A Study Of Sun Qifeng’s Priciple-centered Learning

This dissertation uses a synthesis of the methods of the history of philosophy and intellectual history to study in depth the principle-centered thought of Sun Qifeng, a great Confucian in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty. His thought is characterized by a blending of Cheng Yi\Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan\Wang Shouren thought. He had accepted Cheng and Zhu’s thought in his youth, but subsequently changed to Lu and Wang’s thought. In his later years, his foundation was Wang’s doctrines which he combined with Cheng and Zhu’s theories.In terms of the theory of principle (li) and vital energy (qi), Sun accepted Zhu’s doctrine that li and qi are neither separate nor mixed and proposed that there was not a logical sequence between li and qi; that li is strong and qi is weak; and that li is the same whereas qi varies in things, to emphasize li’s ruling qi. Sun also proposed the view that strong righteous indignation is the expression li in one’s mind. He vigorously maintained that there are differences between the morally normative (yili) nature and the material (qizhi) nature but in the context of the relationship between yili and qizhi he greatly elevated the position of qizhi. By explaining Confucius’ remark that "it is only the most intelligent (shang zhi) and the most stupid (xia yu) who cannot be changed" to mean that it is the li and qi constitution of the most intelligent and the most stupid which cannot change whereas of the most intelligent and the most stupid themselves actually can change, he resolved the apparent contradiction between "it is only the most intelligent and the most stupid who cannot be changed" and Mencius’s doctrine of innate good human nature and Zhang Zai’s doctrine of transformation of the material nature.In regard to the doctrine of moral mind and human nature (xin xing) Sun proposed that original mind is the nature, and by emphasizing the objective aspect of the nature and supporting the subjective aspects of the mind he redressed the abstruse nonsense and conceitedness of Wang’s disciples. Absorbing Zhu’s differentiation of human mind (ren xin) and moral mind (dao xin), he thought xin and xing cannot be mixed and treated as a unity and in this way he was able to preserve the possibility for Wang Yanming’s view that the mind is fundamental reality. Therefore, as to Wang Yangming’s Four Dicta which was much misunderstood by Wang Ji and later scholars, Sun held that the view that "the substance of mind is neither good nor evil" was not incompatible with Mencius’s doctrine of the goodness of human nature, because xin and xing were not completely identical.The doctrinal focus of Sun’s principle-centered learning was cultivation practice (gongfu). Making the doctrine of vigilance in solitude (shen du) his goal, he infused it throughout his doctrines on cultivation practice and in his understanding of Five Classics and Four Book. He blended Wang’s notion of equilibrium (zhong) as substance and harmony (he) as function with "the secret instruction of the southern transmission of the way" according to which one should be in a state of stillness when experiencing the equilibrium of the mind before it is activated, and advocated cultivating mind and the nature through quiet-sitting. Moreover, he emphasized that the way to achieve what was above (shang da) was learn from what was below (xia xue); that one should defend one’s mind from evil thoughts (xian xie) so as to preserve integrity (cheng); and that cultivation practice should begin with simple tasks. Whereas Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming had held that gongfu could not be applied to fundamental reality, he proved the possibility and necessity of applying gongfu to fundamental reality. This was consistent with Liu Zongzhou’s criticism of Zhu for maintaining that the nature cannot be apprehended, thereby effectively rendering cultivation practice into an abstruse and empty doctrine. In essence, Sun’s cultivation practice of vigilance in solitude alerted the mind to be vigilant, thus vouchsafing the judgment and control of fundamental reality’s moral constitution. This combined Zhu’s characterization of the human mind as pure intuition (xuming zhijue) with Wang’s characterization of pure knowing (liangzhi) as numinous apperception (xuling mingjue). Sun’s doctrine of vigilance in solitude is cautious yet also natural; it integrates movement and quiescence, the yet-to be-manifest-mind (wei fa:the state before the feelings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy are aroused) and the manifest mind (yi fa:the state after the mind is aroused). Compared to the Zhu’s and Wang’s views on cultivation practice, it is more detailed and coherent. Thinkers who took vigilance in solitude as the primary cultivation practice during Sun’s time were unanimous in their understanding of the meaning of shen du, differing in their morally normative structure.The theory of the succession of the way (daotong) is the ultimate goal of Sun’s thought. He thought that from the time of the ancient Three Dynasties the daolong had become subsumed within the tradition of learning (xuetong). In his eyes, the daotong was the three cardinal guides and the five constant virtues (san gang wu chang). He included all Confucians who upheld the main principles of social order into the lineage of the daotong, regardless of whether they were Han Confucians, Song Confucians, Zhu Xi or Wang Yangming. In his Transmission of the Main Lineage of Principle-centered Learning (Lixue zongchuan) he maintained that Wang directly continued the tradition of Zhou Dunyi and Cheng Hao. He unified Chen-Zhu and Lu-Wang wings in the expectation that xuetong could truly embody daotong. As to the establishment of Manchu government, he advocated "using the Xia [China] to transform the barbarians (yong Xia bian Yi); and applied his energies to unifying the tradition of rule (zhitong) with daotong. Sun’s principle-centered thought greatly influenced scholarship in North China throughout the Qing Dynasty. His admiration of Confucius and Mencius, sincere practice and synthesis of teachings continued to be upheld by his disciples, forming the distinctive style of northern learning.