It is the combination of knowledge and action! The unity of knowledge and action means that understanding the truth of things and applying this truth in reality are inseparable.
The unity of knowledge and action: refers to the propositions of epistemology and practice in ancient Chinese philosophy, mainly about moral cultivation and moral practice. Ancient Chinese philosophers believed that it is not only necessary to understand ("know"), but especially to practice ("do"). Only by unifying "knowledge" and "doing" can it be called "good".
In the third year of Zhengde of Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty (1508), Wang Shouren, a master of mind science, lectured at Guiyang Civilization Academy and first proposed the theory of the unity of knowledge and action. The so-called "unity of knowledge and action" is not a general relationship between knowledge and practice. "Knowledge" mainly refers to people's moral consciousness and thoughts. "Xing" mainly refers to people's moral practice and practical actions. Therefore, the relationship between knowledge and action refers to the relationship between moral consciousness and moral practice, and also includes the relationship between some thoughts and practical actions. Wang Shouren’s idea of ??“unity of knowledge and action” includes the following two meanings.
1. In knowing, there is action, and in doing, there is knowledge. Wang Shouren believes that knowing and doing are one thing and cannot be divided into "two parts". He said: "Knowledge and practice are two words, said in one effort." From the perspective of moral education, he strongly opposed the disconnect between knowledge and action and "knowing but not doing" in moral education, and prominently attributed all morality to the conscious actions of individuals, which is of positive significance. Because from the perspective of moral education, moral consciousness cannot be separated from moral behavior, and moral behavior cannot be separated from moral consciousness. The two are mutually exclusive and inseparable. Knowledge must be manifested in action, otherwise it cannot be regarded as true knowledge. Moral knowledge and moral consciousness must be manifested in moral behavior. If we do not act, it cannot be regarded as true knowledge. Wang Shouren believes that: Conscience can do everything, and conscious action is knowledge. This is undoubtedly profound.
2. Act based on knowledge, and knowledge determines action. Wang Shouren said: "Knowledge is the idea of ??action, action is the effort of knowing; knowledge is the beginning of action, action is the completion of knowledge." What he means is that morality is the guiding ideology of human behavior, and acting in accordance with the requirements of morality is the process of achieving "conscience." Ideological activities generated under moral guidance are the beginning of behavior, and behavior that conforms to the requirements of moral norms is the completion of "conscience."
Wang Shouren's theory of the unity of knowledge and action was mainly aimed at Zhu Xue and was opposed to Zhu Xi's thought. Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, including Lu Jiuyuan, all advocated "knowing first and then doing", dividing knowledge and action into two parts, and believed that knowledge must be understood first and then practiced. Wang Shouren advocated the unity of knowledge and action precisely to save Zhu Xue's deviation.
Wang Shouren’s theory of the unity of knowledge and action deepens the relationship between the consciousness and practicality of moral consciousness, and overcomes the shortcomings of Zhu Xi’s theory of knowing first and acting first, but at the same time it also erases the theory of knowledge in Zhu Xi’s theory of knowledge and action. Element. Although Wang Shouren's views were conducive to moral cultivation, they ignored the learning of objective knowledge, which caused the shortcomings of later Wang Xue disciples who abandoned their studies willfully. Thinkers in the early Qing Dynasty even attributed the demise of the Ming Dynasty to the shortcomings of Wang Xue.
Wang Shouren (1472-1529) Introduction:
Wang Shouren, courtesy name Bo'an, nickname Yangmingzi, known as Mr. Yangming in the world, was born in Yuyao, Zhejiang during the Chenghua period of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty. . His father, Wang Hua, won the first prize in Xinchou (1481), the 17th year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty. Wang Shouren moved to Shaoxing with his father.
Life
According to legend, Wang Hua was very strict with his son’s upbringing. Wang Shouren studied literature and martial arts very hard when he was young, but he loved playing chess and often delayed his homework for this. Although his father repeatedly scolded him, he never changed his mind. In a fit of anger, he threw the chess piece into the river. Wang Shouren was shocked and suddenly realized, and he immediately wrote a poem to express his ambition:
Chess is a joy all day long, but the pain of being strictly loved is once lost.
