Hello everyone, I am Anthony Welcome to my channel Today we continue with the content of the previous video Let’s talk about the essence of Yangming’s philosophy of mind
In the previous video We have analyzed in detail the Chinese culture during the Tang and Song dynasties. The deep crisis we face And how did the philosophers respond to this crisis? Specifically It is through the means of seeking knowledge through investigation of things. Through the aesthetic understanding and perception of natural scenery In subjective experience, the self and the Way of Heaven become one Therefore, philosophers On the surface, I am praising the omnipresence of Heaven's principles. And the harmonious beauty of the creation of all things by heaven and earth But the real purpose Is to forget oneself through this aesthetic experience Denial of self Thus forgetting personal suffering and shame Able to adapt to the actual imperial system in a subtle way
It is precisely because of this The paralysis of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is inevitable Because on the one hand it emphasizes that the principles of heaven are all-encompassing, Ubiquitous But the way it perceives the world But it is rigid, closed and single It has not developed any new Tools for understanding the world turn out It can only make people repeat the words of the saints over and over again Close your eyes and ears In this state From Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism to Yangming's School of Mind It can be said to be inevitable Compared with the former Yangming's philosophy of mind seems more radical More full of fantasy and mysterious colors But it actually It is just that Chinese culture is heading towards its end. A flashback Then this video Let’s uncover the process. Before the video starts, let me say If you have anything you want to discuss with me And consulting topics You can contact my email to make an appointment So let's get back to today's topic.
Why do we say that science is bound to become paralyzed? This requires the basic method of science That is to say, the study of things leads to knowledge In the view of science Studying Things to Gain Knowledge It is to consciously integrate oneself into the principles of heaven. In this omnipresent universe Infinitely enlarge your heart but This actually requires a relatively high level of aesthetic ability. Physics requires individuals to be in the ordinary natural scenery We must also feel the operation of the law of nature This feeling It is not based on rational deduction and analysis It is an extremely subtle, sensitive and profound aesthetic experience. for example Seeing "a trace of spring water and a piece of smoke" We must realize the biochemical flow of the universe The Silent Movement of Heaven Forgetting the existence of self Watching the vegetation flourish and wither, the sun and moon move You have to realize that everything changes. The secret of the unchanging essence This is a kind of emotion, perception A deep aesthetic of complete immersion in the cosmic order Many poems by Neo-Confucianists of the Song Dynasty There is a special kind of tranquility, indifference, Introverted and nihilistic temperament Their poems Closer to the spirit of Taoism and Buddhism
That's it. I just want to say a few more words I memorized many Song poems when I was a child. Until now I think the artistic conception of many Song poems is very beautiful. And I read these contents since I was a child It didn't make me more nihilistic or negative. This actually depends on the environment that each person is in. There is a direct relationship Different eras Different cultural contexts Will make people the same work There may be completely different experiences and interpretations so No one needs Because I criticize something in my video Just deny your own emotions. As we mentioned repeatedly in this video What really matters Can everyone read and interpret Evoke your own unique experience If you can learn from a poem, In an ancient philosophical concept Linked to some deep feelings about myself Then even if your feelings and The author's original intention is far from It doesn't matter at all. For example, you can use the perspective of Western philosophy Redefining the concept of "studying things to gain knowledge" This personalized interpretation and Still worthy of respect
