A Study On Chu Hsi's Self-cultivation System:

Zhu Zi's Theory(Zhu-Zi-Xue)went through a series of developments and evolutions in the past 800 years.It produces a history which is full of brilliant and unexpected interpretations of Chu Hsi's Neo-Confucianism.One of the biggest surprises is that Chu Hsi's Understanding Coming from Inquiring into Things(Ge-Wu-Zhi-Zhi)is generally interpreted as Outward Investigating the Principles,even as a scientific method for obtaining objective knowledge.When we check the history of the interpretations,it can be seen that all the misunderstanding of the Ge-Wu-Zhi-Zhi stems from the fact that scholars have fallen into the binary opposition pattern,either of Chu Hsi versus Lu JiuYuan or knowledge versus morality.And the critical cause is that the interpretations of Ge-Wu-Zhi-Zhi was always made out without considering Chu Hsi's Self-cultivation System.Chu Hsi's Self-cultivation System is the same as his Cultivation-theory.Its'formation can be divided into two stages,the first stage is the starting point of Cultivation-theory when Chu Hsi is following Li Tong.Chu Hsi accepted part of Li Tong's teachings such as Figure Out Specific Affairs,Read Confucian Classics and Search Oracle's Meaning,Doing Daily Work,etc.However,Chu Hsi failed to understand the comprehensive structure of Li Tong' teachings,and he was also puzzled about the Basic-Cultivation such as Experience the Outbreak-Before(Ti-Yan-Wei-Fa)and Meditation.In the second stage,Chu Hsi's Self-cultivation System had almost been formed.Chu Hsi's researching on the issue of Zhong-He Theory,doesn't unilateral established a Mental-Structure(Xin-Xing-Lun),which separated the Heart-Mind(Xin),the Nature(Xing)and the Feeling(Qing)into three parts.Instead,he established a set of Heart-Mind-Centred Structure and a Respectfulness-Centred framework of Self-cultivation System,and these two levels things always interact with each other.In addition,Li Mo's Chronology says,there exist big disagreement between Chu Hsi and Zhang Shi concerning the Zhong-He Theory.According the examination of this record,it can be ascertained that the Old Zhong-He Theory didn't established at BingXu(1166),but at the beginning of the WuZi(1168).Chu Hsi ' s biggest achievement during this time is one kind of thinking structures and methods,by which Chu Hsi could see things through an inclusive,dynamical and dialectic way.Such as see one as one,then as two,finally would see one as another one again.It is called Comprehensive-Dialectical Code(Two-In-One Thinking),by contrast,most of the scholars fell into the binary opposition pattern.And their misunderstanding of Chu Hsi's theory is just arising from their losing sight of Chu Hsi's special thought structure and method.What is exactly Self-cultivation System is?First of all,it means Chu Hsi had inherited the Tao-hsiieh tenet of Conservation and Sanctification since Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi Brothers.All the learning and practicing ways Chu Hsi advocated are aimed at Conservation and Sanctification,which means Ge-Wu-Zhi-Zhi is also one kind of conservation method.Secondly,Chu Hsi's Cultivation-theory is one inclusive,dynamical and dialectic System.Whether or not we distinguish knowledge from practice,Conservation(Respectfulness)from Inquiring(Ge-Wu),each side is not one separated part,they infiltrated into and cooperate with each other in the dynamic cultivation process.Chu Hsi describe this situation as Two Wings of One Bird,Two Wheels of One Car and Two Feet of One Person.Thirdly,Chu Hsi ' s Cultivation-theory has one core connotation,it can be simply expressed in one sentence,Conservation is the basis of Inquiring Principle(Qiong-Li).It means these two part interaction with,infiltrated into and cooperated with each other,meanwhile conservation is ultimately the root,the key,the goal.If we could see these,all the misunderstandings about Chu Hsi's Cultivation could be eliminated as much as possible.