Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

The scholar riding the donkey is named Zheng Hanqing. Last year, his donkey almost gave away to Emperor Yongle. This year, he worked as a pawn for Jiang Xinghuo. He was somewhat familiar, so he didn't have stage fright at this time. Yang He said: "Is what the Imperial Master is going to talk about the principles of 'respect' and 'gathering righteousness' in Gongfu Theory? If so, it is a bit cliché."

"That's not necessarily the case. 'Respect' also means respect. However, the Imperial Master said that it has nothing to do with ontology, which is not the same statement." Another companion named He Shuliang was almost deceived into being a pedant. The person inside also spoke up at this time.

Jiang Xinghuo did not show any impatience. On the contrary, he was listening carefully to the scholars' thoughts.

Here we must explain the two key words of Neo-Confucian Gongfu Theory, which are the focus of their debate, namely 'respect' and 'collection of meaning'.

If you don’t understand what these two keywords mean, then you have absolutely no idea what these people are talking about.

Just listening to it is probably the same as listening to a heavenly book.

But Jiang Xinghuo, a suturer, knew these things because Yao Guangxiao studied Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism and gave him special training at Jingting Mountain.

And it was during the special training that Jiang Xinghuo discovered how to transform Neo-Confucianism's Gongfu theory into the theoretical system he wanted to transform and promote.

——————

First, let’s review Yao Guangxiao’s special training on Neo-Confucianism’s Gongfu Theory.

Just as Zhu Xi's interpretation of the Four Books was to extract some words and sentences from the ancient sages to explain the Neo-Confucian philosophical system he inherited, the two key words of "Jing" and "Jiyi" in Neo-Confucianism were not so important from the beginning.

Well, Zhu Xi was also an old stitcher.

Let's talk about "Jiyi" first. This word comes from the "Zhiyan Yangqi" chapter in "Mencius Gongsun Chou Shang". Mencius believed that his way of not being distracted was different from Gaozi and others because of his famous sentence " I am good at cultivating my awe-inspiring spirit."

Immediately afterwards, "And the awe-inspiring Qi is Qi, matching righteousness and Tao; without it, it is discouraged. It is what is born of Jiyi, and it is not taken by the attack of Yi." So this is how "Jiyi" comes.

But in the past thousands of years from its emergence to the opening of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty, this word was actually not very important. It was just an ordinary word. Even when exegesis of chapters and sentences was popular, the interpretation of "Jiyi" focused on the words in the text. According to the interpretation of the exegesis, the meaning is "Ji, Zaye, secretly calling the enemy to attack, saying that this awe-inspiring Qi, mixed with meaning, comes out from the inside, and is the natural thing of receiving Qi in life."

Here, "Ji" is explained as "Za", and "Ji Yi" mainly describes the state in which Qi and Yi are mixed and arise together.

However, with the explanations of Er Cheng and Zhu Xi, "Jiyi" has become an important part of the Gongfu theory of Neo-Confucianism. The connotation and characteristics of Jiyi's Gongfu have become more and more enriched and strengthened, and are closely related to the respect for moral cultivation and moral cognition. Cultivation skills such as studying things and reasoning, moral intuition and conscience are closely related, which affects the construction and development of the entire Neo-Confucianism Gongfu theory system in Song and Ming Dynasties.

As for the word "respect", it is not from the theory of Confucius and Mencius at all, but from the "Book of Changes·Wenyan": Respect is directed internally, and righteousness is external.

In other words, it was Er Cheng, Zhu Xi and other Neo-Confucianists who first felt that "Jiyi" was important and could explain Neo-Confucianism's Gongfu theory, but just "Jiyi" was not enough, so they relied on the word "yi" , went to search for other relevant theoretical basis, and found "Jing", which means shooting an arrow first and then drawing a target.

Er Cheng, especially Cheng Yi, indeed paid great attention to the analysis of "Jiyi". It was under his absorption that "Jiyi" and "Jing" together constituted the two important internal and external directions of his entire Gongfu theory system.

——————

Okay, I believe that after seeing this, even though there are only two keywords, most time travelers who are in the middle of the range in terms of understanding ability and knowledge level are already confused about the Neo-Confucian theory of Yao Guangxiao’s special training.

