The Development of Conscience Studies: Wang Longxi and Yangming Studies in the Mid and Late Ming Dynasty

Author: Peng Guoxiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Yangming Tianquan's enlightenment, not falling into the extremes of sudden awakening or gradual progress. After his death, his major disciple Wang Longxi vigorously advocated the "Four Emptiness Teachings," which stood in opposition to Qian Dehong's "Four Presence Teachings." Whether Longxi's concepts of "establishing the root of the mind-body" and "creating from nothing" went beyond the bounds has sparked significant controversy. In the late Ming trend of the unification of the Three Teachings, Longxi was a key figure. Guoxiang's book cites extensive materials, demonstrating that Longxi drew inspiration from both Buddhism and Taoism in both theory and practice while still maintaining a fundamentally Confucian stance. His interpretations and analyses are profound and meticulous, making it an indispensable read. The author first takes Wang Longxi, a central figure in the Ming Yangming School in the middle and late Ming period, as a case study, comprehensively and thoroughly examining his philosophical thought. He then expands the scope to the overall context of the Ming Yangming School in the middle and late Ming period, exploring its intellectual connotations and developmental threads. The book conducts both specialized and in-depth case studies while also systematically analyzing the development of philosophical thought history centered around key issues, integrating the two approaches to create a cohesive and organic whole. This allows the rich intellectual content of the Ming Yangming School in the middle and late Ming period to be presented in a deep and clear manner. The book is well-documented, with a particularly outstanding feature being the depth of its intellectual discussions and theoretical analyses that reveal insights previously unexplored. Within the scope of the topics it addresses, the book's depth and breadth leave a profound impression.