A Study Of Wang Yangming's "Mind Body"

The basic trend of academic development from Song dynasty to the Ming was the transform from the school of Principle to Mind,it is essentially the process of moral principles from objective to subjective,that was also the process of people's moral subjectivity being set up and gradually perfected.Lu preliminary built moral subjectivity,that played a historical role on changing the development of Song Learning;But the one who really improve the moral function and dominance of mind and was Wang Yangming,this fully reflected in his theory of "Mind Body".The meaning of the word "Mind Body" in Wang Yangming's philosophy was different from Song's scholar.Song's called "Mind Body" as "the noumenon of mind",refers to the natural state or the original substance of mind;Wang Yangming's "Mind Body" refers to both the innate moral and perceptual experience mind as a whole.The concept of "Mind Body" indicate that the scope of Wang Yangming's concerned about the mind is no longer limited to the original moral mind,he had payed attention to human's natural emotion and desire,which traditional considered as the object to govern,represent individual perceptual existence,and put them into the domain of "Mind Body".This makes the Learning of Wang Yangming seek the universal law of moral based on the individual particularity,therefore avoided the repression of human nature from the external rigidity principle.Specifically,the author thinks that Wang Yangming's philosophy unfold through two paths around "Mind Body".The first is the construction of Mind Body's meaning,the second is the method of cultivation base on the building up of Mind Body.First of all,on the meaning of Mind Body,Wang thought that human's Mind Body has some characteristics in natural sense as the supreme good,justice,intuitive knowledge,sincere,happiness,etc.He maintained the principle of Mencius,who said human nature is good,but not just means the good of pure moral reason eliminate the perceptual part of Mind Body,it is the good of synthesis basis on the moral reason govern perceptual existence naturally.Wang endowed Mind Body with the meaning not only of ethical and moral sense,at the same time with a state of being.Second,on the method of cultivation,Wang considered Mind Body as fundamental,the experienced method which he emphasized express along two ideological lines as“from the function to noumenon”and”from the noumenon to function”.Wang's method of cultivation claims for seeking inward on the surface,apposed against pursuing principle outward.In fact,he has always emphasized that one should never depart from things,he advocated to build up one's Mind Body by specific work in life incident,this is called “from the function to noumenon”;The heart body is fundamental,“as long as the achievement of own heart,one get the function”,this called”from the noumenon to function”.All in all,based on the noumenon,the noumenon and function is united.Follow the logic of the above,this article will explore Wang's Mind Body idea mainly through two aspects of meaning and the method of cultivation.The first chapter is a preface of the article,which stated thesource and significance of this selected topic,as well as the research background.And the second chapter investigated how Wang put forward the concept of Mind Body contact the logic line of neo-confucianism's development.The third and fourth chapter mainly inspects the meaning Mind Body from two aspects.The third chapter expressed the Conscience,the domination of Mind Body as the center,first explored the characteristics and expression form of the Conscience,the second investigated the regulation of Conscience towards perceptual state,the leading role and the significance of it.The fourth chapter discusses the ethical and existing meaning of the nature state,which also the ideal state,of Mind Body.First of all,the Mind Body is the supreme good and also no good and evil on ethic level;Second,discuss the state of“Equilibrium before feelings are aroused”with both ethics and existence meaning.The fifth chapter discusses the cultivation method of building up Mind Body.Among them,the first section is a summarize of Wang's cultivation method,discussed "to save the principle and eliminate one's desire" and "the unity of knowledge and practice",the two dominant idea of the doctrine of Wang,reflected the two characteristics of "from the function to noumenon" and "from the noumenon to function".The second,the concrete examination of Wang's doctrine "investigate things to extend knowledge" and "Sends the Conscience" through the dominant idea of the above.The last part is the summary of the full text,that investigate the significance of Yang Ming Mind Body said overall,the transcend to Zhu and Lu,the disadvantages and influence on later generations.