A Study Of Wang Yangmin’gs Thought Of "Sends The Conscience"

With the development of idealist theory from Neo-confucianism to Cheng Zhutheory, Self-conscious Chinese attached great importance to “heavenly principles”,taking “heavenly principles” as the basic objectivity and a necessary rule people mustobserve when dealing with people’s relationships and other things. However, when“heavenly principles” was described, it became different perceptions people hadactually rather than “heavenly principles” itself. Thus, the pursuit of “heavenlyprinciples” based on epistemology became imperative. Lu Xiangshan put forwardsuch point when Cheng Zhu Theory was prosperous as “Scholars all agreed ‘I willaim for utmost Nature’, yet unknowing whether it is attained. They took what theyconceived and observed as heavenly principles”. Later, Wang Yangming conduct hisphilosophical exploration from the aspects of ontology, epistemology andself-cultivation and eventually formed his ideology—Ideology of IntuitiveKnowledge.The formation of Ideology of Intuitive Knowledge was based on WangYangming’s pursuit of “What is the first priority”. He once followed Zhu Xi’sinvestigation of things to attain utmost knowledge but got nowhere because “thingsand the heart departed”. Later on, he immerged in rhetorics, Buddism and Taoism andreturned to Confucianism. At last he founded his ideology “mind is theory” afterenlightenment in Longchang. The theory was developed, Wang put forwardMeditation skill, intraception, restraining desires and other practice to conduct unityof knowledge and behavior and formed his sincere study of things according to hisinterpretation of old “Great Learning”. After Ning’s revolt, the theory became “sendsthe Conscience”. At Tianquan despute, Wang put forward “four sentence teaching” asexplanation of his theoryWang Yangming’s ideology is a heated topic in academic history, ideologicalhistory, philosophy theory that inexhaustible topic. This paper intends to study it infive parts, seven chapter. In the first part, the first chapter introduces the social andideological background of Wang’s theory. His theory derived from “Song and Ming Dynasty” ideology and reflected Mid-term Ming Dynasty social development.Therefore, the first chapter will study his theory from these two aspects to makeWang’s theory, the continuation of Song and Ming’s ideology and a revelation of hispersonal social conditions. The second part is the second chapter, which will introduceWang’s early exploration as far the question “The possibility of becoming Saint”. Itwill study scholars’ phrases of Wang Mingyang’s ideology and make clear his earlydevelopment. He went through Zhuxi’s study, rehtorical study, Buddism and Taoismand returned to confucianism. Through the process, Wang Mingyang’s early thoughtsare made clear. The third section includes three chaptes, mainly introducing theformation of Wang Mingyang’s ideology after “Long Chang Wu Dao” and then itpoints out that the formation goe through three phrases:“Heart is theory”;consciousness is in tune with action; and the extension of Innate Knowledge. Chapterthree gives a solid and theoretical explaination to the first phrase of WangYangming’sideology:“Heart is thory”. Chapter four is an explaination of the second phrase of hisideology “Consciousness is in tune with action.” With the theory of ancient Chineseconcept of consciousness and action, the author in this section also introduces Chengand zhu’s idealist philosopgy of “consiousness and action”, and its theoreticaldilemma, then the auhtor gives a further illustration of Wang Yangming’s efforts inovercoming the difficulty and coming up with the ideology of “Consciousness isaction”, and his guidance and extension of the study of this ideology. In the end of thechapter, the author also theoretically illustrates the ideology which is based on therelationship between each contents of the ancient Chinese book The Great Learnig.Chapter five is an account for the lastphrase–the formation of To Innate Knowledge.The author first explains the cultural background of the ideology, the true nature andthe inner relationship of Confucian’s ideas of triology presented in the first chapter ofThe Great Learnig, presented in his book questioning the The Great Learnig, whichmainly reveals the inner relationship in the triology of his ideology. The fourth part(Chapter six) introduces and explains the Four-sentence doctrine which is animportant teaching-method of Wang Yangming, showing the logic of WangYangming’s ideology which is the spirit of his academic research. The fourth part also points out that only when learning the fact that four-sentence doctrine belongs tointellectual analysis, can we understand the reason of Wang’s teaching method. Basedon this, the author explains the theoretical flaws of folowing scholars especially WangYangming’s students and Liu Zongzhou, Huang Zongxi when understandingfour-sentence doctrine. The fifth part is conclusion, which evaluates WangYangming’s ideology.Generally,“sends the conscience” is based on Wang Yangming’s reflection ofexistentialism. He stands in his position of “universe as a whole” and set up the pointof view with the nature of Ontology, epistemology and methodology.Further research of its logical thinking of his ideology and the essence of spirit.is significant in many aspects. First, grasp of the combination of ontology,epistemology and methodology not only makes his theoretical development clear, butalso provides a foundation for evaluating his followers’ gain and loss. Second, thecombination is also a characteristic of ancient China’s philosophical issues. Specially,different schools of Neo-Confucianism took “gas”,“inner heart” or “nature” as theirbase, but they all had the characteristic of the combination, differentiating only inwhich was the first priority. Wang Mingyang’s theory illustrates the trinity theory, sowe believe Wang Mingyang is great because the certain conditions and demands ofmetaphysics in the form knowledge are met. Considering the current situation, WangYangming attached special importance to the self-consciousness of his “originalmind”. This is why Wang Yangming took his first chapters of The Great Learning andThe Doctrine of Mean as Saint Leaning. The first chapters carried out Confucius’sprinciple of benevolence and loyalty forming a philosophical system of thoughts.Wang Yangming, based on this system, set up his own thoughts, which had deephistorical connection and profound intension of dialogical theory. It provides sourcesto help solve how metaphysics is possible. Its academic significance, theoreticalsignificance and practical significance worth our deeper researching.