In the previous article: "What is "Cheng Zhu Lixue"? Why is it said to be a catastrophe of traditional culture? In it, I talked about the birth and development history of "Rigaku" and its right and wrong. There is no problem with the core idea of "preserving heavenly reason and destroying human desires", but the practice method of science is "heavenly reason and external seeking", which requires people to obtain heavenly reason through external learning, which has major flaws.
Since it is externally acquired knowledge, it is secondary to understand or not to understand, to do or not to do, and the most critical thing is to express it, so theoreticians pay special attention to pen and ink articles. The reason is the Tao, and the words written in the examination articles are gorgeous, but they are not practiced when placed on themselves. In fact, it doesn't matter if you practice or not, because no one pays attention to it, and everyone is watching how you express it, not how you do it. Over time, the theologians have retreated into hypocrites who say one thing and do another, take the reasoning and use it to be rigid, and the articles and speeches often quote the scriptures and export them into chapters, the so-called full mouth of benevolence and morality, a belly...
As early as the time of Zhu Xi, some people discovered such a problem, but why can't the voices of opposition shake the influence of Rigaku? In fact, the logic is very simple, science requires people to seek heavenly reason, and theorists will definitely give people a "bibliography" to study within a limited cultural circle. What is this called? This is called "cultural confinement." People unconsciously fall into a kind of thought control and can't say "no."
Zhu Xi
Who likes this the most? Of course, it is the ruler, because in this way the people are unified in thought and easy to restrain and manage. Therefore, since the Beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Theory has been established as a national ideology, and as long as it is separated from the circle of Science, it is heresy. With the blessing of the ruler, Theory of Science is more indestructible, and even the people think that the old gentleman who shakes his head in the private school is the representative of traditional Chinese culture, but they do not know that in fact, there are many other voices in traditional culture.
Among the so-called "other voices", there is an idea that is opposed to the science of science, which has long been active in Chinese society, and even crossed the ocean to Japan. Although it has never been officially recognized by successive dynastic governments, its disciples are all over the world, and they have played a huge role in society, politics, and even business management.
Lu Jiuyuan
As mentioned in the previous article, Lu Jiuyuan of the Northern Song Dynasty inherited Cheng Hao's ideas and founded the "Lu Jiuyuan Xinxue", but under the shadow of Zhu Xi, Lu Jiuyuan Xinxue caused very little ripple in society. In the later Ming Dynasty, there was a theorist named Wu Youbi, who was a die-hard fan of Zhu Xi, who held the rigaku classics every day and recited Zhu Xi's quotations. But his apprentice Chen Baisha was a rebel, and he studied with Wu and Bi for a while and found nothing new. Especially when practicing the "Knowledge of Objects and Things", without realizing the so-called Heavenly Truth from external things, the heart begins to doubt. Wu Youbi saw Chen Baisha's thoughts and felt that he was not sincere enough with Zhu Xi, so they expelled him from the division.
After Chen Baisha left Wu and Bi, he was still thinking, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Zhu Xi's theory seemed to be wrong. Zhu Xi let people go to the outside world to "grid things" and thus obtain "Heavenly Truth", but he also felt that I myself had free will, even if I obtained Heavenly Truth from the outside world, then should I believe in the outside world? Or do you believe in my own heart? He read Zhu Xi's "Notes on the Four Books", but he found that Zhu Xi's annotations were problematic, but everyone said that Zhu Xi was a heavenly reason, so should I believe Zhu Xi? Or do you believe in yourself?
Chen Baisha
Embarrassed, he turned his gaze to "Lu Jiuyuan Mind Science", in which he found a core idea, that is, if he wanted to obtain heavenly truth, he must first suppress human desire. This is exactly the opposite of Zhu Xi's advocacy of seeking heavenly reason first, and then destroying people's desires according to heavenly reason. After Chen Baisha learned this, he was greatly surprised, and he finally solved the problem that had been plaguing him for a long time--what if the external heavenly truth could not be accepted by himself? It turns out that if you want to feel the heavenly truth, you must first suppress your own desires.
