The Religious-orientation Of Confucianism In The Late Ming Dynasty

In the history of Chinese philosophy， the form of philosophical theorycontinuously transforms with the changes of age. As the main body of the traditionalChinese philosophy， Confucian philosophy shows different theoretical form indifferent stages of the social. Confucianism in Late Ming is at the special stage ofSong and Ming Dynasties that changed from consolidation to decline from the peak.From Zhu Xi to Wang Yang—ming，The field of philosophy is not more and moreoutside but inward. Confucianism increasingly focused within the inward observation.It gradually preponderates to the cultivation of moral conduct. As a result,“theknowledge from sense perception” is ignored and it develops to the logic extreme inlate Ming. Mystical experience prevalence in Confucianism in the Late Ming, and itgradually replaced rational knowledge, which makes Confucianism turn to mysticism.The losing of rational knowledge base of the Late Ming Confucianism indicates thatthe Nec-confucianism has been developed to its logical extreme.The dual roles of social changes and the logic of Neo-Confucianism in the LateMing make Confucianism absorbed more Buddhism and Daoism factors and turn toreligion. The religious-orientation of Confucianism in the Late Ming Dynasty，isincluding that the religeonization of Shendao in scholars’ edification activities in thelate Ming time, the be born thought in the academic lectures, mystical experience onthe road of realizing dao and the idea karma in moral cultivation activities. With thechanges in the academic form of the Ming and Qing, the awareness of issues ofconcern to scholars also changed. The religious-orientation of Confucianism in theLate Ming Dynasty is failed.