Study On Zhan Ganquan Thought

Zhan Ganquan and Wang Yangming were two masters of Confucianism in the mid-M:ing Dynasty.However,Zhan has been neglected for a long time in academic studies.The present dissertation takes the thoughts of Zhan as the topic.Because dynami is the cornerstone of his thoughts,the dissertation will unfold around the key concept.Chapter One traces the origin of Zhan's thoughts.They were derived from his master,Chen Baisha.The thoughts of Chen could be summarized as "the learning of self-acquisition".What was self-acquired eomes from heart."Heart" is not confined to the physical heart as it is united with all things and all things are reflected in"heart".What underlies all things is Tao,so the union of "heart" and all things is,in fact,the union of "heart" and Tao.By analyzing the universality,immensity and formlessness of Tao,the dissertation discloses that the Tao poetically and metaphorically elaborated by Chen is dynamic.Therefore,the union of "heart" and"Tao" means integrating oneself with nature and evolving with nature.As a student of Chen,Zhan handed down Chen's thoughts on Tao and dynamic.In contrast to the poetical expression of Tao and dynamic,Zhan defined Tao as dynamic in a straightforward way and set up his whole thought of dynamic systematically.Chapter Two dwells on how Zhan constructed his thoughts system with the perspective of dynamic.Air is the basic element of the universe and is divided into Yin and which interact with each other.In the process of interaction,if it is a harmonious interaction,the umiverse will be active and full of vitality and Tao will emerge and become visible.If Yin and Yang conflict each other,the universe will be inertial and Tao will vanish and become invisible.Using dynmic as the core concept,the dissertation goes on to expound such key concepts as heart,and character.The interaction of Yin and Yang leads to all things in the universe,including objects and humans.Humans are the soul of all things and the heart of Heaven and Earth.The soul of humans lies in heart.Activated by cognitive function,heart observes and retains all things in Heaven and Earth.The process of cognition is the process of functioning of heart and the embodiment of character.Chapter Three is concermed with Zhan's methodology of Kung Fu.His methodology can be summarized as "Recognizing the Heavenly Principle anywhere and anytime".Although his methodology of Kung Fu came from the Kung Fu of"contemplative sitting",it has its own characteristies.Zhan's methodology of Kung Fu is more than "contemplative sitting".It also emphasizes the dynamic aspect of Kung Fu.In other words,"the Heavenly Principle" can be observed and felt in both action and non-action.There is a dialectical relationship between action and non-action.The practical way to observe and fed the Heavenly Principle is "Sticking to the goal in mind,and maintaining a right pace in action"."Sticking to the goal in mind" means one should not be distracted by myriad external affairs,while"maintaining a right pace in action" means one should not be excessively enthusiastic in pushing ahead.Achieving such a spiritual balance will lead to a good state of mind and vitality will stream along plentifully.It is worthwhile to point out that"recognizing the Heavenly Principle anywhere and anytime" is only an aspect of Zhan's Kung Fu.Another aspect which is,more often than not,neglected is "tending and cultivating,.Zhan claimed that "recognizing the Heavenly Principle" is like sowing a seed.If the seed will sprout,grow and mature,one needs to cultivate and attend to it.There is no temporary sequence between these two aspects.They tend to act simultaneously,both of which make up the whole of Zhan's methodology of Kung Fu.Chapter Four is devoted to Zhan's definition of Tao and lineage of Confucian thoughts.According to Zhan,the connotation of Tao is "the Great Mean",which has two fundamental features:integration and naturalness.The lineage of Confucian thoughts Zhan built up dated back to Confucius and Mencius.Zhou Dunyi and Chen Hao were two great masters in the Song Dynasty,who inherited the great Confucian tradition.Zhan's immediate predecessor was Chen Baisha.As Chen Baisha's disciple,Zhan pushed Chen to prominence with a view to making his own thoughts the orthodoxy of Confucianism.Zhan argued that his school of learning was marked by the "the Great Mean" while other schools of thoughts were either heretical or unorthodox.By unorthodox schools,Zhan referred to the Confucian schools of thoughts.The two schools Zhan was targeted at were Zhu Xi's school and Lu Jiuyuan's school.They were unorthodox in that the former was oriented to extermal and the latter was oriented to the internal.By heretical schools,Zhan referred to schools of thoughts which strayed away from Confucianism while making use of the discourses of Confucianism.His criticism was focused on the schools of thoughts of Yang Jian and Wang Dao.In spite of their apparent advocate of Confucianism,they were actually promoting the thoughts of Yen and Taoism.