By extension, Rigaku believes that Tianli is external, and people must constantly learn through external learning to "understand reason", so Zhu Xi attaches great importance to reciting scriptures in order to continuously acquire Tianli and thus eliminate human desires. Mind science, on the other hand, holds that in order to attain heavenly truth, one must first eliminate desire, otherwise one cannot attain heavenly truth. Therefore, people's practice is to constantly dig into their own hearts and return to their good nature. Therefore, Lu Jiuyuan attaches great importance to meditation and meditation, and obtains the truth through contemplation and enlightenment.
The British writer George Fraser once said that when the ship of human thought is cut from its anchorage and jolted in the "sea of difficulties" of doubt and uncertainty, they will feel pain and confusion, and there is only one way to eliminate this pain and confusion, that is, the ship of thought must re-enter a new belief system.
Chen Baisha switched from Zhu Xi to Lu Jiuyuan, making him the first psychic scholar of the Ming Dynasty. However, the science of science was already a strict system in the Ming Dynasty at that time, and in such an environment, it was difficult to produce new doctrines without some special opportunities by chance. In today's parlance, it is "the times make heroes." This "situation" caught up with a man named Wang Shouren.
Wang Yangming
Wang Shouren is now well known as Wang Yangming, Wang Shouren is his real name, in order to make everyone more familiar, I will call him Wang Yangming later. Wang Yangming aspired to be a saint when he was young, and he loved the military since childhood. In order to become a saint, he studied Taoists, Buddhists, and Zhu Xi theory. In order to practice Zhu Xi's advocacy of obtaining heavenly truth through "lattice objects", he once stared at the bamboo in the courtyard for three months, until he was dizzy and fainted, and he fell to the ground, and he did not feel any heavenly reason. From then on, he felt that there was something wrong with Zhu Xi's theory, and the reason was the same as Chen Baisha felt.
Since we question the science of science, we are bound to suffer repeated setbacks in the imperial examination. Wang Yangming failed to make the list twice, and when he fell off the list for the second time, the surrounding list shows were in tears, and only Wang Yangming looked straight ahead with a wooden expression. Friends thought he was overly sad and urged him to cry, but he said, "You are all ashamed of falling off the list, but I am ashamed of falling off the list."
Later, he passed the examination and was assigned to the work of the Punishment Department. At that time, the eunuch Liu Jin rebelled and mutilated Zhongliang. Wang Yangming also wrote to Emperor Wuzong of Ming, demanding that Liu Jin be brought to justice, but as a result, he was persecuted by Liu Jin and thrown into the Jinyi Wei prison and tortured to the end. It was difficult to get out of prison, was assigned to Guizhou Longchang, and on the distribution road, he was almost killed by the Jinyi guards who were chased and killed. Fortunately, he was in a hurry and wise, and disguised himself as a suicide by throwing himself into the river by the Qiantang River, and only then did he deceive Jinyiwei.
Longchang sign on the Guizhou Expressway
In Guizhou Longchang, a place where birds did not at that time, Wang Yangming began his hard life. The local Miao ethnic minorities are fierce, but Wang Yangming minged with them with his sincerity, and even the Miao people helped Wang Yangming resist the Guiyang prefect who came to find trouble.
But Wang Yangming did not stop thinking. Most of the officials and masters in the central court were Zhu Xi's disciples, but they also mingled with Liu Jin. If this is not Tianli, then where is Tianli? Why did Zhu Xi ask me to go to the outside world to find Tianli, but I couldn't find the Tianli that I recognized? Am I wrong or am I wrong? A series of questions lingered in Wang Yangming's mind.
The hard and clean life after being assigned to the Dragon Farm gave Wang Yangming more time to think. Combined with Wang Yangming's own accumulation in the three religions of Confucianism and Taoism and his personal ups and downs, he finally had an epiphany one day in 1508. He understood that Tianli did not need to ask for anything at all, that Tianli was not in the outside world, and that Tianli was in my heart—"the heart is reason", and this Tianli is man's "conscience". Wang Yangming believes that human nature is inherently good, so he believes that everyone has a conscience in their hearts. As long as people can dig out their conscience, they can solve all problems without any external help. The whole theory is summarized into eight words: I am self-sufficient and do not pretend to ask for anything. Wang Yangming had an epiphany about this matter, which is known in history as "Dragon Field Enlightenment".
