Analysis On Liang Shuming’s Thought Of Human Heart And Confucian Benevolence

Liang Shuming is an influential figure of modern Neo-Confucianism, whose theory, written inhis old age, of human heart and of the doctrine of Confucian benevolence, an inference of thehuman heart theory, constitutes an important part of his philosophy.Liang Shuming’s human heart theory considers the human heart as the noumenon of the BigLife of the universe, highlighting the nature that the Big Life of the universe, having managed tosolve the problems of survival and reproduction, invariably forges ahead. During this process,the human mind has, beyond animal instinct, developed intellect and rationality. The emergenceof the intellect is a reflection of self-realization and creation of life; and the development of therationality achieves moral and aesthetic. As a result of the life constantly forging ahead, theintellect and the rationality have enabled human beings who owe them to become therepresentative of the Big Life. Being the most advanced stage and the most fundamentalcharacteristic of the human heart, the rationality offers the human heart the nature of moral andthe spirit of aesthetic, which forms the basis of the ethical of Confucian benevolence.According to the basis, Liang Shuming gave his own interpretation on Confucianbenevolence, namely the benevolent nature of moral self-cultivation, the benevolenttemperament of emotion purport and the benevolent life of love and care. On the interpretation,not only the character, accommodation and intuitivism of benevolence were explained to form abenevolent state of culture, but the benevolent pleasure, content and selflessness were equallyelucidated as well so that the benevolent temperament of emotion purport could be properlyexpressed. Besides, the manner of happy life, moral life and fulfillment life that relates to thebenevolence was concretely discussed.Moreover, in the end of the article, a conclusion drawn from the Confucian benevolence hasbriefly been given.