My heart is the universe.
—— Lu Jiuyuan
Wang Yangming can be said to be the person with the greatest influence on East Asia in the past five hundred years, and countless people regard him as a role model.
年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4期4年4年4年4期4年4年4年4期4年4年4年4期4年4年4年4年4年4期4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4年4 Chiang Kai-shek later changed his name to "Zhongzheng", which came from "Dazhongzhizheng" in Wang Yangming's study of mind; after arriving in Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek changed his name to Yangmingshan. Mao Zedong also strongly praised Yangming's Heart Study. He also wrote an article "The Power of the Heart" to talk about his experience in learning Yangming's Heart Study.
Wang Yangming's study of mind not only has a profound impact on China, but also has a great impact on neighboring Japan. Wang Yangming's study of the mind provided a theoretical basis for the Meiji Restoration at that time, and provided a powerful ideological weapon for the traditional concepts of "founding the country", "seeking reform" and "independent sovereignty" of the Japanese rulers at that time to oppose "locking the country" and maintain feudalism. Inamori Kazuo Inamori , in addition to respecting Buddhism, is also a "fan" of Wang Yangming. Inamori Kazuo puts his "heart-oriented" "Inamori Heart Study" into practice, and both the cultural and business circles have achieved remarkable achievements and influence.
Let’s talk about Wang Yangming’s core ideas of the study of mind and his modern inspiration to us.
Everyone has Confucius in their hearts
Wang Yangming is a very special existence in Chinese culture. The highest ideal of traditional Chinese scholars is to become the "three immortal" saints - establish virtue, achieve meritorious service, and make words.
In Chinese history, there are only two and a half who can achieve these "three immortals": one is Confucius , the other is Wang Yangming, and Zeng Guofan can only count as half. Wang Yangming said, "Everyone has Zhongni in his heart." Everyone can become a saint like Confucius. Wang Yangming himself can become a "three immortal" saint who is as famous as Confucius is the best interpretation.
Let’s first look at the background of Confucius and Zeng Guofan’s sanctification.
Let’s first look at the “sage” Confucius. From a global perspective, Confucius was in the famous "axial era". This period was the first tide of human civilization in all regions of the world. A group of ideological experts appeared, including in ancient Greece , and in India and Buddha in this period. From a domestic perspective, Confucius was in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. This period was the first major transformation of Chinese society. From the primitive slave society to the transformation of agricultural and feudal society, various vassal states were fighting, hundreds of schools of thought contend, and all capable people and patriots could show their talents. Confucius was the most outstanding representative figure at this stage.
Let’s look at the “semi-saint” Zeng Guofan again. Zeng Guofan was in the late Qing Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty was in turmoil. Faced with the impact of Western culture and artillery shells, China faced "a major change that had not been seen in three thousand years". It was the second major social transformation in Chinese history - the transformation stage of agricultural civilization to industrial and commercial civilization. During this period, countless patriotic patriots also emerged to strive for China to save the nation, and the "semi-saint" Zeng Guofan is a representative figure.
But Wang Yangming is a very special existence. His dynasty was neither in the social turmoil and division of Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (the era in which Confucius lived), Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties , and the late Qing and Republic of China (the era in which Zeng Guofan lived), turmoil and splitting of the political situation could create space for the emergence of new ideas; it was also in the Tang and Song dynasties where culture was highly open. For example, Tang poetry and Song lyrics represent the highest peak of Chinese classical culture (Zen Huineng, Zhu Xi , the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song dynasties were all in this period). Wang Yangming is in the darkest and most depressing Ming Dynasty , but even in such an environment, Wang Yangming still became the "Three Immortal" saint as famous as Confucius. He used his own life trajectory to verify that everyone has Zhongni in their hearts and everyone can become a saint.
mind is principle
heart is connected with the law of nature, and "heart" and "reason" are united.
Wang Yangming's "heart is reason" has something in common with Lu Jiuyuan, who is a study of mind, "My heart is the universe".
Gautama proposed "emptiness and awareness are the same"."Awareness" is my essence, emptiness is the essence of the world. Gautama said that my essence and the essence of the world are one of emptiness and consciousness. As the saying goes, "A flower and a world, , a leaf and a bodhi ", enters from its own "heart" and understands the entire universe . Chaos Academy Professor Li Shanyou said that the individual's consciousness existence and the ontological existence of the universe are the same existence. Gautama's "emptiness and awareness are the same", the individual's consciousness existence and the ontological existence of the universe mentioned by Professor Li Shanyou are the same existence, and are essentially the same as Wang Yangming's mind, that is, principles.
Regarding the mind is reason, "Inamori's Heart Study" has a more popular expression. Kazuo Inamori believes that in the deepest part of the human heart, there is a "true self" and is the purest and most beautiful part of the soul. Altruistic heart and kind and beautiful care are the result of the role of this "true self". This "true self" is the same as the "cosmic heart" that creates all things in the universe. That is to say, when it reaches the deepest "true self" in the human heart, it reaches the same place as the "cosmic heart" that can be regarded as the root of all things. Therefore, the "altruistic heart" expressed by the "true self" has the power to change reality, can bring good luck and lead things to success. The heart is the "true self", and the truth is the "heart of the universe". The "altruism" mentioned by Kazuo Inamori can also be understood as the "conscience" mentioned by Wang Yangming. When we " to conscience " (to reach the true self deep in the heart), we also reach the truth (the "heart of the universe" at the root of all things).
Unit one knowledge and action
What is the unity of knowledge and action?
