The historical situation and academic approach of the science of conscience in the past five hundred years

Pu Yao Xue Palace

Is the "conscience" of today's people or is it not the "conscience" of the ancients? This question is not a difference in historical dimensions, but a change in existence itself. In fact, conscience will never lose its vitality due to the changes of the times and the change of systems, but on the contrary, it will be stirred up in the circumstances of different times, showing the significance of conscience as the moral bottom line and the root of value of human existence.

Yangmingxue has been accompanied by the consciousness of Chinese cultural subjects, and since the 1990s, the research results have been very rich, and it has increasingly become an important spiritual resource in the process of China's modernization

If the "rich and strong" in the process of modernization is first of all China's hope in terms of artifacts and institutional civilization in modern times, then in terms of social and cultural psychology, "rich and strong" projects people's emotional expectations and behavioral pursuits of "success". It is precisely in such a cultural psychological appeal that some characteristics of Wang Yangming's personal learning have increasingly become the spiritual driving force and the only way for modern people to pursue "success".

The widely popular Yangming studies books on the market can be seen: from the historical merits of "Wang Yangming, the first brother of the Ming Dynasty", to the cultivation secrets of "learning from Wang Yangming to become a very powerful person", and then to the sage achievements of "Wang Yangming in the past five hundred years". Yangming Psychology has become the contemporary Chinese "the best spiritual antidote in impetuous reality" and "a powerful spiritual weapon in harsh environments".

If you read it carefully, you will find that the development of these expositions must take Wang Yangming's "three immortal" causes of meritorious service, morality, and speech as the benchmark for the success of modern people, and put forward convenient methods of "unity of knowledge and action" and "to conscience" on how to achieve a legendary life.

Just imagine, if Wang Yangming were to be reborn and encounter such "modernity" questions, and see himself being named "great thinker, philosopher, educator, military man, writer, and calligrapher", I wonder if there would be an "embarrassment of modernity"?

From the perspective of the modern development of Yangmingxue, the "embarrassment of modernity" is not just an emotional assumption, but a historical situation in the great changes that Yangmingxue has not seen in China for three thousand years. This is not only related to the value orientation of Yangmingxue in different eras and circumstances, but also involves the different academic approaches formed by Yangmingxue to solve problems.

Looking back, "conscience" shows different academic approaches in the historical situation of different periods, and the different choices and different aspects of the academic approach are the correction and correction of the problem of the "conscience" historical situation. Exploring along this dimension is undoubtedly beneficial to our examination of the "past" and "present" of Yangmingxue, and is enough to illustrate the basic problem consciousness of "Wang Yangming in the past five hundred years" and the "embarrassment of modernity" faced by Yangmingxue.

At the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the three-layer correction of Yang Mingxue

Since the death of Yang Ming, Wang Xue has become popular in the world from Longxi and Taizhou.

At the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Yang Mingxue encountered the first "encirclement and suppression", and the reason why Yang Mingxue encountered "encirclement and suppression" at the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties was not unrelated to the abuses of Wang Men Houxue. Huang Zongxi pointed out in the "Case of Yao Jiangxue": "However, the phrase 'to conscience' originated in his later years, and he did not have time to deeply investigate its purpose with scholars, and later his disciples mixed with their opinions, saying that xuan said that it was wonderful, and that it was almost the same as shooting, which was not the original intention of the compound words. ”[1]

It can be seen from this that the different understandings of the meaning of "to the conscience" of the disciples are not only the earliest ideological elaborations of yangmingxin, but also the end of the future generation of Wang Xue's abuses.

The abuses of Yangming Later Learning caused a great shock in the late Ming Dynasty ideological circles, and scholars criticized the abuses of Wang Men houxue and pointed the spearhead directly at Yangming Xinxue itself. There are exposed the inherent ills of Yang Ming's mind, "such as Lu and Wang Zhi who think that they are established in general and cause conscience, and what they do and teach are rampant and arrogant, and they are increasingly utilitarian and deceitful." All the absurdities and harms are known from nothingness. ”[2]

There are those who directly deny the merits of Yang Ming's conscience, believing that "(Yang Ming) is highly talented, accomplishes as he pleases, and is not fully powerful, such as Zhou Gong Confucius, who specializes in learning, who specializes in teaching, and who specializes in ruling." [3] What is more, he believes that Wang Xue has destroyed the country, "with the empty words of clear vision, he practices the practical study of self-governance on his behalf." The humerus is lazy and everything is desolate, the minions are dead and the four kingdoms are in chaos, the divine state is overthrown, and the clan community is ruined. [4] These criticisms also became the mainstream positioning of Yangmingxue in the ming and qing dynasties.

However, it is worth noting that in the criticism of many scholars and masters, two different directions of Zhu Zixue and Yangmingxue have been formed. Among them, the Donglin Party members represented by Gu Xiancheng and Gao Panlong used Zhu Zixue's work to correct the shortcomings of Wang Xuexuan's falsehood, while Liu Zongzhou realized that it was difficult to truly correct deviations only from the implementation of external work, but instead took the main moral practice as the foundation and corrected it from within the psychology.

When the collapse of the Ming Dynasty's monarchy that night was difficult to resist the monarchy from the inner moral spirit, Huang Zongxi inherited the master's learning, and made a profound reflection and sharp criticism of the political system of the Ming Dynasty with the position of mind learning and the principle of being a person, which was Huang Zongxi's further promotion of YangMingxue from the reflection on the political system.

Therefore, at the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the layers of correction by the Donglin School, Liu Zongzhou, and Huang Zongxi also constituted the first turn in the modern Yangming school.

The corruption of late Ming politics and the abuses of Wang Xue became the problems of the times that scholars and doctors had to face at that time, and the Donglin school, represented by Gu Xiancheng and Gao Panlong, under the oppression of political ecology, directly faced the ills of late Ming social politics and ideology in the form of lectures, and launched criticism and correction. Among them, the correction of Wang Xue's abuses is representative to a certain extent.