Since then, he began to give lectures to the Hmong people in Longchang to enhance their mentality. Until later, he left Longchang and combined the strength of his heart with military strategy to sweep away the bandits in western Hunan who had plagued the officials and troops for many years, and later quelled the rebellion of king Ning with 43 days of divine speed, and established the Gestapo Qigong.
Wang Yangming's heart to learn the context diagram
What kind of power does mind science have? If summed up in a simple way, it can be condensed into the three key words of "mind is reason, conscience, and practice in facts".
"The mind is the reason" is "I am self-sufficient, and I do not pretend to ask for it", that is, each of us has a heavenly reason in our hearts, and there is no need to go to the outside world to find the heavenly reason. Because we are born with a "conscience" to distinguish between right and wrong, if we want to be sages, we must strive to realize our truest self. Since each of us has the genes of a sage, everyone is equal, and no one has the right to dominate anyone. Only one person has power, and that is myself, and I am my own master!
In fact, this is also the reason why successive dynasties and dynasties are reluctant to incorporate psychology into the mainstream ideology, because advocating mindology must advocate equality of identity and free will, which is often contrary to the idea of totalitarian rule, and naturally cannot become the mainstream ideology of society.
The heart is the reason
Some people may question, don't I need to learn anything to understand the conscience of nature? For example, sometimes we always ask questions with answers. For example, a poor friend asks you to borrow money, you refuse, and then you tell your father about it, and you ask your father, is it not good for you to treat your friend like this? If your father is Wang Yangming, he will definitely say: You can ask me like this, indicating that you originally knew what to do, but your desire made you not do it.
The second core idea of psychology is "to the conscience." When you understand that "the mind is reason", you must strive to realize your true self and tap your inner conscience. However, in the process of growing up, people are often contaminated by the social dyeing vat, resulting in a thick layer of desire in the heart, that is, "human desire". If you want to dig out the "Heavenly Truth" in your heart, you must first take out the "human desire" that is covered, and in this regard, Wang Yangming's mind study is similar to Lu Jiuyuan's mind study.
The old man falls, your first thought is to help or not to help?
How can we achieve "to the conscience"? In fact, it is very simple to say, that is, when encountering things, follow the first thought in your mind, which is often driven by conscience. For example, when you see an old man falling down a street, what is your first thought? You must help, because compassion is there for everyone, and this is the conscience that already exists in the heart, and there is no need for others to teach you. But why didn't many people end up with support? Because you didn't follow your first thoughts, but further thought about "if I help her up, will I cause trouble for myself?" At this time, you have been controlled by your own desires, and naturally you cannot "reach your conscience".
The third core idea of mind science is "practice in things." "To the conscience" is to remove the veil of desire in one's own heart and restore one's conscience. This process can often be done through long-term meditation, in fact, the main practice method of Lu Jiuyuan's mind is meditation. But if it's just meditation, it's no different from Zen Buddhism. Wang Yangming does not agree with the Zen concept, he believes that if it is only to restore conscience, but the actual action does nothing, it has no meaning, but an escape. He even believed that all those who became monks and meditated all day long were afraid of this life and avoided taking responsibility, and only then did they dream all day under the banner of restoring their conscience. Therefore, he proposed that the study of the mind should not only "reach the conscience", but also "practice in things".
Wang Yangming's "Four Sentences of Teaching"
The so-called "practice in things" is to practice the guidance of one's conscience in work and life. So, should we first "give conscience" or "practice in fact"? Wang Yangming's view is that the two must be carried out simultaneously, regardless of the order. To feel conscience in practice, to practice while feeling conscience, is the so-called "unity of knowledge and action".
"Practicing in fact" is the biggest difference between Wang Yangming's mental science and Lu Jiuyuan's mental science. Because Lu Jiuyuan's mind does not emphasize the unity of knowledge and action, but more emphasis is on returning to the true self, so Lu Jiuyuan's mind is very similar to Zen Buddhism, and if you are not careful, you will fall into the dry meditation of the birth. Wang Yangming's mind study, on the other hand, has always emphasized the unity of knowledge and action, emphasizing practice, and is a kind of learning for joining the WTO.
