Zhan Ruoshui is a famous philosopher who emerged in the ideological trend of Mind in Ming Dynasty, and his academic thought belongs to Mind in essence. However, in the whole ideological trend of mind in Ming Dynasty, Zhan Ruoshui has different ideological characteristics and academic style from other schools and scholars.
The study of saints lies in the study of mind. The so-called "heart" refers to those who are right about everything within the square inch of the cavity, and there is nothing wrong with the heart.
There is only one heart in the universe, both ancient and modern. What's the difference? Beginners and saints have the same heart and justice.
Those who are upright in nature are also those who are in Wu Xin and know everything.
Zhan Ruoshui's series of viewpoints clearly show his position on psychology. He regarded "heart" as an ontological existence, and thought that "heart is justice" and "everything is not heart" were in tune with the increasingly prosperous ideological trend of mind at that time.
Among several famous masters of psychology in the Ming Dynasty, Zhan Ruoshui was the thinker with the most eclectic tendency. On the one hand, he often argued with Wang Shouren, a contemporary psychologist, and even criticized his teacher Chen Xianzhang. On the other hand, he did not completely deny Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism since the Song Dynasty, but adopted a consistent compromise attitude. This enables Zhan Ruoshui to put forward many different views from the theory of mind. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss his school position here, especially his attitude towards other Neo-Confucianism.
Zhu's Neo-Confucianism and Lu Jiuyuan's Neo-Confucianism are two schools of Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties. They have great differences in academic thoughts and moral cultivation methods. The two sides have been arguing endlessly because of this ideological difference, which has affected the future.
Zhan Ruoshui did not make a comprehensive and positive evaluation of Lu Jiuyuan. On the contrary, he often raised some questions and criticisms, because he did not advocate Xue Lu's absolute view of mind.
The same is true of Zhan Ruoshui's attitude towards Zhu. On the one hand, he did not categorically deny Zhu's study. When someone criticized Zhu, he said, "What a mistake this is! His ambition is also, he is also studying, and he is also good at doing things. " On the other hand, he criticized Zhu's College Chapters and Sentences, which can only be used to cope with the imperial examination, but can't be used to improve the spiritual realm and guide moral education and moral cultivation, showing a compromise attitude.
For example, there is an important difference between Zhu and Lu Jiuyuan in the art of self-cultivation: they attach importance to "learning from teachers" and advocate moral cultivation through learning from teachers and poor reading; Xue Lu, on the other hand, attached great importance to "respecting morality" and demanded to realize moral understanding and life consciousness through subjective exploration and inventing the original mind. Zhan Ruoshui believes that both Zhu and Lu are biased and one-sided, so it is necessary to unify "Tao and learning" and "respecting morality".
Zhan Ruoshui believes that in the process of moral cultivation, "being a teacher" is embodied in "doing" and "respecting morality" is embodied in "knowing". Both of them have important functions, and we can't favor one over the other. Therefore, he insisted on the viewpoint of "unity of mind and learning" and "knowledge and practice go hand in hand", and opposed the "disadvantages of doing things in their own way".
Zhan Ruoshui's criticism of Zhu and Lu and his admiration for Cheng's "consistent use from top to bottom" show his own academic ideas and ideological characteristics, that is, on the basis of maintaining his psychological system, he adopts an inclusive and harmonious attitude towards the two schools of mind and Neo-Confucianism to avoid academic prejudice caused by the dispute between schools. Zhan Ruoshui's academic position is obviously different from his teacher Chen Xianzhang and contemporary psychologist Wang Shouren.
In Wang Shouren's view, "Wu Ge" no longer has the epistemological significance of exploring physics stipulated by Zhu Cheng, but is a method of subjectively seeking and correcting one's own nature. Zhan Ruoshui has always advocated the combination of "respecting morality" and "learning from teachers" in artistic accomplishment, and advocated the combination of internal pursuit of the original heart and external pursuit of physics, so he also has his own unique understanding of "things".
This determines that the ideological trend of mind in Ming Dynasty has many new features.
Zhan Ruoshui explained the theory of "learning from nature everywhere" ... It not only emphasized the subjective "learning from nature", but also emphasized the external understanding of nature, showing the characteristics of foreign knowledge.
Knowing and doing is a unified process with differences and mutual promotion, and "recognizing righteousness everywhere" formally and fully embodies this process of "integration of knowing and doing".
In a word, Zhan Ruoshui's thought of "recognizing heaven and justice everywhere" not only adheres to his position of "inventing the original heart" and realizing it internally, but also is compatible with the method of "learning from foreign countries", trying to correct all kinds of disadvantages exposed by the ideological trend of mind in Ming Dynasty, fully embodying his eclectic ideological characteristics and reflecting his unique position in the ideological trend of mind in Ming Dynasty.
About the author: Zhu, male, from Shaoyang, Hunan, 1954. Professor, Yuelu College, Hunan University, doctoral supervisor of philosophy of history. Mainly engaged in China's ideological culture and teaching work, presided over the preparation of the "Chinese Academy Museum" and the construction of Yuelu Academy and the Digital Museum of Chinese Academy.