But Jiang Xinghuo, who was an outstanding provincial university teacher in his previous life, did not. Because he was very good at learning and understanding, he keenly captured the core and essence of the Neo-Confucian Theory of Gongfu.

Cheng Yi, based on "Jing" and "Ji Yi", believed that "to learn is to gain knowledge". As for Zhu Xi, no matter how future generations evaluate him, he only talks about learning, especially the theoretical palace of Neo-Confucianism. The last few bricks and tiles were added to make the exterior painting beautiful. The person did a good job indeed.

Zhu Xi conducted an in-depth analysis of the relationship between Jiyi and Cheng Yi's "Zhizhipuli", and finally concluded that 'reverence' is the continuous cultivation and improvement of moral spirit, while 'Jiyi' is the moral In the practice and accumulation of behaviors, 'respect' and 'collection of righteousness' interpenetrate and complement each other. The so-called "respect and righteousness are sandwiched, and the cycle is endless."

——What a "respect and righteousness, endless cycle"!

It doesn't matter if you don't understand these eight words. Jiang Xinghuo didn't understand them at the time, but a few days ago, Jiang Xinghuo reviewed Lu Jiuyuan's theory, and an extremely bright lightning flashed directly in his mind.

At that moment, Jiang Xinghuo realized.

Because he finally understood what these eight words would have turned into in a hundred years without his intervention.

"The unity of knowledge and action leads to conscience"!

"Respect and justice are held together, and there is no reason for the cycle." In other words, "knowledge and practice are held together, and there is no reason for the cycle", plus "to lead to conscience."

[Knowing and doing are intertwined, and the cycle is endless, leading to conscience]

When the last twelve words of the mantra were put together, Jiang Xinghuo finally obtained a magic weapon that could be explained in this world from Neo-Confucian theory and could perfectly counter the Neo-Confucian Gongfu theory.

Translation: What does this twelve-character mantra mean?

What is ‘knowledge’? Investigate too!

What is ‘action’? Practice too!

In other words, it is the combination of investigation and practice, repeated cycles, and ultimately the truth.

This is Jiang Xinghuo’s ‘Kung Fu Theory’.

——————

The necessary memory killing is over.

Back to the present, Jiang Xinghuo and other scholars stopped their discussion, and then slowly opened their mouths to induce.

“Have you ever thought that ‘respect’ and ‘collection of justice’ are not necessarily two different things?”

Seeing that everyone was at a loss, Zheng Hanqing, a knight riding a donkey, usually read more books, but at this time he said: "Lu Jiuyuan once said: Respect this principle, and righteousness also follows this principle. This is my original intention, is it the national teacher?" Is that what you mean?”

After hearing this, everyone was quite disapproving. Lu Jiuyuan's theory was not a prominent theory nowadays, but rather a bit deviant, so naturally it was not welcomed.

Well, these people originally came here as "opinion leaders" with the opinions of certain local businessmen, citizens, guilds and other figures.

But at the moment, their natural desire for academics overwhelms their original demands, so they have temporarily rebelled. It is estimated that they will have to wait until Jiang Xinghuo finishes talking before they remember what they are here for today. But in fact, Jiang Xinghuo was originally I have no intention of listening to their demands now.

Jiang Xinghuo smiled and shook his head, saying, "Have you forgotten? We won't talk about our true intentions today."

"What does the Imperial Master want to say?"

"——To conscience."

Jiang Xinghuo interrupted without letting them speak this time: "Respect is the principle, and justice is the principle. It is not for the sake of one's heart, but for conscience."

All the scholars and officials were startled. This statement was very fresh.

"What is conscience? It is the Gongfu theory of how people obtain heavenly principles."

"So, may I ask, what does the theory of theory of theory include?"

He Shuliang next to Zheng Hanqing tentatively replied: "So, of course (Zhu Xi's main explanation of Li)?"

"That's it. Kung Fu, two words, one means things and the other means self."

Jiang Xinghuo said slowly: "My 'to conscience' means that it has two meanings. One is the epistemology of understanding how everything is, and the other is the theory of cultivation that is natural for inner cultivation of the order of human ethics. The second meaning is not available today. speak."