"Practicing in facts" is also an important symbol that distinguishes Wang Yangming's mind from Cheng Zhu Lixue. Although Rigaku also emphasizes practice, Rigaku advocates practicing Tianli after obtaining Tianli, so Rigaku believes that "learning" and "practice" are in order, so it is easy to just talk about it and not practice if you are not careful. Wang Yangming believes that the two are always merged into one, no one comes first, the learning is done, and in the stem learning, the unity of knowledge and action can make people's hearts constantly improve.
If "mind is reason" is the foundation of Wang Yangming's mind science, then "unity of knowledge and action" (to conscience + practice in facts) is the method of practicing Wang Yangming's mind. Yes, Wang Yangming's mind study is so simple, and it is precisely because it is simple, so since its birth, the study of mind has been sought after by the people, especially the progressive people who advocate free will.
Having said all this, what is the use of "mind science" for ordinary people? Is it just to improve personal cultivation? Can this be eaten as a meal?
In 1529, Wang Yangming died of illness in Qinglonggang, in a small boat, the apprentice asked Wang Yangming what other last words, Wang Yangming only said eight words: "This heart is bright, and it is also what words are repeated." In fact, whether the mind is reason, conscience, or practice, in the end, they are all condensed on these eight words, and these eight words also fully demonstrate the highest state of practicing mind science - "not moving the heart".
Wang Yangming's last words
In that year, Wang Yangming's merits in pingding King Ning were forcibly occupied by Emperor Wuzong of Ming, and Wang Yangming was asked to give credit to Emperor Wuzong himself in his performance. The disciples complained for Wang Yangming one after another, but Wang Yangming said: "It is my good fortune to have glory, and it is my destiny to have no glory, which is conscience."
In our daily life, we are always calculating how much we have paid for others, and then we will measure how much others have given to ourselves, if the return does not meet our expectations, we will be anxious, annoyed, resentful, and ultimately suffer from ourselves. It's like if I write this article, if there are fewer likes, shouldN't I also be anxious?
In fact, this is not called doing things according to conscience, but a kind of transaction, because only transactions require equal or excessive returns. If you do things with your conscience, then what you do is one thing you want to do, and whether you have anything in return is another thing, and the two things are irrelevant. If ordinary people can deeply appreciate this, they can let go of their inner mustard, eliminate anxiety, and gain freedom in life.
For example, in this article, I just want to write about Wang Yangming's mind, which is what conscience tells me to do. As for likes, it is better to have likes, and it doesn't matter if there are no likes, this is the reader's business. Then I have a lot less anxiety after writing this article. Practicing mind science to achieve the state of "not moving the mind" and thus obtaining inner "freedom" is the greatest pragmatic effect of mind science for ordinary people.
In the more than five hundred years since Wang Yangming's death, there are many great people who regarded him as a spiritual teacher, and Zeng Guofan, Kang Youwei, Sun Yat-sen, and Mao Zedong were all loyal followers of him. In 1513, after conferring his heart with Wang Yangming, the Japanese akira took his heart back to Japan. After the development of Ōshio Heihachirō, Yoshida Shoin, Takasugi Shinsaku, Sakamoto Ryoma, Higashigo Heihachiro, and Saigo Takamori, more than 300 years later, under the influence of Wang Yangming's mind, the Japanese launched the "Meiji Restoration" that was shocking to the world, and transformed into a world power. (See the article "Wang Yangming's Mind Studies Made Japan, but Japan Used It to Fight Back against China")
Later, under the influence of "To the Conscience", Japanese entrepreneur Kazuo Inamori put forward the view of "what is right as a person", and then put forward the management philosophy around "heart-based", leading Kyocera and JAL into the world's top 500 companies.
From the germination of the Meiji Restoration to modern Japan, Wang Mingyang's xinxue has brought a huge impact on the Japanese ideological and cultural circles, shaping a poor and backward closed country into a world power, and turning enterprises on the verge of bankruptcy into the world's top 500. This makes us marvel and regret, marvel at the fact that the psychology originating from China can burst out with such a powerful force, unfortunately, why has the psychology failed to bring modern China into the road to a strong country?
Perhaps, the words of the Japanese master of psychology, Takejiro Takase, are the answer to this question: "There are two elements in the study of The Great Fan Yang Mingxue, one is career, and the other is dry Zen. Those who have withered Zen can perish the country, and those who have achieved cause can rejuvenate the country. China and Japan have one or the other. ”