As we all know, Gu Xiancheng and Gao Panlong followed the development of ZhuZixue in the Ming Dynasty in terms of academic theory, but they also had a clear understanding of the Yangmingxue that was widely spread at that time. As Gu Xiancheng said, "When a scholar is shackled in the middle of the exhortations and suddenly hears the words of conscience, his mind is awake for a moment, and he is like seeing the day in the clouds, is it not very fast." [5] This also means that the Donglin School did not directly and blindly deny Yangmingxue, but recognized its positive significance while pointing out the hypocrisy and madness of Houxue, so the evaluation on this basis is not a simple view of The ZhuWang Portal.

On the one hand, Gu Xiancheng criticized Wang Menhou for learning to speak wisely, and everyone said conscience, but there was no real merit to conscience. On the other hand, it is the speculation of the conscience that will be reversed in the days to come. In Gu Xiancheng's view, the pursuit of ontology is achieved through the practice of kung fu in the lower school, and without kung fu, the ontology will flow into "situation", "opinion", and "discussion". Therefore, paying attention to the acquired kung fu and achieving the unity of the body and the kung fu in kung fu has become the "prescription" prescribed by Gu Xiancheng to Wang Xue's abuses. The specific content and method of this "prescription" is to adhere to Zhu Zixue's poor reasoning and exhaust his sexuality. He wrote in the Donglin Covenant:

Scholars can sincerely read a word and a word, read a sentence and a sentence, the heart and the gods, the body with it, the sun and the moon will follow, it will be high and wide, it will have the spirit to suppress its flying, it will stoop down, and it will not be lascivious. [6]

Obviously, Gu Xiancheng's advocacy of poor study and poor reasoning was aimed at the abuses of wang men's post-learning, and its root was to learn in a way that was knowledgeable. This also means that Gu Xiancheng reflected on the problem of Yang Mingxue based on zhu zixue's position, that is, to correct the "sincerity" of Yangmingxue with zhu zixue's "lattice" zhizhi.

In a narrow sense, the so-called "qualities" and "sincerity" are actually the "zhizhi" of two different approaches, the former representing Zhu Zixue's theory of material poverty, and the latter representing the correct sincerity of Yang Mingxue.

Although the two "zhizhi" have the same direction, or are intelligent and sophisticated, or the conscience of my heart, the difference in the way of "zhizhi" leads to the difference in the final realization result. Therefore, we can say that the difference between zhu zixue and Yang mingxue lies in the different approaches of "grid" and "sincerity". Gu Xiancheng's correction seems to be to fall into the ontology and achieve ontological kung fu, but in fact, it still faces the gap between two kinds of "zhizhi", and its correction is only an external clamping and supplementation.

This problem was further solved by Gao Panlong, who was also a Daoist friend of Donglin. Regarding Gao Panlong's theory of lattice objects, Huang Zongxi once outlined:

The study of Mr. Gao Panlong, a book of Cheng and Zhu, but Cheng and Zhu Zhige, with the heart as the Lord, the reason is scattered in all things, the heart is poor, and it must go hand in hand. Mr. said, "Only those who know how to seek all the bodies are true to the qualities." It is quite similar to What Yang Zhongzhong said, "Reflexive and sincere, then everything under the world is in me." It is different from cheng and Zhu's purpose. [7]

It can be seen that although Gao Panlong was originally based on Cheng Zhu's lattice, he did not unfold in the way that Cheng Zhu was the exhaustion of things, but instead reached the lattice by "seeking all the bodies". On this basis, Gao Panlong pointed out that "my generation's personality is the most virtuous; the good is the sect, not the knowledge is the sect." [8] When the grid takes "seeking the body against the body" as the basic approach, and the goodness as the ultimate pursuit, it is not a simple extroverted intellectual activity, but a moral activity of "taking the good as the sect".

From this point of view, Gao Panlong's study of lattice objects, on the one hand, corrects Wang Xue with Cheng Zhu's lattice poor theory due to excessive emphasis on inner spirituality and lacks the norms of extroverted poverty; on the other hand, with Yang Ming's sincerity to know the correction of "taking knowledge as the sect" and thus turning to "taking goodness as the sect". In the process of two-way correction between Zhu Zixue and Yang Mingxue, the correction of Wang Xue's abuses was realized to the greatest extent.

Gu Xiancheng and Gao Panlong, as representatives of the Donglin School, corrected deviations with zhu zixue's practical kung fu in response to the "xuanfu" and "rampant madness" of YangMinghou learning, which showed the efforts of Zhu Wang of the Ming Dynasty to correct their biases. For Wang Xueliu at that time, this undoubtedly had the effect of reversing the direction.

However, the reversal of direction does not mean the resolution of the inherent contradiction between Zhu Zixue and Yang Mingxue, from Gu Xiancheng's correction of Zhu Zi's acquired kung fu to Gao Panlong's two-way correction in the mutual rescue of Zhu Wang, all of which are facing the tension of this contradiction. Liu Zongzhou realized that it was difficult to truly solve the problem of Wang Xue's abuses only in terms of mutual salvation and complementarity of King Zhu, so he traced back and believed that the root cause of Wang Xue's abuses lay in conscience itself, so he reflected on and corrected Yang Mingxue from within the heart.

As a figure in the ming Dynasty's psychology, liu Zongzhou's ideological positioning of psychology is beyond doubt, but the formation of his mental interest does not come from the theoretical "portal view" of Cheng Zhu Lixue and Yang Mingxin, but from his life experience and academic personality. Liu Zongzhou's practical and self-sufficient achievements in the specific life encounters are revealed layer by layer, and all of them belong to the cultivation of the mind. For this point, his son Liu Fen explained:

Sir from the Lord's respect, respect without inside and outside, no movement, so from the quiet existence to the movement of the observation of things and do not dare to ignore, that is, to find the lord of the independence, said that in this respect is all disrespectful, in this wanton is all wanton, and the introspection in the mind is its back ear. Therefore, the middle-aged special prudent and independent work, as if a thought had not yet begun, there is no distraction, no inclusion, no falsehood. Caution is respectful, respect is sincerity, work step by step, and succeed layer by layer. [9]

It can be seen that Liu Zongzhou worked hard in his heart, and his work was advanced layer by layer, from the lord of tranquility to the prudence of no distractions. The formation of the path of mental learning is not only the establishment of its academic root system, but also a major supplement to Yangmingxue.