Let's get back to our topic. We say Although science seems quite beautiful and poetic But it is more of a way to make people forget themselves Psychological massage to maintain spiritual identity This method is actually very costly. In an environment of frequent party struggles and political decay It is required that a person can also learn from ordinary natural scenery. Realize the natural principles of stability, order, and harmony It's a very difficult thing More importantly This theory of physics There is a huge contradiction in itself Neo-Confucianism requires a person to eliminate his own human desires Integrate into the universe This seems like a huge self-aggrandizement. It's a kind of self-dissolution Because this process To eliminate all individual desires and particularities Let your heart become a completely transparent mirror Can only reflect the glory of heaven However Human personality Or selfishness It is impossible to be truly eliminated no matter what. Even if individuals subjectively want to eliminate their own selfishness But this desire to eliminate selfishness It is still a kind of selfishness The result is that the more individuals try to eliminate selfishness, Instead, it will produce more selfishness So people enter an endless cycle of internal friction. He found himself always dirty It's not pure enough Therefore, we need to always make revolution in the depths of our souls then The person will feel constant anxiety, Shame and self-blame This is different from the ideology of the Cultural Revolution. It is completely connected Due to the inconsistency of the science itself Therefore, Confucian scholars in front of the way of heaven Still can't avoid that deep fear They did not subjectively integrate into the principles of heaven. It truly transcends all the sufferings of ordinary people. Instead they fell into deeper self-deprecation. and self-denial
Sima Guang, a famous official in the Song Dynasty He was once a role model for many philosophers. However, he calls himself a "old man" A pedantic and mediocre person He regards being pedantic and mediocre as his ideal personality In his collection of essays, Yu Shu He once said: Some people say my words are very mediocre Nothing new I admit it But is there any difference between the heaven and earth in ancient times and today? Since the heaven and earth, the sun and the moon, have not changed The nature of all things does not change. So why do we need to change our mindset? Filial piety, benevolence, loyalty These things have been talked about since ancient times. Until now, I am only afraid that I cannot be mediocre. What's wrong with mediocrity? Therefore, scholars should serve God with a submissive attitude. Be cautious when interacting with others God is the father of all things The son cannot disobey the father's orders The king's orders cannot be disobeyed by the subjects If God puts you in trouble You have to change Or God made you stupid But you have to become wise will be punished Actually A self-deprecating scholar like Sima Guang And many more
For example Zhang Zai, a Neo-Confucianist in the Southern Song Dynasty, once said: "Expanding to the transformation of heaven and earth, the growth of plants and trees, It is also the nature of my heart.” It seems that my heart can expand to everything in the world However, Zhang Zai named his home "Kun Zhai" Calling himself a "trapped old man" He argued that no matter good times or bad times They are all external things The law of nature is in my heart So no matter what the external circumstances are Don't forget the principles of heaven A gentleman is always in trouble. Don't blame others So the more difficult the situation is The more you hone your moral character Scholars in the Song Dynasty frequently used "clumsy", "difficult" and "mediocre" to describe themselves. Mediocrity, humbleness, clumsiness, and hardship are beautiful Even think that this is a kind of supreme wisdom This is not a normal mentality. It just reflects the scholar-official class In the ill-fated officialdom It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain psychological stability So I worship difficulties, suffering and mediocrity From abuse and humiliation Finding a sense of moral superiority This temporarily suppressed the inner hesitation and doubt It is unlikely to lead to breakthroughs, exploration and reflection
In the Ming Dynasty Due to the vicious expansion of imperial autocracy Reached a new peak The situation of Confucian scholars is even more humble and dangerous thus Their self-deprecation and personality crisis It further deepens Let's look at a poem by Chen Xianzhang, a great scholar in the Ming Dynasty: A trace of spring water and a wisp of smoke, The natural world The seven-foot body is not mine Two rooms, cold and hot, can be moved You can see Even water and air Something so ordinary and invisible can make Confucian scholars deny their own personality Even the existence of one's own seven-foot body All must be denied This reflects A more thorough stripping and dissolution of the self "Two cold and hot seasons are allowed to move" means No matter how unpredictable the nature of the world is I let it change Complete obedience Don't try to change So it is called "Ren Tui Qian" Chen Xianzhang once praised his disciples "The greatest achievement is to forget oneself, the ultimate achievement is to have no desires" This repeated emphasis on self-forgetfulness Of course, it also reflects the spiritual crisis of Ming Dynasty poets Stronger than the previous generation Only by integrating more deeply into nature To avoid pain