The soldiers fell into the river but were not saved, and the general drowned and rested together.
A horse travels thousands of miles and goes with the waves, just like an elephant wanders into three rivers and follows the waves.
The sound of a cannon and the earthquake in the sky suddenly startled Wolong Chou.
He used Zhuge Liang to describe himself and was determined to make a career. After that, he studied hard and made great progress in his studies. He became more and more proficient in riding, archery, and the art of war. In the twelfth year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty (1499), he passed the Jinshi examination and was awarded the title of head of the Ministry of War. At that time, everyone in the court knew that he was a learned man, but Zhang Zhong, the eunuch in charge of military affairs, believed that Wang Shouren was appointed as a scribe to the head of the military department, so he despised Shouren.
Once, he actually forced Shouren to shoot an arrow in public, hoping to make him look embarrassed. Unexpectedly, Shouren raised his bow and shot three arrows, hitting three hits. The whole army cheered, making Zhang Zhong very embarrassed.
Wang Shouren worked as the chief of the Ministry of War for three years. He suddenly suffered from lung disease and retired due to illness. He settled in Yangming Cave next to Longrui Palace in Kuaiji Mountain. In his old life, he was called Mr. Yangming.
After Wang Shouren recovered from illness and resumed his duties, he was demoted to Yi Cheng in Longchang (the county seat of Xiuwen County) in Guizhou because he opposed the eunuch Liu Jin in the first year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty (1506). After Liu Jin was executed, he was appointed as the governor of Luling County and became the Shaoqing of Nantaipu Temple. At that time, Wang Qiong was appointed Minister of the Ministry of War. He believed that Shouren had extraordinary talents and recommended him to the imperial court. In the eleventh year of Zhengde (1516), he was promoted to the censor of Youqiandu and succeeded him as governor of southern Jiangxi. He mounts his horse to govern the army and dismounts his horse to govern the people. He is a civilian official who controls military talismans. He combines civil and military strategies. He is smart in his work and uses troops quickly. For suppressing local riots and quelling the "Chenhao Rebellion", he worshiped the Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing and was granted the title of "Xinjian Bo". Later, he was banned because of his outstanding achievements, so he resigned and returned to his hometown to give lectures. He founded academies in Shaoxing and Yuyao to preach "King's Learning". In the sixth year of Jiajing's reign (1527), he was again appointed as governor of the military affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi. Later, due to worsening lung disease, he begged to return home and died of illness in a boat in Nan'an, Jiangxi. Posthumous title Wencheng.
Achievements
Wang Shouren was the master of subjective idealism in the Song and Ming dynasties of my country. He developed Lu Jiuyuan's theory to counter the Cheng-Zhu school. He said: "There is no good or evil in the body of the heart; there is good and evil in the body of the heart; the person who knows good and evil is conscience; the person who does good and eliminates evil is the object of investigation." He took this as the purpose of his lectures. He asserted: "The truth of all things is nothing but my heart" and "the clarity of my heart is the law of heaven"; he denied that there are reasons, things and things outside the heart. He believes that for learning, "learning is the only way to get the heart", "the heart is the root of what is planted." Those who learn are those who cultivate and irrigate, those who support and delete and hoe, it is nothing more than doing something at the root. That's all." It requires this kind of inner cultivation method to achieve the so-called "all things are one" state. His theories of "the unity of knowledge and action" and "the simultaneous advancement of knowledge and action" are aimed at opposing the views of Song Confucian scholars such as Cheng Yi who "know first and then practice" and various views that separate the relationship between knowledge and action. When talking about children's education, he opposed "whipping and fettering them as if they were being imprisoned" and advocated that "it must be encouraged and centered with joy" in order to achieve "natural transformation over time." His teachings appeared in an "anti-traditional" manner. After the mid-Ming Dynasty, the Yangming School was formed and had a great influence. He recruited disciples all over the world. After his death, although "Wang Xue" was divided into several schools, they all came from the same sect and each had its own strengths. His philosophical thoughts spread far and wide overseas, especially having a great influence on Japanese academic circles. The Japanese general Togo Heihachiro has a waist card that says "I will bow my head and worship Yomei for the rest of my life."
