianism Case, Volume 18)

Wang Yangming's success in politics, military affairs, academics and education is generally recognized by the society, so he became a typical representative of the three immortals expected by the feudal ruling class in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and actually satisfied this desire.

His disciples worshipped and loved the master, gave lectures everywhere, flaunted in the ruling and opposition, and swept the world, which was unprecedented in the Ming Dynasty. It effectively promoted the formation and establishment of Yangming studies, made Yangming studies a generation of studies, and Wang Yangming became a generation of famous teachers, laying a historical position in the academic history and educational history of China.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Yangming Studies