On Promotion of Confucianism by WANG Yangming: A Perspective of Mind-Intention Cultivation

ZHU Xi's scholarship is based on tian li(the natural principle). Therefore, its structure presents the characteristics of tian lias the center. At first, it stressed that one moved from the outside to the inside:investigation of things, the extension of knowledge, sincerity, and a righteous heart. Subsequently, it required that one moved from the inside to the outside:the cultivation of the self, the regulation of the family, the governing of the state, and making a harmonious world. LU Jiuyuan took a different approach and pointed out that the mind is the principle, placing the focus of cultivation on the mind, which presents a simple and clear feature. Later, WANG Yangming believed that ZHU's structure of cultivation had the worry of "fragmentation, complexity, and confusion", while LU lacked attention to details, claiming that LU's theory to be "only rough". Therefore, he unified the realm, method, and process of cultivation into one "mind" in the perspective of "all things as one", constructing a philosophical theory of the xin ti yi yong(mind-body-intent-use), advocating that cultivation should be based on the mind. The mind is not only the source of all things but also the starting point and endpoint of individual cultivation. Therefore, there is no need to investigate things externally in cultivation, and only sincerity within the heart is required. When sincerity is achieved, liang zhi(innate knowledge of right and wrong) will be self-evident, reflecting on everything, allowing one to realize self-attainment without effort, and following one's heart without exceeding the limits. Thus, he pushed the Confucian theory of cultivation to its peak, providing a new starting point for the inheritance of Confucianism.