Wang Shouren is not only a philosopher, educator, strategist, and politician, but also a famous poet. He loved the mountains and rivers of his hometown very much. When he returned to his hometown, he often visited places of interest and left many popular poems. For example, he wrote "Remembering Longquan Mountain":
I love Longquan Mountain, and the mountain monks are quite wild.
I sit on the railing of a well all the time, and sometimes I lie under a pine tree.
Farewell to Yunshan overnight, and travel by carriage for three years.
I am ashamed to kill the spring under the rock, and it will clear it day and night.
Wang Shouren also visited Xuedou Mountain in Fenghua. The poem "Xuedou Mountain" he wrote is bright and elegant. It has been recited by people for hundreds of years.
The road in the poor mountain is cut off and it is difficult to come alone. After crossing thousands of streams, you can see the stone altar.
The bell in the high pavilion is ringing, and the monk wakes up from his sleep. In the deep forest, the flowers are cold and the clothes are cold.
The valleys and thunders are faintly linked to the rock waterfalls, and the mountains and rain reflect the bamboo poles.
Don’t be surprised that all the peaks look familiar. I once looked at the painting.
Wang Shouren wrote a lot during his life. After his death, his disciples compiled the thirty-eight volumes of "Wang Wencheng Gongquan Shu", of which the most important ones in philosophy are "Zhuanxi Lu" and "Great Learning".
He condensed his mental knowledge into four sentences:
There is no good or disgusting body,
There are good and evil actions.
Knowing good and knowing evil is liangzhi,
Doing good and eliminating evil is qingwu.
There is a stele pavilion commemorating him in the "Four Stele Pavilions" in Yuyao. The inscription reads: The hometown of Wang Yangming, the sage of the Ming Dynasty. Couplet: The university was once famous for teaching, and there are still high-rise buildings with auspicious clouds. Banner: True Three Immortals.
Wang Yangming’s Monument of Merits
In ancient times, after a major battle, the victorious side would usually carve stones near the battlefield to commemorate their merits. There is also a place like this in Lushan Mountain.
Under the Li Jing reading desk in Xiufeng, there is a stone wall several feet square. There are three stone carvings on the stone wall: in the middle is "Seven Buddhas" written by Huang Tingjian, a great poet and calligrapher of the Song Dynasty, on the right is a poem by Xu Dai of the Ming Dynasty, and on the left is an inscription written by Wang Yangming here to record his achievements after pacifying Zhu Chenhao's rebellion. Monument of merit. The inscription contains a total of 136 characters. The font is solemn and powerful, and it penetrates into the stone. Later generations commented on the inscription:
This mountain is immortal at this moment, and the wind and thunder protect the forest's light.
Wang Shouren (1472-1528 AD), courtesy name Bo'an, was known as Mr. Yangming because he built a house and studied in his hometown of Yangmingdong. Wang Yangming, a native of Zhejiang, was a famous philosopher, educator, politician and military strategist in ancient my country. He once served as the censor of the military affairs capital. On June 14, the 14th year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1519), Zhu Chenhao, Prince Ning of the Ming Dynasty, launched a rebellion in Nanchang. The rebels, numbering 100,000, were overwhelming and fell into Nankang. They descended to Jiujiang and flowed down the river. Along the way, they defeated Anqing and forced Nanjing. They had the potential to march north and directly seize the capital. The Ming court was shaken and panicked. At this time, Wang Yangming, the governor of southern Gansu who was stationed in Fengcheng, quickly rushed to Ji'an, made a decisive decision, mobilized troops, and attacked Nanchang, the base of the rebels. Chen Hao heard the news and hurriedly returned to rescue. Wang Yangming fought with the rebels at Poyang Lake. In just 35 days, Wang Yangming defeated the rebels and captured Zhu Chenhao alive in Shengmi Street near Nanchang. A major rebellion that endangered the country and the country was put down almost with laughter. However, for Wang Yangming's great achievements, instead of being rewarded by the court, he suffered a series of slanders and frame-ups. Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty even felt that Wang Yangming had lost face by easily putting down the rebellion so quickly. He believed that in such a battle, he should personally lead the troops to the south in order to show his "imperial power". The eunuch Zhang Zhong and others falsely accused him of colluding with Chen Hao. Wu Zong actually asked Wang Yangming to let Chen Hao go and let him lead his army to fight Zhu Chen Hao again... In this case, Wang Yangming rushed to Qiantang overnight and handed Chen Hao over to the eunuch. , and at the same time followed Wu Zong's will, reported victory again, and attributed the victory in countering the rebellion to Wu Zong. In this way, the emperor's face was saved and Wang Yangming's wealth and life were guaranteed.