“Let’s just talk about the first level. If people want to obtain the principles of heaven, they must first understand the principles of heaven. So how do we understand the principles of heaven?”

Song Li looked at Jiang Xinghuo in surprise. He was hiding behind the willow tree on Taiping Street and could hear clearly.

That night Jiang Xinghuo asked three questions to thousands of graduates of the Nanjing Imperial College, namely, "How does Tai Chi work?" Clarity is like a clear mirror.”

Jiang Xinghuo gave the answers to the first two questions, which are "using contradictions to solve Tai Chi" and "bold assumptions, careful verification, and practice can lead to true knowledge."

Song Li felt that the answer to the third question should be the part that the Imperial Master did not want to talk about today.

But compared to this part, Song Li was obviously more interested in what Jiang Xinghuo was saying at the moment.

"The epistemology in the "Zhi Liang Zhi" mentioned by the National Master is not the same as the "Tai Chi" and "Contradiction" in the Theory of Li and Qi, right?"

"It's not the same."

"Then how should we understand it? There is no practical way to understand what Zhu Zi said is 'so, of course'."

Jiang Xinghuo did not answer their questions, but looked at them quietly.

This look made the scholars a little confused.

Even Zhu Xi didn't fully understand the issue. Master, you don't expect us to explain it clearly, do you? This is all waiting for you to preach and learn from others.

In fact, Zheng Hanqing and others had vaguely felt something at this time.

Even He Shuliang took out a pen and paper from the book basket behind him and was recording Jiang Xinghuo's previous words. Other scholars also woke up one after another and remembered. Some people didn't have good memories, but their hands If you have something to do, it's as if you won't be called on.

But some of them realized that today they came to visit the Imperial Master with public opinion, and they might have really hit upon an opportunity!

Listening to the lectures of the National Master, if you really hit a major academic breakthrough, that would be an incredible qualification!

Needless to say, I just said that I was in this courtyard and heard what the Imperial Master said with my own ears. After a few decades, if I live longer, when everyone else is dead, I can directly declare myself a disciple of the Imperial Master. It's enough to gain countless glory and wealth. If you are shameless, you can even misinterpret it and become the founder of your own sect.

It was different from the previous tense situation between Taiping Street and Nanjing Imperial College.

Jiang Xinghuo killed many people in Jiangnan and established his authority. Of course, these scholars had some public opinion to convey, but they would never dare to stand on the opposite side of Jiang Xinghuo, attack or question him.

Instead, listen to his "Tao" with a certain profit-seeking mentality.

Jiang Xinghuo sat on the stone pillar that Zhu Gaoxu had removed with his bare hands. He pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Knowledge and action are intertwined, and the cycle is endless, leading to conscience. The epistemology here can be explained in just four words."

"Huh?"

The first eight words are obviously not difficult to understand, and they are derived from "respect and justice", but the following words are completely unfamiliar territory to these scholars.

Some people with limited talents are a little confused at this time and have no idea what Jiang Xinghuo is talking about; some people with a little understanding are frowning at this time and are thinking carefully about the meaning of the Imperial Master.

But no one touched the window paper.

Until Jiang Xinghuo finished speaking.

"Unity of knowledge and action."

Jiang Xinghuo's words were like a wisp of cool wind blowing through everyone's hearts, or like a gap in the heavy clouds, and the golden light falling from the sky.

Zheng Hanqing's eyes suddenly opened wide. He was keenly aware that he seemed to have encountered some extraordinary moment that could be recorded in history!

The brush in He Shuliang's hand simply fell to the ground with a "snap".

Even a scholar like Ye Zongxing, who was not really interested in Neo-Confucianism but was more interested in water conservancy projects, suddenly became a little restless.

There is no other reason. These four words are too lethal to these scholars.

This extreme beauty of reason is like the destructive power of the perfect Euler formula to math students.

"Unity of knowledge and action"

Huang Ziwei simply stood up, pacing and thinking, combined with what he and Jiang Xinghuo had seen and heard in the countryside these days, the more he talked about it, the more he felt that he had understood something.

Regardless of everyone's different reactions, Jiang Xinghuo continued.

"Knowledge is the beginning of action, and action is the completion of knowledge. It is easier said than done. How to do it?"

