The Four Sentences refers to the four sentences that Wang Yangming used to express the essence of his thoughts in his later years, that is, "There is no good or disgusting body, there are good and bad intentions, knowing good and evil is conscience, doing good deeds Evil is the object of evil".
In the sixth year of Jiajing (1527), Wang Yangming was ordered to go to Guangxi. His students Qian Dehong (also known as Hongfu, also known as Xushan) and Wang Ji (also known as Ruzhong, known as Longxi) had different opinions on how to understand the four There were differences in Jujiao, so the famous "Tianquan Zhengdao" came into being. From then until Wang Yangming passed away, for more than a year, Wang Yangming did not give a further explanation of the Four Sentences Teaching, which left a regret for the mind-study and also led to the fragmentation of the mind-study of future generations. So how should we understand and apply Wang Yangming’s four sentences to ourselves?
A body that is neither good nor disgusting. The first sentence in the Four Sentences Teaching. Many people will describe Yangming Mind Theory as Zen Buddhism because of this sentence, because the Sixth Patriarch Huineng also said, "Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a stand. There is nothing in the beginning, so how can it be disturbed?" Dust." Although Wang Yangming and Huineng both talk about the essence of the heart, there are still differences.
The good and evil mentioned by Wang Yangming are not just what we call good and bad. The Confucian so-called supreme good is the mean, and evil is the excess and inferiority. The golden mean is to operate in complete compliance with the laws of nature, just like the running track of a train. Deviation from this track is evil. If the deviation is small, the consequences will be light, and if the deviation is large, the consequences will be heavy. There are standards for good and evil in Confucianism. According to this standard, there will be thickness and root and bottom, just like nature will take care of different species at different times and create overlords at different times. But the good and evil of Zen Buddhism is more biased towards good than bad, making people infinitely good, so that people, animals, vegetation, and all things are equal, and there is no difference between thin and thick.
The body that is neither good nor disgusting is based on the ontology of the heart, and the focus is on "no evil". The essence of each of our hearts is on the track of the laws of nature, and there is no deviation. The "no good" here is more of a rhyming foil. The essence of the heart is neither evil nor good, which is what Mencius said: "nature is inherently good." ". Therefore, this sentence does not mean that the essence of the mind as we understand it is neither good nor bad. This may also be the reason why many people feel that Wang Yangming has broken away from Confucianism.
There are good and bad actions. The second sentence puts it more simply, our good and evil are all derived from our thoughts - that is, our way of thinking, and our way of thinking determines whether it is good or bad. Just like grass, they are only neutral, without any good or evil. If the grass grows in the garden, we will think it affects the appearance and is evil; if the grass grows on the football field, we will think it is evil. Be good. Therefore, this distinction between good and evil is imposed on the grass by our thoughts.
In addition, when we are at work, many people feel tired and irritable, but work is just one thing, and there is no distinction between good and evil in itself. Some people put pressure on themselves because they are afraid of making mistakes, being embarrassed, or taking on responsibilities, etc., resulting in irritability; some people feel that work is an opportunity for growth, where they can build themselves up and contribute to society. , so that the more you do it, the more energetic you will be. So the difference between good and evil is not in things, but in the way we think.
Knowing good and evil is conscience. The source of conscience is Mencius, "He who knows everything without worrying about it is a conscience." Conscience is inherent in each of us. To put it more simply, it is what we often call conscience. Nowadays, when we do evil things, some people will say: Doesn’t your conscience hurt? This conscience will hurt, which is the function of conscience. Our conscience knows the good and evil caused by our thoughts, and it will hurt. However, many people use band-aids made of selfish desires to cover up this pain.
Everyone has a conscience. Even if he is a bandit and robber, he will be unhappy if you call him a robber, and he will be angry if you rob his things. These are what his conscience tells him. When a thought comes out, only we know best what our thoughts are for, and we must face ourselves and our conscience bravely.
To do good and to eliminate evil is to examine things. When conscience tells us what is good and what is evil, we should resolutely do good and avoid evil.
Regarding kind thinking, we must convert this kind of thinking into action, do it firmly and conscientiously, and don't just stay in the mind. This is doing good.
Regarding evil thinking, we must eradicate this kind of thinking. Don’t think that it doesn’t matter before it is converted into action. If you want to remove the root of the disease, treat it before the disease occurs. To eliminate it is to eliminate evil.
Doing good and eliminating evil is also the way of investigating things. When facing all things, we should constantly maintain the principles of heaven and eliminate human desires, so as to achieve the Tao.
The Four Sentences Teaching is a holistic process. Let’s take the Newtonian mechanics we learned in school as an example.
Each of us is like a small ball. Without friction and external force, we will continue to move according to the law of uniform linear motion. This is the "body without kindness and disgust". The movement of thoughts is like a force. It will make us change the state of uniform linear motion and make us deviate from this law. This is the "movement of good and evil". When our motion state changes, our conscience will know it through various calculation methods. This is "knowing good and evil is conscience." When we understand that our state of motion has changed, we need to add force to ourselves to return ourselves to a state of uniform linear motion. This is "doing good and eliminating evil is to check things."
The Four Sentences is a complete explanation from the essence to the application to the effect. It contains many philosophies of life. We must not forget to help, and constantly know and practice. Let us continue to practice and grow ourselves, so that we can do what we want without going beyond the rules.
Mr. Wang Yangming’s young disciple, I hope that the Holy Spirit will prosper and everyone can have a happy heart