Judging from Liu Zongzhou's criticism of Yang Mingxue, his thesis is mainly cut by the debate of Zhu and Wang's "University", reflecting on conscience itself: "The theory of 'conscience' is not enough to be hidden, that is, the theory of hearing and obscuring is also due to illness. However, in its interpretation of "University", not only is it far-fetched, but it is not explored at all, and only teaches people to use a 'for good to remove evil' force when they remember and die, and it is not the end of the end. ”[10]

Liu Zongzhou criticized Yang Ming for not breaking the "zhizhi" level in "University", which means that although Yang Ming's main "sincerity" is the way of the university, the sincere meaning is sent by the heart, and it is only manifested as the rise and fall of the mind in the popularity of use. With the rise and fall of such thoughts, it is easy for no one to dominate one's conscience in "removing evil for good" and even "confessing a thief as a father." This will produce the disadvantage of "ready-made conscience" after Yang Ming. Liu Zongzhou put forward the theory of "meaning root" to make up for Yang Ming's loss of "recognizing meaning as thought":

The teaching of "University" is as long as people know the book. The foundation of the country under the heavens is in the body, the foundation of the body is in the heart, and the heart is concerned. The one who intends, the best stops, and the work begins with the character... The person who is virtuous, the merit of sincerity, the kung fu knotted in the idea, the real kung fu, if it is one step away from the root of the intention, it is even more untalented. [11]

The "intention" of the "root of intention" is the innate metaphysical essence that exists in the heart of the shangyan in terms of the use of the heart for the heart, that is, the "existence of the heart" in the body, not the "heart of the heart" in the use of the shangyan. "The existence of the heart" can only be used in the popular "heart of the lord" of the real kung fu. The "intention" in this sense is not only the owner of the root, but also the use and implementation of the innate metaphysical ontology, so that the real "knowing good and knowing the evil" can truly "remove the evil for the good" in moral practice.

It is worth noting that although Liu Zongzhou promotes the role of "intention" as the master of ontology from the perspective of "the existence of intention", this does not mean that his so-called "intention" is an abstract ontological existence, but rather a kind of "that is, seeking nature in all forms", that is, the metaphysical pursuit is completely implemented in the concrete practice under the form. And the layered advancement of this form of work will eventually inevitably be directed from "intentional body" to "cautious independence": "The ancients learned cautiously and independently, and solidly sought to the root of intention, but their work must be used in practice and seen in deeds." ”[12]

The so-called "prudence and independence" means that it is necessary to implement it as a specific work, and it is also necessary to care about the existence of the heart on the root, because only in the existence of the root of the heart can we truly stand up and dominate the real world where the heart has developed. In this sense, "prudence and independence" has also become the foundation for correcting the metaphysical speculation and ready-made conscience of Wang Xue's fraud, so as to truly return to the real existence and daily use of human beings. This is not only a correction of the abuses of Yangmingxue, but also a major breakthrough and promotion of Yangmingxue.

Liu Zongzhou's revision of Yang Mingxue is mainly manifested in the deep internalization of the mind and the further consolidation of the conscience of the "Heavenly Plant Spiritual Root", and this direction lies in returning the conscience from the "situation" and "effect" to the real real life, which means that Liu Zongzhou is to consolidate the bottom line of conscience with the spirit of being a subject. However, after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Huang Zongxi inherited the master's learning, and had to face the dilemma of Wang Xue brought about by the collapse of the late Ming regime and the establishment of the new regime. Reflection in this sense is not only the condensation of the spirit of being a human being in real life, but also the breakthrough and counterattack of the subjective virtue on the monarchical autocratic system.

The collapse of the Ming Dynasty pushed Yang Mingxue to the cusp of the storm, and scholars and doctors aimed their spearheads at Yang Ming and his descendants, pointing directly at Wang Xue's misguided country and subjugation of the country. Among the criticisms, Gu Yanwu's study of the classics and Yan Yuan's practical studies are the most representative. [13] As a descendant of xinxue, Huang Zongxi's attitude toward Yangmingxue had to be influenced by two aspects: on the one hand, Liu Zongzhou's ideological legacy in the genealogy of Xinxue thought, and on the other hand, the collapse of the Ming dynasty regime and the establishment of the Manchu qing regime.

If inheriting Liu Zongzhou's ideological legacy is the foundation for solidifying his inner spiritual life, then the change of regime becomes a direct force that stimulates him to reflect on Yang Mingxue.

Under the influence of Liu Zongzhou's return to real life and his emphasis on the practice of the day after tomorrow, Huang Zongxi scrupulously abided by the specific implementation of virtue, and tried to deepen the study of the mind and correct the shortcomings of Wang Xue with the condensation of the individual spirit of being a person. However, the collapse of the Ming Dynasty has not allowed Huang Zongxi, like Liu Zongzhou, to face the dilemma of the times of Yang Mingxue with an individual spirit of being a human being. Because the overthrow of the Ming Dynasty for Huang Zongxi, who was a descendant of the Heart Study, was not only a lament for the absence of his homeland, but also a tribute to the spiritual life of his heart and study.

If it can be said that the donglin school and Liu Zongzhou's criticism of Wang Xue's abuses can also be a kind of academic correction based on actual abuses, then Huang Zongxi has to reflect on the regime change and social changes in the Ming and Qing dynasties with his own life. This also forced Huang Zongxi to move from the moral practice of the subject to a fundamental reflection on the authoritarian and centralized system of the Ming Dynasty. In the "Ming Yi To Be Visited", Huang Zongxi said bluntly: "The greatest harm in the world, the king is just enough." [14] From the criticism of the realpolitik of the Ming Dynasty to the reflection on the absolutist centralization of power in China for thousands of years, Huang Zongxi pointed directly at the political monarch, arguing that the kings after three generations deviated from the moral politics of "rule of three generations" and moved toward the privatization of power:

Those who are later kings do not think that the rights of the world's interests and harms are all from me, and I give them all the benefits of the world to myself, and I return all the harms of the world to others. Let the people of the world not dare to be selfish, dare not be selfish, and take my great selfishness as the great duke of the world. [15]

These reflections are not just a kind of doctrinal logical refutation, but have their deep and real foundation in life. Huang Zongxi was in the transition era of "the world collapsed and the earth was broken", and after a thousand years of chaos in the monarchy, he encountered a series of encounters such as his father Huang Zunsu being victimized by the castration party, his teacher Liu Zongzhou hunger strike for Ming, and his own army against the Qing and falling into the Grass Siming Mountains. These life encounters made Huang Zongxi always stick to the foundation of the moral practice of the study of the heart, and in this way launched a counterattack against China's thousand-year-old authoritarian centralization.