"It can be understood that before we act, we first rehearse at the level of our thinking, and at the same time predict the results of the rehearsal. If feasible, then put it into practice to verify and further improve our cognition in practice."

"In other words, we first think about whether something can be successful, then do it, do (investigation) and then go back and judge whether it can be successful."

"Here it is said that recognition of practice is the basis for judging whether people's understanding of things is consistent with the truth. The basis for judgment is that only when the results envisioned in thought are achieved in various practical processes can the understanding be confirmed. This kind of understanding The prerequisite for its realization is to make one's thoughts conform to the laws of objective things, that is, to develop conscience must conform to the way of heaven."

Sun Kun, a water conservancy expert from the Ministry of Industry, suddenly said:

"Then what if knowledge and action cannot be united?"

Jiang Xinghuo was interrupted, but he seemed very happy: "Let me give you an example, truth exists in things."

Sun Kun thought about it, but he didn't do anything fancy, he just talked about his own business.

"For example, our current plan to control floods in the south of the Yangtze River is the first step of 'knowing', which is a preview at the mental level. It is to open the Wusong River, Huangpu River, and Liuhe River in the lower reaches, and to open Qiya, Baimao Zhupu, etc. in the north; to repair Tangpu is connected vertically and horizontally to form a network of waterways to regulate water flow; it is also necessary to build inner banks to form polders to control drainage and irrigation; finally, a gate must be built at the entrance of Tangpu into the river and sea to divert river water, block tides, and prevent sedimentation , conducive to excretion, but all of this is done in our minds and on the map. If we say that it is not feasible during field inspections, then what do we mean? According to you, this should guide practice!"

"What this means is that if you fail to achieve 'knowledge', that is, the expected result in your thinking, and knowledge and action cannot be unified, then you can only modify your own thoughts to make them suitable for the laws of the outside world, and turn failure into victory. .”

Jiang Xinghuo emphasized again.

"Practice is the basis of all knowledge. All views that deny the importance of practice and separate knowledge from practice are wrong. Knowledge cannot be separated from practice. Whether the theory obtained by deepening knowledge is the truth does not depend on the ontology, that is, oneself. How you feel in your heart can only be determined based on the results of practice."

After Jiang Xinghuo finished speaking, no one spoke for a long time.

Everyone is seriously thinking about what Jiang Xinghuo taught today. It is completely different from Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, but it does have thought-provoking epistemology. The more they think about it, the more wonderful they feel.

Regarding the cognitive theory in Gongfu Theory, Zhu Xi only elaborated on "respect and justice" based on the "so it is, of course" in his theory of Li and Qi, which can be regarded as an expansion of the boundaries of Ercheng theory.

Since Zhu Xi, Neo-Confucianism’s Gongfu theory has made no progress.

If Jiang Xinghuo had not changed the world, it would have been decades before Zhan Ruoshui would carry out the next theoretical advancement, and then Wang Yangming would complete it and use this set of things to become the last sage of Confucianism.

But today, Jiang Xinghuo has directly pushed the academic boundaries of Neo-Confucianism. After Taiping Street used contradictions to solve Tai Chi and broke through the shackles of Li-Qi theory, he has once again greatly advanced it. If this is still Neo-Confucianism, instead of wearing a mask, it can be done at any time. The 'scientific' words that tear off the skin of Neo-Confucianism.

With this level of theoretical breakthrough, perhaps even though they are vaguely aware of what happened, they haven't really seen an immediate reaction yet.

Therefore, the response was not strong enough.

But once Jiang Xinghuo’s new breakthrough in epistemology in Gongfu theory is made public today, then the entire Ming academic community will be shaken like a tsunami!

As before, there must be many famous teachers and scholars who disagree with Jiang Xinghuo's theory, but this is not important.

Regardless of whether they agree or not, they all have to admit one thing, that is, Jiang Xinghuo has indeed made a new breakthrough in the theoretical boundaries of Neo-Confucianism. This breakthrough may or may not be considered right by others, but it may be considered wrong by others. As long as there is controversy and some people believe this, it will be a great victory for Jiang Xinghuo!

You must know that Jiang Xinghuo did not sew this set of things just to become a "confucian of the first generation".

