Lian And Neo-confucianism

Neo-Confucianism had three orthodox schools in the southern Song Dynasty. They were Zhu Xi's Fujian school, Lu Jiuyuan's Jiangxi school, and Zhang Shi's Hunan school. These three schools had important divergence of methodology. however, they offered the same argument in world outlook, Different methodology resulted in differences that Zhu Xi said humanity is the principle of heaven and Lu Jiuyuan said heart is the principle of heaven. This was just different state in word. Song Lian's world outlook was the same with the three Confucian scholars in the southern Song Dynasty. He believed that human body is composed of yin qi and yang qi, and human nature is given by heaven. Man is an integral part of nature, anyone can not make a distinction between man and heaven. There is information connecting man and heaven, so magical interaction will take place between man and heaven. Song Lian's methodology succeeded to Zhu Xi's extensively reading, but struggled against his critical and philological study of ancient texts. He also succeeded to Zhang Shi's being respectful and single-minded, Lu Jiuyuan's sitting still to purify the heart. There was a procedure of development in Song Lian's methodology. Learning by reading was his main methodology in his early years, and he only sit still to purify his heart in his later years.Being influenced by Neo-Confucianism, Song Lian's literary theory and creation are original in style and features. Song Lian succeeded to Zhou Dunyi's theory that literature is the vehicle of the Tao and developed it. He argued monism of the Tao and literature. Song Lian's literature notion is different from that of the Confucian scholars before. He did not confine literature to words on the paper. If in conformity with the law of nature, growing in spring, withering in winter, rites and music system, human relations, articles of everyday use, and even each movement of people's hands or feet are all literature. Song Lian's literary theory led the way of the officialese style. He laid stress on that literature must interfere in social politics to gain its practical value. The literature of recluses seldom has that function. Because of court writers'topographical advantages, their literary works can often create a sensation to emperor. So Song Lian promoted the officialese style. The main content of Song Lian's literary creation is to expound and propagate his Neo-Confucianism theory. The style is implicit, gentle, refined and elegant. Song Lian had provided a model for the officialese style writer after. However, Song Lian is not a officialese style writer. He outstripped the officialese style writers after both in thought and quantity.Song Lian made it open that he believes this world is human hearts'phantom which was taken over from Buddhist doctrine. In Song Lian's later years, He became more and more infatuated with the Buddhism. By means of proposing Buddhism and Confucianism showing no difference, Song Lian promoted Buddhism in China. Neo-Confucianism actually acted as his instrument in carrying forward Buddhist doctrine. Song Lian made the transition from a Confucian scholar to a Buddhist. He is the inevitable outcome of the unification of the three religions (Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism). On the strength of Zhu Yuanzhang, Song Lian pushed this trend continue going ahead. At the same time, Song Lian himself reached the peak of Confucianism and Buddhism's unification. In this sense, Song Lian drew an end to Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism in Jin Hua after a third transition. No successor appeared after Song Lian who can shore up the prospect of Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism.To speak as a whole, Song Lian's theory is mixed, disorderly and superficial. There is a shortage of creativity in his theory, and we can not speak too highly of it. However, as an attendant of Zhu Yuanzhang, his advocates were important pushing strength of establishing Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism in early part of the Ming Dynasty. Song Lian took pupils and gave lectures. As an important secretary, Song Lian was an influential man in circles of literature and art. Song Lian also had a hand in imperial competitive examination. Song Lian had tremendous influence on the tendencies of study of the day. He stood in a distinctive position in Neo-Confucianism's development. He is a key man who served as a link between past and future in the collaboration of Zhu Xi's Fujian school and Lu Jiuyuan's Jiangxi school. His theory is the prelude of Wang Yangming's heart school. Therefore, Song Lian is indeed an important philosopher and worth scholars'notice.