Therefore, in the "Records of Ming Yi to Be Visited", Huang Zongxi's direct exposure of the root cause of the banal and centralized power is no longer like Dong Zhongshu's attempt to put a cage on the fierce horse of the great unification of the monarchy in the form of "heaven and man induction" and "disaster accusation"; nor is it like Cheng Zhu who hopes to get the king's way in the way of "poor reason" and "righteousness", but towards the reflection and criticism of the system itself, which is undoubtedly the undeveloped of Confucianism for a thousand years.

If huang Zongxi's break with the autocratic monarchy is not empty, if it is said that in the increasingly severe situation of the absolutist centralization and political ecology of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Yangming was desperate to "get the king's way", and turned to the monarch and politics, killing a blood road of "juemin walking road" [16].

Then, although Yang Ming was disappointed with the imperial court and the monarch, he did not really realize the root cause of the rise and fall of chaos. It was not until Huang Zongxi, who was in the midst of the change of political power and the spirit of the main virtue based on the study of the mind, that he issued a complete rupture voice of "the great harm in the world, the king is enough".

Therefore, from Wang Yangming's implementation of individual moral rationality to the Juemin Road, to Huang Zongxi's counterattack on the authoritarian centralization with the fullness of the moral spirit of the subject, such a trend is undoubtedly the biggest correction and promotion of YangMingxue, and it has also become the biggest echo of Yangmingxue in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The discursive transformation and paradigm establishment of modern Yangmingxue

At the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the correction and correction of Yang Mingxue continued until the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, when all the disciples in the world denigrated Yangmingxue, but there were still people like Sun Xiafeng, Li Erqu and others who vigorously advocated correcting it. With the strong pressure of the Manchu Qing regime on Taoism, after the Qian and Jia dynasties, Sinology became popular, and Wang Xue's power declined. However, the appeal of saving the survival of the late Qing Dynasty once again brought a turning point for Yang Mingxue.

The Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese Naval Battle directly stimulated the nerves of the Chinese people, and the awakening of the Yangming spirit played an important role in the Meiji Restoration in modern Japan, so that the Chinese people urgently felt that the practical character of the main body of Yangming studies was a good medicine in the salvation of the survival.

Therefore, the first to sound the clarion call for the revival of Yangmingxue must be the reformists of the late Qing Dynasty. Kang Youwei said bluntly: "Scholars of the heart of speech will be able to do things, and Yang Ming generation is also." The only person who can use soldiers is Yang Ming. [17] The strong character of meritorious practice became the main content of the revival of Yang Mingxue in the late Qing Dynasty, and this character was also admired by the conservatives who protected the country and the emperor: "The famous scholars of the past, such as Hu Yan of song, Shouren of the Ming Dynasty, Tang Bin of the State Dynasty, Zeng Guofan, etc., were able to practice and practice the deeds of the people, and it was enough to serve the future generations." ”[18]

It can be seen that both the reformists and the conservatives have seen the significance of the main practical character of Yangming studies to save the survival of the people, which is very different from the theory of "emptiness" and "misleading the country" in the late Ming Dynasty.

This demand of modern scholars and doctors for Yang Mingxue has continued into the political and academic disputes in the early years of the Republic of China, whether it is the revolutionaries represented by Sun Yat-sen and Song Jiaoren, or the scholars represented by Zhang Taiyan and Chen Tianhua, they regard Yangmingxue as a spiritual resource to break the shackles, so that Yangmingxue has been branded as a "revolution". As Mr. Chen Lisheng summed up:

"Yangmingxue entered the vision of modern people, first of all, in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, the restoration and revolution of the storm, Yangmingxue as a symbol, a symbol was re-launched in modern China, deeply marked with nationalism, patriotism, party-stateism, martialism and militaristic democracy." [19]

The influence of Yang Mingxue in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty was more reflected in politicians, social activists, and scholars who cared for the world. In addition, there is also the YangMingxue that deepens academic thought, and this deepening is concentrated in the "philosophicalization" of the stirring of ancient and modern Chinese and Western issues.

If the revolutionary spirit of Yangmingxue is a kind of "flesh and blood responsibility" of "not scratching the skin, not running away, thinking of being frustrated by people in the slightest", then the deepening of the philosophy of Yangmingxue is a kind of "righteous responsibility" of "shrinking on its own, although there are tens of millions of people, I am going to die". From "flesh and blood" to "righteousness", it marks the first discourse transformation of Yangmingxue in the modern context.

The emergence of Yangmingxue as an object of academic research is inseparable from the background of the changes in Confucianism in the modern century. On the one hand, the drastic changes in modern Confucianism come from the changes of ancient and modern times, that is, where Confucianism is going in the transition from ancient Chinese traditional society to modern society.

The intensification of this problem comes from another aspect, the dispute between China and the West, that is, where the mode of existence and interpretation of Confucianism should go in the West and the East. The problems of ancient and modern times and between China and the West have become the coordinates of the two systems of discourse that generate the modern context of Yangmingxue, which determines the transformation and paradigm establishment of Yangmingxue.

Therefore, the academic works of Yang Mingxue in this period all show the two-way entanglement of the changes of ancient and modern times and the dispute between China and the West. As a generation of scholars in the midst of traditional and modern social changes, under the agitation of ancient and modern Chinese and Western issues, we have to reflect on the dilemma of ancient and modern changes. This first formed a historical perspective on yangmingology and the changes in Confucianism from the historical perspective of the changes of ancient and modern times, represented by Mr. Qian Mu. As a researcher of ancient Chinese history, thought and culture are the main directions of Mr. Qian Mu's history.