Jiang Xinghuo has only one purpose from beginning to end, to free his mind!

How did Europe free itself from the shackles of religious thought?

Of course, it is not directly about science, freedom, democracy, and equality.

Rather, religious changes first occurred, with the emergence of Protestantism, especially the emergence of "Lutheranism", which broke the ideological constraints imposed by the Catholic Church on the people of Western Europe.

In the Ming Dynasty, God was Confucius and Mencius, and Catholicism was Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.

When he was dreaming, Jiang Xinghuo of course dreamed that he would use the banner of science and conduct a few experiments in public, and the entire Ming Dynasty would change its beliefs.

But when I woke up from the dream, I wiped my saliva and had to face reality.

This is the best manifestation of the incompatibility between ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’. It’s a beautiful idea, but it’s not possible in practice.

In this era when Neo-Confucianism rules the minds of the people, if one directly confronts Neo-Confucianism with science, even with the support of the emperor, the probability of success will probably be infinite, not just zero.

Moreover, if you dare to openly establish a sect that confronts Neo-Confucianism in the field of thought, then don’t carry out reforms. Scholars all over the world will immediately become your enemies.

The original purpose of unblocking thoughts is to help reform, to enlighten and change the creative force. This is a good situation. The whole world is the enemy. The difficulty of enlightening and changing the creative force is directly maxed out. Because you are an ideological heretic, everything about you Actions will be opposed by others.

Therefore, Jiang Xinghuo found such a way.

It was Protestantism that defeated Catholicism.

The one who can defeat Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is naturally the 'science' that has transformed part of Lu Wang's cognitive theory of mind for his own use.

"Today I listened to the National Master's sermon, and I deeply felt that in the past few decades, I had lived in a state of confusion and had no idea how to behave and do things. It was only then that I understood the principle of the unity of knowledge and action, and then I gained new faith."

The person who spoke was none other than Ye Zongxing and Ye Xiucai.

The closer he got to Jiang Xinghuo, the thin and dark scholar became more impressed by Jiang Xinghuo's knowledge, ability, and character. To this day, he has understood the true meaning of life as if the clouds were clearing.

Therefore, Ye Zongxing sincerely requested: "I wonder if the Imperial Master can change the word for me, so that it can be used as 'knowledge and action' which combines knowledge and action."

"Ye Zongxing, Zi Zhixing is naturally capable!"

Jiang Xinghuo was stunned, but agreed.

The other officials and scholars present also laughed kindly. This was indeed a good story among scholars.

Many scholars also asked Jiang Xinghuo to leave their names on their notes as authentic works, and Jiang Xinghuo agreed one by one.

There is no doubt that even a very small part of the scholars present do not actually agree with the new theory proposed by Jiang Xinghuo today, but they are all happy to join in to put gold on their faces.

Because they all know that in Shilin, they are not afraid of others questioning, but they are afraid that no one will question them at all.

Of course Jiang Xinghuo knew what they were thinking, but for Jiang Xinghuo, these people who listened to his sermon today were like his mouth to external public opinion. They would actively speak out for him and promote his new theory. Later, when facing other people's refutations, since he has participated in it, he will also argue for Jiang Xinghuo. This is what Jiang Xinghuo, who is relatively alone in the field of public opinion, urgently needs.

A lecture on a new theory ended successfully in a happy atmosphere.

However, however.

How can life be so calm without any turning points, allowing Jiang Xinghuo to spend his peaceful years preaching and practicing here?

Just when the scholars were about to gather together to discuss who to send to express their demands, an unexpected person arrived, bringing all the planned plans to an abrupt end.

Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs who had not seen him for a long time, came here in person after a long journey.

This is an extremely unusual move. A minister, or a minister of household affairs, is no exaggeration to describe it as managing everything. How could he come to Jiangnan in person like Jiang Xinghuo did in his previous life?

After pulling Jiang Xinghuo out alone, Xia Yuanji said directly: "Master Jiang, something happened. Li Zhigang was jailed and Ji Gang was suspended to reflect on his mistakes."

The skin on Jiang Xinghuo's eyebrows twitched. Without asking what was going on, he asked, "Then why did you come in person?"

"I'm here to replace you."