Good Confucianism book (pdf) - Department of Physics

172 Neo-Confucianismextensive correspondence, but never resolved the issues that divided them.In brief, Zhu Xi argued that only human nature is principle. The mind/heartbecomes involved in the qi world of emotions and things. As we have seen,the point is to find the principle within, and that can be done by stillingthe mind/heart.Lu, on the other hand, argued that our mind/heart is fundamentally onewith the universe. Principle, he said, is nothing other than mind/heart; themind/heart is nothing other than principle. This oneness becomes obscuredby desires and the ego as we separate ourselves from the universe. In addition,Zhu Xi ’ s ideas were too complicated and involved; understandingsomething innate to us should not be so difficult.Wang YangmingLu ’ s somewhat sketchy approach was taken up later in the Ming dynasty(1368 – 1644) by Wang Yangming (1472 – 1528). While still a teenager,Wang had tried to follow Zhu Xi ’ s instructions. He spent days contemplatinga stand of bamboo, trying to understand its principle, but he wasunsuccessful. Giving up, he went on to pass the civil service examinationsand reached high office. When he was 35, he used his office to defend otherofficials who had complained about corruption at court. He was arrestedand beaten with 40 strokes in a public ceremony. It very nearly killed him.He was then demoted and exiled to a remote area. On his way there, hisenemies at court attempted to assassinate him, but Wang escaped. It was inexile in Guizhou that Wang Yangming came to his great insight about ZhuXi ’ s thought. He taught, wrote, and, restored to favor, became a successfulgeneral who put down a number of rebellions against the Ming dynasty.Wang Yangming argued first that the almost total dependence on ZhuXi ’ s thought had become nothing more than textual studies and that itrestricted new thinking. Second, that finding principle in things was a hopelesstask: he himself had spent days studying the principle of bamboo, butstill there was a separation between principle and his mind. And, finally, ashe realized in Guizhou, one ’ s own nature is sufficient – it is wrong to lookfor principle outside of one ’ s self in external things and events. If principleis understood as something separate from one ’ s self, then the mind/heartis divided from principle. Principle must be seen as the same as the mind/heart. We can only understand principle by doing it.Knowing about something and doing it are the same. If we study to findthe principle of filial piety, looking for it in books, we will not really findit. But, when we love and respect our parents, we know and act out theprinciple of filial piety. This shows us that principle cannot be known orfound outside of the mind/heart. Zhu Xi ’ s attempt to find principle outside