If the direction of thought and culture is where he has been concerned about cultural traditions all his life, then the laying out of history is the specific method and approach to his stretching care. Mr. Qian Mu clearly advocated the interpretation of traditional Confucianism and the interpretation of Confucian tradition from a historical perspective, saying: "What is Chinese culture? To answer this question, we must use not only a philosophical eye, but also a historical perspective. [20] "Seeking a deep understanding of the Chinese national spirit and its cultural traditions, chinese historiography cannot be understood." If there is no such thing as religion, philosophy, literature, science, etc., there is no comparison, compared. ”[21

It can be seen that Mr. Qian Mu's affirmation of historical vision is compared with the philosophical vision of the time, and he believes that the understanding of traditional culture is first of all a historical perspective of ancient and modern changes, rather than a philosophical interpretation that breaks the historical tradition. Therefore, it is advocated that the grasp of the cultural spirit should return to history, present and activate the vitality of culture in history. This also determines that his understanding of Yangmingxue on the one hand moves from negating philosophical abstract interpretation to the reproduction of historical traditions; on the other hand, from the presentation of historical academic traditions, he advocates the use of mind to solve the mind. In the preface to the Compendium of Yangming Studies, it is preached:

The most taboo thing about reasoning is to manipulate a few literals of sexual theory and do the work of exhortation and organization, but it is completely impossible to find the spirit of others. ...... In particular, when talking about Wang Xue, the above tricks are even more incomprehensible. [22]

It can be seen that on the way to grasping the basic approach of Yangmingxue, Mr. Qian Mu has carried out a "double dispatch" of the Western philosophical vision and the Qing Confucian method of exegesis, compressing the dispute between China and the West into a historical problem of changes in ancient and modern times, and presenting the vitality of Yangmingxue in a historical experience and a specific way. If we look at it from the historical perspective of the changes in ancient and modern times, Mr. Qian Mu's method has a tendency to return from Qingxue to Songxue, which is undoubtedly a response to the problem of academic trends after the decline of Qingxue.

In the turmoil of the ancient and modern Chinese and Western issues, Mr. Qian Mu tried to solve the problem of the dispute between China and the West from the historical perspective of ancient and modern times. However, under the impact of Western studies, modern Neo-Confucians represented by Mou Zongsan, Tang Junyi, and Xu Fuguan realized that the continuation of cultural traditions could not only carry out specific and micro-historical research in the form of returning to historical scenes. Because the transparency of the Chinese cultural spirit is based on transcending specific social and historical conditions, pointing to the metaphysical value ideal, and using this transcendent value dimension to enhance the Chinese cultural spirit. This is difficult to obtain in the way of historical truth-seeking.

Therefore, the transcendence and promotion of modern Neo-Confucianism is to mean how to start cultural traditions in the era of modern transformation of Confucianism, and to innovate and continue to be wise in the profit and loss of cultural values. This has also formed a basic approach to solving ancient and modern problems from the philosophical perspective of the dispute between China and the West, and the exploration of Mr. Mou Zongsan is the most representative among the Neo-Confucian groups.

Mr. Mou Zongsan's choice of "philosophical perspective" is not based on the intellectual goodwill of Western learning, but in the century-old upheaval of Confucianism, he sees the lack of objectivity and transcendence in traditional culture. However, its absorption of Western studies is based on the basis of national culture and respect for the Confucian tradition of chengde. Therefore, in the analysis of Wang Yangming's phrase "to conscience" from the perspective and method of attaching equal importance to objective understanding and life cultivation, Mr. Mou said:

Conscience is clear, and knowing is right and wrong. Conscience is a starting point. There is no beginning outside of conscience. This refers directly to the jade chain and is a solutionable trick also. Since conscience is a starting point, it is not waiting for 'repetition' but for 'giving'. To the one who is also, to the charge, to the push, and to the pass, 'compound' is to cause the future, or from the top. Non-conscience is hidden and waiting to be restored. If it is all hidden and waiting to be restored, where is the opportunity to recover? Yes, conscience cannot be a starting point. If the opportunity to recover is to be aware, then consciousness is conscience. If it is the opportunity of restoration, that is, the conscience itself, then the conscience cannot be completely hidden. It is said in the epithet, but it belongs to the latter. [23]

It is not difficult to see that Mr. Mou's grasp of "to conscience" is unfolded in the form of decomposition of theoretical speculation, from the self-nature of the upright conscience to the layers of logic, and in the process of stripping, it not only points out the turning of thought and the easy to slip, but also deepens the ontological meaning of conscience in an abstract way.

Interpretation in this sense undoubtedly leads to theoretical deduction that focuses on ontological analysis, and thus the ultimate will lead to the following conclusion: "In the religion of conscience, on the one hand, the original principle of induction is restored and the principle of existence is thoroughly covered; on the other hand, the difference between the several inductive objects is made into objects." This is the counselor of the behavioral universe, one side reveals the essence of the universe, and the other side unifies the knowledge. [24] In the theoretical deduction of ontology, the attainment of the ontology of conscience is included in the question of how metaphysics is possible, thus highlighting the theoretical significance of "to conscience".

However, the theoretical deduction that pays attention to ontology does not mean blindly theoretical speculation, but emphasizes that on the basis of recognizing the connotation of life, it does not deviate from the practical skills of YangMingxue. Only by unifying and integrating objective understanding of the cultivation of this virtuous life can we truly realize the translucency of the true spirit of Yang Ming and give it a new significance of the times.

Mr. Mou's philosophical perspective on the interpretation of Yangmingxue has enabled the development of modern Yangmingxue to complete the dual transformation of discourse transformation and paradigm establishment, which is not only the transformation of philosophical discourse from the "historical perspective" to the "philosophical perspective", but also the establishment of the modern philosophical interpretation paradigm by the construction of philosophical discourse. This has a turning significance for the study of modern Yangming.

Although Mr. Mou Zongsan's interpretation of "philosophical perspective" has a strong metaphysical speculative meaning of Western learning, its intention is to restore the practical wisdom of the ancient meaning of philosophy and open up the road of development of Chinese philosophy itself. However, Mr. Mou's speculation, abstraction, and conceptualization in ontological analysis have also been criticized and reflected by people, and Mr. Xu Fuguan, who is also a representative figure of modern Neo-Confucianism, has reflected on this.

If we look at the achievements of modern Neo-Confucianism, Xiong Shili's "New Theory of Knowledge", Mou Zongsan's "Mind Body and Sexual Body", and Tang Junyi's "Life Existence and Spiritual Realm" are all diligent in the ontological construction of moral metaphysics. Xu Fuguan, on the other hand, departed from the construction of ontological metaphysics and followed the path of intellectual history into "The History of Chinese: Pre-Qin Chapters".

