Edification And Effort

Wang Yang-ming was the most influential philosopher in Ming Dynasty and one of the major representatives of Neo-Confucianism. His doctrine of mind, under the new cultural background in a new era, strengthened the orientation of value and cultural spirit of being a saint by making moral effort, which were founded by Confucius and Mencius but developed by the Confucians in Song Dynasty. The paper is to discuss the profound meanings of Wang's theoretical system from the angle of the effort theory.Chapter one is to comb out Wang's effort to be a saint and the evolution of his effort theory. The creation of Wang's theory mainly stemmed from his own studious attempt to be a saint. In his youth, Wang had set up his mind to be a saint. Therefore, he had studied various schools, practiced and searched repeatedly, and finally awakened to the truth in Longchang (a place). The awakening cleared up Wang's puzzle of how to be a saint morally, which laid a foundation for his doctrine of mind. After the awakening, Wang Yang-ming delved into further learning and made great establishment. In his late years he advanced the theory of extension of innate knowledge. It marked another breakthrough in his learning. What is more, the theory became the perfect form of his effort theory according to his awakening and teaching practice.Chapter two is to discuss the purport of Wang Yang-ming's effort theory. The edification and realization of man's moral original substance are the core questions concerned by Wang's doctrine of mind. As to the inclination of objectifying and formalizing the substance by obtaining it from knowledge, Wang Yang-ming clarified the differences between the substance and knowledge. Then he advanced several propositions, such as, the mind is xing, the xing is principle; Nothing exists beyond the mind, etc, defining that the virtuous substance is the only reliable source for morality as well as the value of life. These attribute the"effort"to self-cultivation and transformation of one's substance of mind and nature, which reveals the"real being"of one's existence. This progress for the edification of the mind is the process of self-realization, during which the ideal of creating a prosperous and peaceful world of man has also been materialized.Chapter three is to discuss the approaches to realize the edification of the moral substance. Honoring moral nature and following the path of inquiry and study are two traditional approaches of this effort. Basing on his experience of learning and teaching, generally, Wang preferred the approach of moral nature due to his stress on the"effort"to the"mind", but according to actual differences of individual competence, he referred to the other approach as well. In his late years, proposing the theory of extension of innate knowledge and the Four-Sentence doctrine, he advanced the two approaches comprehensively from the standpoint of his doctrine of mind.Chapter four is to analyze a few specific methods of effort on realizing the edification of the moral substance. Wang Yang-ming had mentioned several methods, such as, self-inspiring, sitting in meditation, training in practice, etc, each of which has its own emphasis. However, the purport of each method is to get rid of personal lust and clarify one's substance under the determination to be a saint and the extension of innate knowledge. The highest accomplishment of effort is to reach the state of moral freedom and the spiritual realm of tranquility.The significance of the effort theory is to prove the existence of the moral substance and to realize the edification of man's personality and the achievement of man's nature. And the effort to realize the edification of the substance of mind is also the process to promote the substance per se. It is the very characteristic of Wang's doctrine of mind that the substance and the effort unite into the limitless life process of the universe.