But the more typical one is Li Yu's "Song of Poverty and Pleasure" Let’s see how Li Yu responded The humiliation and desolation of life He said: There is no secret to the way poor people enjoy themselves Just take a step back I thought I was poor There are people in the world who are poorer than me. I think my situation is low. There are people in the world who are lower than me. I think my wife and children are a burden. There are still many lonely people in the world who cannot get what they want. Li Yu also gave an example There was a man sleeping outside Lots of mosquito bites But he looks pretty happy. Others don't understand He said he was framed. Imprisonment Locked hands and feet every day Cannot move There were more mosquitoes biting me then than now. Compared with that time Life is so happy now. so If a person learns to look at things this way Then the "sea of suffering" will become "a land of happiness" Li Yu's way of thinking actually It is a common method of spiritual victory in Chinese society. By constantly comparing and downgrading, Changing objective standards So as to firmly maintain a The "I won" attitude This kind of self-comforting thinking It is countless times more illusory than Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. When Logic Dissolves the Self At least a grand external order is needed That is to say, the principles of heaven, the universe, and nature As a Field of Dissolution of the Self They are still trying to put individual life Integrate into a seemingly constant and universal law Li Yu gave up even this point Instead, they turned directly to self-hypnosis, The state of self-soothing And this point It is similar to Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind. Although Yangming's philosophy of mind seems more refined and ingenious
We say that Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism emphasizes the pursuit of knowledge through the investigation of things. Through the care and understanding of the external natural order Only in this way can we achieve harmony between the individual mind and the principles of nature. After all, this is still a rough external standard Heavenly principles are in all things People need to reflect and introspect in all things When it comes to Wang Yangming He directly put all external natural order The basis of the objective world Take it back into people’s hearts This looks like Greatly promotes people's initiative in thinking and autonomy Let’s look at two famous quotes from Wang Yangming. He said: “Man is the heart of heaven, earth, and all things; The heart is the master of heaven, earth and all things. The heart is heaven, and when we talk about the heart, all things in heaven and earth are contained in it." Wang Yangming directly put people's hearts Ascend to the center of the universe He didn't say that the human heart is a product of heaven. But think Everything in the world is just the unfolding of my heart This is a very exaggerated self-aggrandizement. For example, Wang Yangming said: "A scholar can cure all diseases with just one word: tranquility." The state of stillness, As big as Liuhe It's empty and quiet inside. No one thing When I asked him, he had everything he needed. That is to say, as long as you calm down Your heart is as vast as the universe. All truth, all truth It's all in your heart No need to seek outside Compared with the tranquility and tranquility of Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism, Compared with the quiet and indifferent temperament Yangming's philosophy of mind is full of fantasy, intense Even a combative statement
The following passage is even more magical: In the quotations Wang Yangming said: My spiritual He is the ruler of heaven, earth, ghosts and gods The sky is not as bright as mine. Who will look up to him? The earth has no wisdom from me, Who will look down upon his depths? Ghosts and gods do not have my wisdom and intelligence. Who can tell whether it is good or bad luck? The gods, ghosts, and everything in the world have left my spiritual wisdom There would be no heaven, earth, ghosts, gods, and all things. My spiritual enlightenment is away from the heaven, earth, ghosts, gods, and all things There is no my wisdom The meaning of this passage is very straightforward. It means the depth of heaven and earth It's all up to my mind to understand and give meaning, No “My Spiritual Wisdom” The gods and ghosts of heaven and earth have lost their meaning It doesn't even exist anymore. In Chinese culture, which is dominated by self-control, humility and tranquility, Wang Yangming's passionate, excited and fervent expression Looks so unusual This is also why Yangming's philosophy of mind can be used in the contemporary world. The important reason for the rediscovery Because on the surface Wang Yangming said that all truths are contained in your heart This easily reminds us of Plato's theory of recollection. When he repeatedly emphasized that human intelligence is omnipresent This also reminds us of "I think, therefore I am" Or Western ideas like "man-made laws for nature" Therefore, many people naturally think that Yangming's philosophy of mind represents a kind of self-awakening The wave of personal independence Even think This reflects the Ming Dynasty There are some seeds of a capitalist society. But this is actually a huge misunderstanding