Mr. Xu Fuguan's analysis of abstract concepts has led to deep anxiety about detachment from reality, which undoubtedly allows Confucianism to move from the existence of an indoctrination form to the existence of knowledge forms, becoming an "empty word" that appeals to concepts. Although Mr. Xu Fuguan's reflection on the "philosophical perspective" involves the problem of the methodology of the history of Chinese philosophy, it does not interpret Yangmingxue through this approach.

If we look at the study of Yangming studies overseas, we will find that the Japanese scholar Mr. Takehiko Okada responded to Yangmingxue in this way, which can be regarded as a correction to the "philosophical perspective" in the study of Yangming in the 20th century.

Mr. Takehiko Okada's research on Yangmingxue, from the academic judgment of "Wang Yangming and Confucianism in the Late Ming Dynasty" to the biographical recognition of "Wang Yangming's Great Biography: The Wisdom of Mind in the Unity of Knowledge and Action", undoubtedly comes from the self-consciousness of his research methods. In his later years, Mr. Takehiko Okada devoted himself to the great works of YangmingXue, but did not exert efforts on the theoretical construction and elaboration of Yangmingxue, but chose to reproduce the life and ideological transformation of Yangming in the form of biographical style.

The unfolding of the biographical body is based on the way of experience to pursue the thoughts and concerns of Yang Ming and restore the authenticity of Yang Ming. Mr. Okada tries to show the spiritual world of YangMing by recognizing Yangming's experience, and the doctrines he understands on this basis seem to be real and penetrating. In the preface to The Great Biography of Wang Yangming: The Wisdom of Mind in the Unity of Knowledge and Action, he says:

If those of us who study Eastern philosophical thought do not understand the careers of the philosophers and experience their experiences, then we will not be able to deeply understand the characteristics of Eastern philosophical thought that distinguish it from Western philosophical thought, and the scholarship we have done will not be able to become "living learning." [25]

The so-called "living learning" here involves both the question of what kind of approach to understand Yangmingxue and what is the true spirit of Yangmingxue. When trying to enter Yangmingxue in the form of intrinsic cognition, Yangmingxue presents not only a set of theories or knowledge, but a kind of physical and mental practice that is really self-contained. This is undoubtedly the initiation of the true spirit of Yang Mingxue.

On this basis, Mr. Okada has always positioned Yangmingxue as a practical science of "the unity of knowledge and action", saying: "Yangmingxue is considered a philosophy of action, which is actually related to Wang Yangming's original theory of 'unity of knowledge and action'. The centrality of the 'unity of knowledge and action' is 'action', not 'knowing', which is a practicalist idea. [26] The grasp of the practical character of Yangmingxue is precisely the accurate interpretation of Yangming's "study of body and mind" by his approach to cognition. In his later years, Yang Ming pointed out the roots of his learning in his fierce debate with Luo Qinshun:

There are two scholars of the world: those who speak with their bodies and minds, and those who speak with their mouths and ears. Speak with the mouth and ears, speculate on the degree, and seek the influence of the person; speak with the body and mind, in the form of habit, and those who have all their own self, know this, know the learning of The Gate of Confucius. ”[27]

The study of body and mind, inside and outside, is also directed, so that Yang Mingxue always does not depart from the moral practice dimension of "practicing and observing, and having all oneself".

In this sense, Yangmingxue is also a kind of subject's moral practice. Therefore, initiating the true spirit of Yangmingxue in the way of inner recognition is not only a true grasp of the theory of Yangmingxue, but also the transformation of the Yangming spirit into a self-spirit.

"True and False Conscience" in the Modern Context

Different historical circumstances make people claim conscience differently, and the generation of modern contexts is composed of intertwined problems of ancient and modern, Chinese and Western, and "conscience" in this dimension is facing a certain degree of implementation dilemma, that is, in the transition of traditional and modern transformation, when people objectify "conscience" and interpret it as close to themselves, different forms of conscience will be produced.

For scholars, conscience is a conceptual proposition or theoretical form; for ordinary people, conscience can be either a sour and outdated "moral code" or a successful method of "having a relationship with me". And under the modern perspective of "a thousand readers, there are a thousand Hamlets", is the "conscience" of today's people still not the "conscience" of the ancients? This question is not a difference in historical dimensions, but a change in existence itself. For this involves both the absolute value of conscience itself and the important question of how to claim its authenticity from the perspective of modernity.

Therefore, the seemingly meaningless questioning contains the veil of the original face of conscience. The "conscience" of today's people can be the "calculation of interests" that the elderly can help or not help after they fall; they can be the "natural frankness" after naked robbery; and they can be the "spiritual tranquility" in the impetuous reality and harsh environment. The "presentation" of such consciences is just as Yang Ming cried out:

The study of conscience in the hereafter is unknown, and the people of the world use their private wisdom to compare it with each other, because each person has his own heart, and the remote and ugly view, the cunning and evil technique, as for the invincible. In the name of false benevolence and righteousness on the outside, on the inside it is to practice its selfishness and selfishness, to use deceitful words as vulgarity, and to correct it as a good name; to cover up the goodness of others and attack it as its own strength, to deceive others' selfishness and steal it as its own righteousness; to be angry with each other and to be righteous, and to be dangerous to fall in love with each other; to be jealous of the virtuous and to think that it is righteous and righteous, and to indulge in lust and to think that it is the same as good and evil. [28]

In the modern context, such an era of "success" is different from the ancient pursuit of "adult", coupled with the pluralism of values and the ambiguity of morality, so that "conscience" becomes the object of "impersonation", that is, everyone can speak of conscience, but everyone does not believe in their conscience, and what they say and do is only "admitting to reason" and "confessing to thieves". "Conscience" has become difficult to distinguish between true and false in the modern context, which has become the dilemma of the existence of "conscience". The performance of "true and false conscience" in contemporary times is roughly as follows:

3.1 Knowledge of conscience

Confucianism has had its own knowledge system since its inception, "As far as the function of traditional Confucianism as a knowledge system is concerned, it not only contains a complete set of world views, but also includes institutional thinking on arranging social order and political order." [29] In the interpretation of modern epistemology, conscience gradually degenerates into an intellectual existence, gradually becoming an academic theory and a socialized moral code from a physical and mental reality, showing a rupture at the value level.