On the 30th day of the first lunar month of the second year, Wang Yangming went to Kaixian Temple (now Xiufeng Temple) and carved stones to record his merits. The merit stele extols Wuzong's "imperial majesty and divine martial arts" and "personally unified the Sixth Division before the attack, and then captured Chen Hao and returned home." In the short inscription, Wang Yangming also vaguely expressed his unspeakable complex feelings.
Perhaps when he was carving stones to record his merits, Wang Yangming was deeply impressed by the scenery around Kaixian Temple, and he loved this place very much. In March of this year, he came to Kaixian Temple again. Wandering in the forest, meditating on the waterside, the quiet mountains and rivers, the forest, the springs and the numerous cultural relics reminded him of his ups and downs in the officialdom and the ups and downs of his life. In addition to feeling emotional, he wrote several poems to express his inner worries.
His "Revisiting the Wall of Kaixian Temple Again" says:
Zhongcheng couldn't understand the official business and looked around the mountains to find the temple.
I still keep my salary for my wife and children, but I haven’t been able to retire from office yet.
I came twice at the beginning of March, but the door for monks and guests in the temple was not open.
The mountain spirit seems to dislike the vulgar people, and the stream wind blocks the road and blows people back.
Don’t you see, a man of wealth is like a man of wine, and it takes five measures to wake up.
As long as I enjoy the mountains and rivers, why should I be famous?
There is also a song "Sitting in Longtan at Night" that says:
Where can the fragrance of flowers enter the night? The sound of thatched cottage in the stone forest across the stream.
Every time the lonely man goes out alone when the moon comes out, the bird roosting in the sky will sing.
The dew on the grass is always wet, and the wind on the pine trees makes the clothes light;
I want to write the meaning of orchids when I am in the flow, and the love is endless in the north and south of the Yangtze River.
The poem expresses how lonely, depressed and heavy the author feels. The memorial monument under Li Jing's reading desk is still clear and eye-catching hundreds of years later. After reading this inscription of more than 100 words, and then reading the two poems mentioned above, facing the stone wall is like facing a page of profound thoughts. history, through the inscriptions praising the power of the emperor, we can see the true face of the history that has been covered up.
Attachment: The full text of "The Monument of Merits":
At the end of Zhengde, in Yihai in the sixth month, Chenhao rebelled in Nanchang and called his troops to Xiangque. Defeated Nankang and Jiujiang, attacked Anqing, and shocked people far and wide.
In the seventh month of Xinhai, the minister Shouren returned to Nanchang with troops from the following counties. He was captured by Chen Hao and the rest of the party was settled. At that time, the emperor was furious when he heard about the change, and personally unified the Sixth Division to attack him, so he captured Chen Hao and returned.
With the majesty of the emperor, the divine force will not kill. Like the shock of thunder, it breaks when struck by force. The artifact has its home, who dares to steal it? The sky is in view of Chenhao, and the emperor's spirit is revealed to bring peace to our country.
At the end of the first month of Zhengde Gengchen, the governor of the military affairs department and the censor of the capital, Wang Shouren wrote. The subordinates of the enlisted officials are listed on the left.