In fact, many theories On the surface They all use some very free and awakening concepts But when we delve into its conceptual system You will find that this is actually a false freedom. So let's not be fooled by superficial words. The key is how it proves this freedom. So how did Wang Yangming prove it? Is all truth in the human heart? In the "Chuan Xi Lu" There is a conversation between him and his disciples that goes like this: The disciples asked him: If you pursue the best Just ask your heart Then I am afraid that it is impossible to exhaust the truth of the world. Wang Yangming disagreed He said: The mind is the reason. There are things in the world that are beyond our hearts Is it the principle outside of the mind? that is Heart and reason are completely unified There is no thing or principle in the world that is independent of the mind. The disciple asked again: "Being filial to your father and loyal to your ruler, Be faithful to friends and be kind to the people During this period There are still many truths that need to be constantly understood. Wang Yangming said: This statement is too misleading. If a person cannot be loyal, filial, benevolent and righteous Do I have to seek this truth from others? In fact, all truths are in your heart. This heart is not blinded by selfish desires. You can reach the heavenly principle. No need to add any knowledge and experience from outside When a person With such a heart that is completely in line with the principles of heaven and the way of heaven Serving parents is filial piety Serving the king is loyalty It can be seen Wang Yangming's core thinking In fact, it is related to Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism. "Preserve the principles of heaven and eliminate human desires" There is no essential difference On the surface, Wang Yangming emphasized You just need to go back to your original intention and do things You will succeed This heart naturally has all the truth. No need to verify externally, seek However The content of this heart, the content of conscience and the criteria for success It is not something that one discovers on his own. It was already determined by saints and kings. That is loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. You can only exert your initiative and subjectivity The freedom to implement these values But there is absolutely no freedom to refute, doubt, or deconstruct them. However This kind of freedom can only implement established values Can it still be considered freedom? Wang Yangming repeatedly emphasized Loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness are in people's hearts. No need to seek outside This just shows He is too afraid of these values Withstand the test of real logic Therefore, we can only base everything on They all rely on their own subjective feelings But this makes this set of values even more illusory. Rigidity and pedantry Facing the crisis of loyalty and filial piety They don't think The problem with this value itself But the defense line is retreating more and more Finally retreat into your own subjective experience As long as you feel it, it's real Complete rejection of reality testing Maintaining faith through self-talk and self-hypnosis
This is exactly the opposite of the history of Christianity. We know Early Christian philosophy emphasized faith. Devaluing rationality The Church Fathers believed that the Son of God was dead Later resurrected Because it's ridiculous You should believe it anyway. This view was later summarized as “Because it’s ridiculous, I believe it” Scholasticism Anselm objected. Using faith to exclude rationality He advocated the importance of rational argument for religious belief So he proposed an ontological proof of God's existence This proof can be summarized as this sentence: God is the most perfect being It is impossible to imagine a being more perfect than God. And because of this God exists not only in the mind And in fact there is Otherwise he would not be perfect. So God exists This proof Although if you think about it carefully, it is quite problematic. Lack of logic But he broke through the philosophy of the Godfather A tradition that rejects empirical and rational testing Started the trend of rational proof After the twelfth century Aristotle's philosophy is revived in Europe Christian philosophy began to develop Integrating Greek philosophy into religious beliefs For example, Thomas Aquinas's five proofs of God Starting from facts that everyone knows Proving the existence of God through rational reasoning For example, the first proof is Since the movement of all things is always driven by another Then it must be traced back to an immovable being As the first mover This is God The second proof is Since everything in the world There is a reason why I am like this. Not for that reason Each reason has its own reason Then at the end of this chain of cause and effect There must be an ultimate reason That is, self-causation This self-cause is God This argument of Thomas Aquinas It looks more convincing Higher theoretical level More importantly He further confirmed Proving the possibility of faith from a rational perspective Reason and faith are no longer mutually exclusive But reconciliation