It has been shown as early as when Mr. Xiong Shili and Mr. Feng Youlan debated whether conscience is "assumed or presented". The so-called "hypothesis" is the theoretical deduction and presupposition at the level of empirical knowledge, and conscience is only an intuitive knowledge at this level, and it is not possible to present itself. Conscience thus becomes an external ethical norm without concrete facts about life.

Further, intellectualization makes conscience an old, outdated moral entry in people's minds, and people live in a state where conscience is inherently owned by everyone, and conscience is considered to be inhuman but only an external moral norm. And when everyone talks about morality and conscience, it is also like Mencius said, "He who leads the world and brings misfortune to the righteous." True "conscience" must be true and innocent to man. Its "truth" is not the "truth" of objective things in the epistemological sense, but the true possession of what it is.

Whether it is the immediate intuition of "seeing a widow entering the well" at first sight, or the inner self of "seeking benevolence and benevolence", it is all in the emotions and will of life and is intrinsic to man. This is also why Yang Ming firmly said at the end of the "Theory of the Origin of The Baben Sai": "Fortunately, the heavenly reason is in the human heart, and it is inevitable that there will be something in the end, and the wisdom of conscience will last forever." [30] That is, when conscience becomes an intellectual being, it only indicates a kind of intellectual possession of the subject, and whether or not one truly identifies with conscience is another matter, and its identification may be determined by interests.

3.2 Chicken soup of conscience

The meaning of "chicken soup" is undoubtedly the effect of conscience on modern people as a "spiritual tonic". Modern people believe that "knowledge is power", or "knowledge serves power", and mostly look at knowledge and morality in an instrumental rational way, so that the understanding of "conscience" has moved towards the modern pursuit of utilitarianism and has become a force and tool for the pursuit of "success".

Therefore, under the shadow of utilitarianism in the rush to "succeed", the study of the mind has become a spiritual cultivation science that is spoken of in the mouth, and it is the secret book of "if you want to achieve great things, you must read Wang Yangming"; it is "the best spiritual antidote in impetuous reality"; and it is also a "powerful spiritual weapon in a harsh environment". The study of the mind has become an omnipotent and omnipotent "success study" and "chicken soup for the soul".

But as everyone knows, chicken soup makes conscience become "the scenery in the light" and "the waves in the sea", although the "scenery" is beautiful, the "waves" are cute but inseparable from the refraction of light and the churning of the sea, if you are intoxicated with the "scenery in the light" and "the waves in the sea", the heart kung fu will become a kind of "show" and "performance".

As Yang Ming said when he pulled out "conscience":

"A certain conscience is derived from the difficulties of death, and he has no choice but to talk to people, only to fear that the scholar will get it easily, to play with it as a situation, to work hard without really, and to bear this knowledge." [31]

We can say that the study of the mind does have its own merits, but instead of saying that the study of the mind can fight wars and break the thieves in the mountains, it is better to say that the study of the heart is constantly consolidating the bottom line of life and breaking the thief in the heart. Because the consolidation of the bottom line of life is the erection of the spirit of being the main body. When Zhu Chenhao first rebelled, Yang Ming and his disciples had a discussion with those who were familiar with each other, and the disciple asked, "He Conghao, looking forward to worshiping the seal, can he do anything about it?" The gentleman was silent for a long time: "The world is against everything, and my generation should do so." [32] The true conscience is the personality of a big husband who is unmoved.

Mind science does have the effect of "spiritual antidote", but rather than saying that mind science can make you escape from impetuous reality and return to peace of mind, it is better to say that mind science lets you know right from wrong and have a master in your heart.

"Therefore the ancients were able to see the good as if they were out of their own, and to see the evil was tantamount to their own entry, and to regard the hunger of the people as their own hunger, and those who did not receive the hunger of the people and took it into the ditches, instead of believing in themselves for no reason, they believed in themselves in the world, so that their conscience would seek self-pity." [33]

The true conscience is to regard man as himself, and to have his righteous responsibility of "when he is born, he is born, and when he dies, he dies."

3.3 Authority of conscience

In the modern context, the prominence of the will to power offers the possibility of the authoritarianization of conscience. Nietzsche reveals the immorality in the human moral spectrum from the perspective of the will to power, arguing that the will to power is a praise of inner life in "master morality" and "slave morality" is the strangulation of one's own life. Nietzsche's division of "master-slave morality" and his admiration for the "will to power," although intended to emphasize the life dynamics of the will to power, involve the issue of true conscience and authoritative conscience.

In this respect, the master, under the prominence of the will to power, becomes the determinant of values, and whatever is harmful to him is inherently evil; whatever is beneficial to him is itself good, and the conscience at this time becomes the highest authority of value. The norm of authority for the life of the individual lies not in the field of ethics, but in whether or not to obey authority. In such a moral code, conscience loses its original individual validity and becomes a "noble value" of "small love and small profit" at the expense of the individual "for the benefit of mankind".

Such an "authoritative conscience" is undoubtedly an immoral wrapping of the "true conscience", and the "true conscience" must be based on the inner feelings of each individual's life, even the love of the saints, but also the sense of understanding and respect for the individual life:

"The heart of a saint is one with heaven and earth and all things, and he regards all the people under the heavens as one, and he regards all people under the heavens as neither outside nor near, and all who have flesh and blood are the relatives of his brothers and sons, and they do not want to be safe and cultivate them, so as to fulfill their idea of the Unity of All Things." [34]

It is precisely based on the understanding and respect for the life of the individual that true conscience will never cooperate with the authoritarian secular will of rights, but instead break through authoritarianism with the spirit of being a subject.

As Yang Ming said in his fierce debate with Luo Qinshun:

"The husband learns to win the heart. Although it comes from Confucius, I dare not think that it is also true, and even if it is not out of Confucius! Although its words are out of mediocrity, I dare not think that it is not true, but it is from Confucius! ”[35]

There is no doubt that "not taking Confucius's right and wrong as right and wrong" is based on the moral spirit of the subject that stands up based on the bottom line of life, so as to break through the "false void" of authoritarianism, which can be said to be a true spirit of conscience.

epilogue

From the three-layer correction of Yangmingxue in the Ming and Qing dynasties to the discourse transformation of modern Yangmingxue, the reflection on the problem of "Wang Yangming in the past five hundred years" points to a more core question - "how to guard conscience"? But as Yang Ming said, "Conscience is in the hearts of the people, and there is no difference between the holy and the foolish, and the world is the same as the ancient and the modern." [36] The "conscience" of knowing right from wrong is now implemented in the hearts of every fool and fool, and in every heart there is Zhongni, that is, conscience is inherent in everyone and unchanged.

