The Study Of Wang Yangming's Doctrine That "No Things Outside The Min"

The expression "xin-wai-wu-wu"(no things outside the mind)is regarded as the essence of Wang Yangming's ???(1472-1529)views on xin-wu(the relation between mind and matter)in this particle which tries to present the rationale of this thought and comment on its meaning.The past studies of Yangming's "xin-wai-wu-wu" or "xin-wu" can be divided into three perspectives:the perspective of the meaning construction which stress the intentionality of the mind plays a defining role towards the matter;the perspective of the creation of the metaphysical entity which emphasizes that xin or liang-zhi(conscience)is not only the basis of moral practice,but also the ontological basis of everything;the third perspective affected by Phenomenology suspends the presumption that xin and wu both are abstract entities,and returns the relation between xin and wu to the original condition which has no duality.We are inclined to the second perspective.When Wang Yangming came up with the proposition "xin-ji-lf" in Longchang,the thought "xin-wai-wu-wu" existed at the same time.There were two big spurs to the enlightenment:aspiring to be the sage and feeling uncomfortable about Zhu Xi's ge-wu(studying the essence of things).The former is both "ben-ti"(substance)and"gong-fu"(practice),which could be the strongest power to seek and realize the Dao(the way to truth);the latter melts into big doubts which would break through a new way when they are solved.The proposition "xin-ji-li" is the core of the thought "xin-wai-wu-wu".The opinion "xin-ji-li" aims to get rid of the dualism between xin and li,and return to the original state."xin-ji-li" cannot be understood without the structure of the nature of mind from Pre-Qin Confucianism such as "tian-ming-zhi-wei-xing"(the nature originates from the Heaven)and "jin-xin-zhi-xing"(completely showing your mind so that you know your nature and the Heaven).Since the mind,nature and principle all mean one and the same thing,Wang Yangming can replace li by xin and say xin is the place on which li appears.Xin-ti or liang-zhi "exists and acts".When the function of xin-ti or liang-zhi is great,the flowing of tian-li is unhindered.The thought "xin-wai-wu-wu" is the expansion and deepening of the idea"xin-ji-li".It can contain two meanings,i.e.,no things outside the mind and no events outside the mind,by the distinction between "xing-wei-wu"(events or affairs)and"cun-zai-wu"(things exclusive of events or affairs).But the two meanings are the same thing.The "ming-jue-gan-ying"(intellectual intuition)is the key to understand this thought.Because of the intellectual intuition,all things can achieve their original states.In this process,the real life-world and the complete nature-world appears slowly.Without xin-ti or liang-zhi,all things will be hided or dusky.Since the hided or dusky things are not real and true for people,we cannot call them "wu"(real things).When we can achieve the original state,we are actually the heart of the Heaven and the source of the world.At this occasion,the structure of space-time has no meaning for xin-ti or liang-zhi.Xin-ti or liang-zhi originally has some important features as follows:it is void and has nothing redundant;the substance is the function;it never ceases and takes reckless actions;it is the intellectual intuitive;it knows right or wrong automatically.It is not merely ethical,which will produce other meanings if used to discuss the modern science and democracy.However before this we should get further understanding of xin-ti or liang-zhi:what is the relation between li and qi at the original situation;how does xin-ti or liang-zhi act and flow brightly.