For example We mentioned in the previous video Deism in 17th Century Europe That is, God created the universe. But after creation God will no longer intervene But let everything Operate according to the natural laws created by God Humans can learn, reason, deduce and experiment Gradually discovered The laws and rules hidden in nature Religious beliefs after rational spiritual integration The beginning of modern Europe A revolution in all important areas The development trajectory of Chinese culture This is the exact opposite of the above process. for example Early Confucianism Although full of that kind of secular utilitarianism But starting from the actual effect To prove the legitimacy Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism The Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues were elevated to The principle of nature that permeates all things No need for real-world results to prove or verify In Yangming's philosophy of mind The principles of heaven are further contracted into the human heart. You don't even need to comprehend the universe. Just grasp the inner experience Completely reject external scrutiny and challenges
This reminds us of a poem from the Cultural Revolution period. Songs that are popular all over the country It's called "The Cultural Revolution is Good" Lyrics from beginning to end Just keep repeating The empty slogan "It's good, it's good" The logic of this repeated self-hypnosis It is also a closed-off attitude towards Chinese culture. A clever metaphor Let’s look at another example Wang Yangming's discussion on the ultimate conscience He said: Knowing is the essence of the mind, the mind will know naturally that is Conscience is inherent in the heart itself No need to seek outside The heart will know naturally This seems to be a philosophy of subjectivity. But then, Wang Yangming said: Seeing your father, you will know filial piety. When you see your brother, you know your younger brother. Seeing a child fall into a well, one naturally feels compassion. This is conscience, which requires no external help. If conscience arises, No more selfish barriers turn out to be This conscience is not open and empty. It does not allow the subject to explore on its own. But a set Moral commands and ethical norms that have long been preset Then Wang Yangming said: However, ordinary people cannot be free from selfish obstacles. Therefore, we must use the merits of seeking knowledge and investigating things to overcome selfishness and restore order. That is, the conscience of the heart is more unobstructed, To fill the popular To know Knowledge leads to sincerity This means that Ordinary people always have various selfish obstacles. Therefore, we must overcome selfishness by studying things to gain knowledge. Restoring the Law Then you can keep your heart clean and pure Let the principles of heaven fill your heart So no matter how a person does things It will be ethical But here comes the problem Such a person who completely eliminates selfish desires Wouldn't that make me a completely fake person? Have you become a puppet and a puppet? Although Wang Yangming claimed that this kind of conscience and heavenly principles Everyone has Natural But if this conscience is really so natural Why do we have to continue to use force? To repeatedly eliminate selfish desires? This illustrates what Wang Yangming said about original heart and conscience. It's neither pure nor natural. Instead, it relies on continuous self-suppression and discipline. To maintain His celebration of subjectivity In the end, it's still in a huge cage. Pretend to dance freely Yangming's philosophy of mind It's like having a surveillance camera implanted in your heart All external ethical standards Forcibly saying that it is your conscience This will eliminate your chances of resistance. So you can only stare at yourself every day Keep clearing your mind Constant self-judgment
I believe everyone still remembers In our video about "The Courage to Be Disliked" Ichiro Kishimi Putting courage at the core of his theory He believes that the reason you are not free It is not because of the environment, history, social structure, psychological trauma It's because you lack the courage to change. Therefore happiness does not depend on external It all depends on your choice at this moment There is no one in the world who really suppresses you The only thing that really limits you is yourself Because you have courage in your heart The biggest problem of human beings is Always find excuses for your weakness and cowardice Find external reasons This is exactly what Wang Yangming said. A replica of "It is easy to defeat a thief in the mountains, but difficult to defeat a thief in the heart" This is actually a more thorough and hidden form of discipline. but What we discussed above is mainly the part of self-cultivation In dealing with others and society Yangming's philosophy of mind There are some more dangerous elements We will discuss this further in the next video
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