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From Cognitive Mind to Moral Mind: The Transformation of the "Mind" in Wang Yangming's Philosophy

Author(s)

Gao Dingqian

Affiliation(s)

Guangdong Judicial Police Vocational College, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Abstract

The core of Wang Yangming's enlightenment at Longchang lies in the transformation from a cognitive mind that stands in opposition to external objects to a moral mind that identifies with the unity of all things. Wang Yangming's pursuit of learning was aimed at becoming a sage. Prior to his enlightenment, he largely adopted Zhu Xi's theory of "gewu" (investigating things) to pursue sagehood—employing the cognitive mind to recognize the world, accumulating knowledge of external affairs, and ascending to an understanding of "tianli" (the universal principle). However, this approach led him into the dilemma of dualism, wherein "the principle of things and my mind remain divided as two." After enlightenment, Wang discovered a self-sufficient moral essence of the mind—"liangzhi" (innate knowing). He established liangzhi as the moral subject, and through the practice of "zhi liangzhi" (extending liangzhi), projected tianli onto all things. In doing so, he transformed the realm of sensuous existence into a realm of moral significance, thereby constructing an ethical and humanistic world in which all things are unified as one.

Keywords

Wang Yangming; Cognitive Mind; Innate Moral Mind; Realization of Innate Moral Knowledge

References

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