Wang Yangming’s own life is a brilliant life illuminated by lofty aspirations. The Chinese talk about the "Three Immortals", which is the so-called "the most important thing is to establish virtue, the second is to perform meritorious service, and the second is to establish words." If you can do any of them, then you have surpassed tens of millions of people, and your life can be said to be successful without success. A life of regret. But Wang Yangming can be said to have achieved all three points.
Let’s talk about morality first. He was the most influential Confucian scholar after Confucius, Mencius, and Zhu Xi. Not only did he have tens of thousands of students who followed him at that time, he even went abroad and had a major influence on Japan and North Korea. He still has countless fans today.
Let’s talk about meritorious service. He put down the rebellion of Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao and wiped out several banditry in Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi. Because of his unparalleled achievements, he was granted the title of Jianxin Hou. This was the ultimate achievement that a courtier in the feudal era could achieve.
Let’s talk about making a statement. He left many works such as "Yangming Biography" and "Great Learning", which were compiled into "The Complete Works of Wang Yangming" by later generations. Although he is not famous for his literature, his outstanding vision and mind are reflected in his works, which have their own unique charm and value. His "Qi Lv Wen" and "Doctrine Showing All Living Things in Longchang" were both included in "Gu Wen Guan Zhi". He also integrated the study of mind into calligraphy. Not only was he an accomplished calligrapher, he also enriched Chinese calligraphy theory.
Precisely because his life was so perfect, he won the high praise of "the perfect man in ancient and modern times".