Therefore, conscience will never lose its vitality due to changes in the times and changes in systems, but on the contrary, it will stir up in the circumstances of different eras, showing the significance of conscience as the moral bottom line and the root of value of human existence. This is not only the true spirit of conscience for eternity, but also the only way for modern people to claim the value of Yangming Xinxue.

exegesis:

[1] Huang Zongxi, The Case of Yao Jiangxue, The Case of Ming Confucianism, Beijing: Zhonghua Bookstore, 1985 edition, p. 178.

[2] Lü Liuliang, "Lecture Notes on the Four Books of Mr. Lü Wancun", "Continuation of the Four Libraries", vol. 156, Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2002 edition, pp. 374-375.

[3] Yan Yuan: "Cunxue Edition", Yan Yuanji, Beijing: Zhonghua Bookstore, 1987 edition, p. 45.

[4] Gu Yanwu: Collected Interpretations of Rizhilu, Changsha: Yuelu Book Society, 1994 edition, p. 240.

[5] Gu Xiancheng: Records of Careful Zhaizhai, vol. 3, Gu Duanwen Gong Testament, vol. 1, Qing Guangxu Three-Year Re-engraving, p. 5.

[6] Gu Xiancheng: The Covenant of the Eastern Forest, Gu Duanwen's Testament, vol. 5, p. 10.

[7] Huang Zongxi, "Zhongxian Gao Jingyi, Mr. Panlong", Ming Confucianism Case, p. 1402.

[8] Gao Panlong: "Reply to Wang Yihuan Ershou", Gaozi Testament, vol. VIII, Qing Wenyuange Siku Quanshu, p. 68.

[9] Liu Fen, "The Chronology of Liu Zi in The Mountains of Liu", The Complete Works of Liu Zongzhou, vol. 3, Hangzhou: Zhejiang Ancient Books Publishing House, 2007 edition, p. 83.

[10] Liu Zongzhou: "Answer to Han Sanfu", The Complete Works of Liu Zongzhou, vol. 3, p. 359.

[11] Liu Zongzhou: On the Sayings of Liu Zongzhou, The Complete Works of Liu Zongzhou, vol. II, p. 372.

[12] Liu Zongzhou: Miscellaneous Interpretations of Orthodox Learning, The Complete Works of Liu Zongzhou, vol. II, p. 264.

[13] See Chen Lisheng's Introduction to the Opportunity to Enter the Sanctity: A Study of Wang Yangming's Theory of Conscience and Gongfu, which expands on a review of Yangming's academic situation during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

[14] Huang Zongxi: "Ming Yi to be Interviewed", The Complete Works of Huang Zongxi, vol. 1, Hangzhou: Zhejiang Ancient Books Publishing House, 1985 edition, p. 3.

[15] Huang Zongxi: "Ming Yi to be Interviewed", The Complete Works of Huang Zongxi, vol. 1, p. 2.

[16] The "Juemin Path" is Mr. Yu Yingshi's revelation of the significance of Yang Ming's teaching of conscience from the perspective of political culture, saying: "Yang Ming's 'to conscience' religion and his conception of the 'Juemin Path' are absolutely inseparable; this is a bloody road he killed after despairing of the 'Way of gaining the king'. (See TheOry and Political Culture of Song Ming, Guangxi Normal University Press, 2006, p. 43.) ）

[17] Kang Youwei: The Chronicle of the Nanhai Division, The Complete Works of Kang Youwei, Vol. 2, Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1990 edition, p. 523.

[18] Feng Kecheng, ed., Selected Readings of Educational Thought and Treatises in the Late Qing Dynasty (Medium), Beijing: People's Armed Police Publishing House, 2011 edition, p. 268.

[19] Chen Lisheng, The Opportunity to Enter the Sacred: A Study of Wang Yangming's Theory of Conscience and Gongfu, Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2019 edition, p. 15.

[20] Qian Mu, A New Treatise on National History, Beijing: Sanlian Bookstore, 2001 edition, p. 347.

[21] Qian Mu, On Balance in Modern Academic China, Beijing: Sanlian Bookstore, 2001, pp. 106-107.

[22] Qian Mu, "Outline of Yangming Studies", Beijing: Kyushu Publishing House, 2011 edition, p. 1.

[23] Mou Zongsan, "Wang Yangming's Teachings on Conscience", The Complete Works of Mr. Mou Zongsan, vol. 8, Taipei: Lianjing Publishing Company, 2003 edition, pp. 15-16.

[24] Mou Zongsan, "Wang Yangming's Teachings on Conscience", The Complete Works of Mr. Mou Zongsan, vol. 8, p. 96.

[25] Takehiko Okada, The Great Biography of Wang Yangming: The Wisdom of Mind in the Unity of Knowledge and Action, Chongqing: Chongqing Publishing House, 2015 edition, p. 2.

[26] Takehiko Okada, The Great Biography of Wang Yangming: The Wisdom of mind in the Unity of Knowledge and Action, p. 5.

[27] Wang Shouren: "Reply to Luo Qinshun Shaozai", The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2011 edition, p. 75.

[28] Wang Shouren, "Answer to Nie Wenwei", The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, p. 90.

[29] Li Minghui, "The Intellectualization of Confucianism and Modern Scholarship", Journal of Chinese Min University, 2010(6).

[30] Wang Shouren: Quotations II, The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, p. 64.

[31] Qian Dehong: Annals II, The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, p. 1412.

[32] Qian Dehong: Annals II, The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, p. 1393.

[33] Wang Shouren, "Answer to Nie Wenwei", The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, p. 90.

[34] Wang Shouren: Quotations II, The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, p. 61.

[35] Wang Shouren, "The Book of The Shaozai of the Answering Luo Zhen'an", The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, p. 88.

[36] Wang Shouren, "Answer to Nie Wenwei", The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, p. 90