The Research On Filial Piety About Chen Xianzhang

The CHENG and ZHU’s Neo-Confucianism occupied orthodox position at the beginning of Ming Dynasty. However, Chen Xianzhang changed this situation by establishing a new theoretical system called mind-philosophy and this made him a very important philosopher during the mind-philosophy’s developement. Current research on his thinking has brought out great achievements while most scholars put their concentration on talking about his theory of learning and acquiring by oneself and the relationship between his system with Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism leaving his filial piety thought not been investigated intensively. Taking that blindness into consideration, this dissertation will begin with his filial piety thought which is based on mind-philosophy and Tao to profoundly analyze mind-philosophy and Tao.Chen’s theoretical system mind-philosophy has been objectively analyzed in this dissertation, including his unique contribution to mind-philosophy’s developement in thedynasty when Neo-Confucianism claimed authority.In his mind-philosophy, the"mind" is a spiritual entitywhich contains the laws of the universe; the "mind" is a cognitive subject which can realize the whole world; the "mind" is moral ethical norms which prevents us from losingthe heart of kindness and justice. His filial piety thought means somethingcomes from one’s conscience and could conduct one’s conscious activity. And his thought of Tao yet has not gotten rid of the Neo-Confucianism’s influence, so he thinks that the "Tao" is the origin of all and a being too big, too abstract to describe just like CHENG and ZHU’s thought. Tao does not vary with the all objects’ loss-increase and penetrates into thethree poles that consist of heaven, earth and human being, so nothing could tell its sketch.Despite its highest superiority and top priority in the universe, the Tao could only be understood by one’s mind.As that he views the mind as the Tao’s cognitive subject, he believes that the filial piety is the decision made after one’s deeply understanding of Tao. Filial pietyoriginates from one’s conscience and defers to the Tao of Heaven. The dialectical unity ofFilial piety and the Tao of Heavencomes from that the filial piety is based on the Tao and the standard of great filial is that one can grasp the essence of Tao and justice and obey to his inherent echo to do filial conducts by self-conscious. It seems to him that the standard of great filial lies in one can evaluate himself by the measurement of the Tao ofHeaven, not the assessment of others or parents. However conflict happens when he is confronted with that his mother is seriously ill which forces him must make a choice between loyalty and filial piety. Though seemingly not agreedwith the Confucian moral principles, he selects filial piety by retiring from court and taking care of his mother. This causes tensions in his soul because of the Confucian principle of taking up an official post and conflicts with his belief that "the Tao of Heaven is nature".What Chen advocates in his theory of learning and acquiring by oneself is a mind state that one can concentrate himself in seeking from his inner soul and realize consciousness without any support of externals, or interferenceof eyes and ears, of influence by secularization. In his theory, one should devote his or her heart to seek, focus on self-perception and self-awareness, master the developing of all things, and then achieve a realm of mind which not comparing anything. Moreover, the theory eventually makes the mind and Tao into a whole, and integrate oneselfinto the nature.He proposes a method called "meditation for clue" in methodology aspect while his retiring of later year conflicts with the theory. By setting his thought of filial piety as entry point to analysis Chen’s whole theoretical system, we can truly depict the significance and limitation of his theory by discussing some conflicts and contradicts.At last, we can deduce the commonly existing contradict between ideal and reality in the history of Chinese philosophy via the above-mentioned of research of Chen’s theory and thought. And this willfurther help instruct our future reflection and practice.