| Neo-Confucianism in Song dynasty is a new Neo-Confucianism based on Confucianism studies and influenced by Buddhism and Taoism.Among them,the school represented by Cheng Hao,Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi is called "Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism".Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi,traditionally called "Cheng Brothers",are the founders of Neo-Confucianism and play an important role in the development of Neo-Confucianism.Zhu Xi canonizes them a lot.The cultivating thoughts which made great innovation in educational content and methods are promoted in the official and popular among the fork.It holds an important position in Chinese social ideology history with its particularity.This study takes "cultivating thought" as the main line,not only studies Cheng Brothers' different ways of cultivating the emperor,officials and common people but also deeply analyzes the way to combine "education" and"exhortation" so that the historical value and the practical significance on ideological and political education of the cultivating thoughts can be explored.Cheng Brothers' cultivating thoughts are based on their philosophy.It is their greatest contribution to create the philosophic body of "heavenly principle",make sure the core topic of "Neo-Confucianism" and demonstrates the rationality and correctness of monarchy.From the perspective of Epistemology,Cheng Brothers stress the idea of "knowledge coming from the study of the physical world" which indicates human beings could obtain the truth and understand the "heavenly principle" through the investigation of things and achieve the change from Ontology to Epistemology.The theory of "knowledge goes before action",a great philosophical breakthrough of Neo-Confucianism,triggered the research on the relationship between Noumenon and Endeavor,knowledge and practice."Double human nature" proposed by Cheng Brothers aims to explore the Good and Evil of human nature and the way to change the temperament.This theory not only indicates the possibility of self-improvement but also stresses the necessity of education.Cheng Brothers emphasize the difference and opposition between righteousness,principle and benefit,desire,reflecting the ethical characteristics of moral cultivation.The cultivating thoughts of Cheng Brothers are mainly embodied in the classification education on the emperor,officials and plebeian.Cheng Brothers considered "heavenly principle" as the core,with "cultivating" as the main line,put forward the cultivating thoughts of the emperor's way,the officials' way and the plebeian's way.The emperor needs to govern the country reasonably.Officials have to be loyal to the emperor reasonably.Plebeian should suppress their desire reasonably.In order to change long years' poverty and subsequent weakness,alleviate the serious national crisis and stable the feudal society,Cheng Brothers proposed the characteristic political thoughts of governing the country with principles and righteousness and strengthening the power of the monarch,taking the mission and responsibility of political education.Cheng Brothers repeatedly reported to the emperor in order to educate the emperor to improve the moral standards and govern the country with reasonable methods and achieve the political dream in the end.They persuaded the rulers not to rely on the obscurantism to maintain the feudal government.Only by raising and loving common people can they accept the moral cultivation and consciously obey the feudal rule.Cheng Brothers broke through the traditional prejudice and believe that people are civilizable which is valuable at that time and it is a great historical progress.At the same time,Cheng Brothers pay attention to the importance of folklore which enables the common people to gradually internalize the external principles and consciously obey them so that they can cultivate the moral personality of ideality and responsibility.Of course,considering the relationship between nature and human desires,Cheng Brothers obviously tends to canonize principles while neglect people's desire.They made the claim that people should suppress their desire by subjective introspections.The specific implementation method of cultivating theory is to focus on both "education"and "formation",internal and external,to coordinate and unify both two.Cheng Brothers attach great importance to education and emphasize the fundamental function of education in country ruling.They promote the folk education to practice the fair education by systematic education including official schools,private schools and family primary schools.Cheng Brothers are opposed to the imperial examination and strongly criticize the ignorance to principles and righteousness of the old education theory.They advocate the school to cultivate sages and truly connect education with country governing,prosperity and social traditions transforming,which is the inevitable product of that period of time.Imperial College was established in central in Northern Song Dynasty while the major educational institutions in local areas were schools and academies.The college-style civil education organization founded by Cheng Brothers plays an important role in promoting the socialization and popularization of cultivating thoughts by giving lectures and giving publicity to moral cultivation to benefit the folks.Family instruction and tradition in family education are useful for cultivating while family rules and village convenance are cultivating ways with distinct folk characteristics."Formation" is the inner self-cultivation.People nurture the moral quality and form the moral self-discipline through the ritual influence,penalty regulations and self-introspection.Cheng Brothers advocate the ethical cultivating thoughts and make it clear that individuals should act in accordance with the rules in order to maintain the feudal rule.Of course,although Cheng Brothers advocate the moral cultivating,they don't despise the penalty in the process of maintaining the feudal rule.The two supplement each other.The importance of the law is high valued and penalty is one of the cultivating ways.In the long-term educational practice,Cheng Brothers not only emphasize the leading role of educators,but only strongly advocate that the subject should improve his personal accomplishment and conscious restrain through regular and sincere thinking and inner reflection to achieve the state of awe and self-discipline.In short,Cheng Brothers' cultivating thoughts are rooted in the excellent traditional Chinese culture.As the precious cultural resource and spiritual wealth,it made wide and deep influence.The pursuit of the ideal personality,the diversified cultivating ways among folks,the cultivating function adapting to modernity and nationality can be raised to the height of general principles of the theory.Shaping the common essential existence,values and spiritual pursuit,it provides theoretical value and practical significance for the contemporary ideological and political education and social cultivation.Nowadays,based on morality enhancing and talents fostering,we should give full play to cultivating thought in leading,cultivating and governing,set up the staff education pattern of cultural cultivation,practical cultivation and self-education,build the common spiritual home to the Chinese nation and construct the political environment of a socialist harmonious society. |
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