A Study On Liang Shuming 's Method Of Studying

Liang Shuming is an important figure in the history of modern China. As one of the pioneers of the "New Confucianism," he practiced Confucian learning and strove to promote Chinese culture almost all of his life. Liang attained a great achievement not only in both ancient and modern Chinese culture, but also in eastern and western culture. He studied various schools and especially had a deep exploration of Buddhism and Confucianism, thus had a deep insight of “human life”. He was qualified enough to inherited the lineage of Confucianism, for he clearly identified the position that Chinese culture took in the history of human culture and pointed out the gains and losses of Chinese culture; moreover, he had bridged the ancient Chinese culture with modern Chinese culture, and eastern culture with western culture in a real sense. At present, very few scholars have carried a systematic research in Liang’s scholarship experience, method and characteristics. His scholarship experience, method and characteristic could play an extremely important role in deeply and correctly learning Liang Shuming himself and his thoughts, provide modern scholars with some methodological inspirations in studying ancient Chinese culture which is about self-cultivation such as Confucianism, and more significantly clarify the peculiarity and the true value of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism through such research and thus lead the Chinese Cultural Renaissance to a bright future. I attempt to make a more profound and comprehensive analysis and interpretation of Liang Shuming’s scholarship methods and characteristics through the study of related materials such as "Liang Shuming Collection" as well as my personal practice of self-cultivation.This article discusses Liang Shuming’s scholarship method mainly from five aspects. Part one is an overview of Liang Shuming’s lifetime learning achievements and the value and significance of his academic thoughts, thus to further explain the necessity and importance of studying his scholarship method. Part two mainly summarizes his study method from both his scholarship experience and his life experience. The third part follows part two to further discuss how Mr. Liang Shuming’s fundamental study method embodied in various aspects of his scholarship. This can be interpreted as his specific study method. Fundamental methods and specific methods can be clearer by compare with each other and evetually confirm each other. Part four is based on the second and the third part to reveal and conclude the characteristics of Liang Shuming’s research methods, and thus to show its unique value in academic method through distinguishing it from general methods. The fifth part mainly discusses the significant role that Liang Shuming’s research method plays in academic development, Chinese culture renaissance and the progress of human civilization.Liang Shuming’s fundamental method is "Practicing of self-cultivation follows the requirement of life itself", which is consistent with the Confucian "Gentleman learns for himself", so that his scholarship achievement and final results are all about his life and livelihood. Moreover, his scholarship, life and livelihood are an organic, indivisible entirety. Fundamentally, Liang Shuming’s scholarship method is very different from modern scientific research method. His method is actually a self-cultivation method of traditional Chinese culture, which is also the only way to learn traditional Chinese culture Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Liang Shuming’s scholarship method is mainly based on that, and at the same time he actively applied modern research methods. Those two methods combined with each other and eventually formed his unique scholarship method.