"The real and sincere way of knowing is action, and the clear and conscious way of doing is knowledge." It shows that knowledge and action are inherently united and inseparable. There is action in knowledge, and there is knowledge in action. Knowledge is inner awareness, action is external action, and the unity of knowledge and action is the perfect combination of internal awareness and external action.
The best state of unity of knowledge and action is flow . The flow refers to the state of concentration and selflessness when we do certain things according to our hearts. In this state, our perception and actions achieve a perfect fusion, and we cannot even feel the existence of time. After this thing is completed, we will have a feeling of energy and satisfaction. When we do something with our flow, even work is a wonderful process.
to conscience
Each of us has a conscience, and conscience is everyone's "self". Conscience is originally in our hearts. We just need to make it the master of our lives again, establish subjectivity in our hearts again, and let life return to its own origin. "Tao" means finding the way to conscience. The way is to reflect on oneself and introspection. The individual has a dialogue between himself and himself, and our conscience will appear in our hearts in its original state.
1. Conscience in the heart
Previously, Wang Yangming respected Zhu Xi, so he sought Zhu Xi's books to read, and practiced the skill of investigating things. One day I remembered that the Confucians said that all things must be thick inside and outside, and every grass and tree all contain the most truths, so I turned to the "arrangement" of the bamboo in the courtyard. I still didn't understand the principles of bamboo from morning to night, but the result was that I couldn't get up on the seventh day. Therefore, I lament that sages cannot do it, mainly because they do not have the power of sages to investigate things. Later, Wang Yangming realized the truth in Longchang and realized that there was nothing to be used in the world, and the skill of investigating things could only be done in one's own mind.
So it is said, "The way of a sage is that my nature is self-sufficient. Those who seek reason from things are wrong." Conscience is free in our hearts, and we always want to seek out, which is wrong.
Wang Yangming also said: "Whoever has no roots? Good quality is the spiritual root planted in heaven, and it will never stop; but if you are tired of your own, you will not block this hatred and block the cold, and it will not happen." Who does not have roots? Conscience is the root of spiritual consciousness planted in heaven, and it will never stop; but you are just being implicated by selfish desires, and blinding this harm and cannot be generated.
The key to reaching conscience lies in "responsibility". The first step is to be alert, that is, we must first learn to be alert to our own habits. For example, we modern people are slowly being contaminated by social habits and gradually being blinded by external desires, not knowing what they really want.We are very busy every day and constantly seek out, thinking about how to make more money, how to achieve financial freedom, and how to live a better life; our childhood goal was to study hard and get into a good university, find a good job after getting into a university, buy a house and car after finding a job, then start a family, and then make money to cultivate the next generation. We complete one external goal after another, and then start a new goal. We are very busy every day, and we are also very anxious and confused. We cannot find the meaning of life, and we even live like a walking zombie.
We try to find ourselves in things, but we never really succeeded, and finally lost ourselves in these things. Then, this external symbol presentation will replace the "inner" (also what Wang Yangming said about conscience), and in turn will become the driving force that drives one's progress. So we become slaves to our external goals, and our lives are full of anxiety and dissatisfaction.
The most famous fairy tale in the world is "The Little Prince" written by Saint Exuperi, France. It is said that the total sales volume reaches more than 200 million copies, second only to the imperially-appointed version of " Bible ". The reason why the little prince resonates widely is because we all have our own little prince in our hearts. He symbolizes our most authentic self. He has always followed his "conscience". When we were young, we all acted on "conscience" like the little prince. However, as we grow up, we are slowly blinded by external desires. Therefore, we need to "realize conscience". If we want to obtain true happiness and live a meaningful life, we need to be alert to these external desires, introspectively and self-examination, and find what we really want and pursue.
2. Expression of conscience
When we have the first step of awakening, what we have to rely on next is the power of conscience itself. When Wang Yangming had been seeking out before, he found that he could not find it at all, but once you rely on the power of conscience in your heart to know that conscience can judge this matter, you will find that it has extremely strong power in itself, bringing you into a correct cycle.
After the self-establishment of conscience, we have a sense of certainty in our hearts, and our behavior will not deviate from our own direction of life, and then we will express ourselves according to the needs of our original heart, which is what Wang Yangming said: to bring the conscience of our heart to everything. For example, Musk's ultimate goal is to allow humans to immigrate to Mars and become a multi-planet species. This is his "conscience". The companies he founded in various fields such as SpaceX, Tesla , etc., seem diversified, but they are all extended through his "conscience". Although SpaceX and Tesla both faced great difficulties and were even on the verge of bankruptcy in the early days and were not favored by everyone, he followed the "conscience" and never wavered. It was this sense of determination that originated from his heart that made him persevere, and he became the world's richest man in 2021. His wealth value is the sum of Bill Gates and Buffett .
In summary, Wang Yangming's greatest modern enlightenment to our mind is that everyone can become a saint in their hearts.
1. Everything you want in your heart. What we want is in our hearts, but modern society has too many external desires. Our external seeking makes our original heart blinded, and we gradually lose ourselves. We need to constantly introspectively and self-examination, find our true heart, and then follow our true heart to act, so that we will have a sense of certainty in life and live a better life.
2. Everyone can become a saint. After all, seeking success is temporary. In addition to personal efforts, success also requires the dividends and luck of the times. When we work hard but cannot succeed, we may fall into depression and lie down. But inward care - to achieve conscience, everyone can become saints and everyone can achieve their own success (of course not as defined by the outside world).
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