Wang Yangming (1472-1529), named Shouren, styled Bo'an, also known as Yangming, was born in Yuyao County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province (now Yuyao City, Zhejiang Province). He was a famous philosopher and educator of the Ming Dynasty. He was proficient in the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and proposed the concept of "Heart Learning" based on the thoughts of his predecessors.
Everyone must have some understanding of Wang Yangming, after all, he is considered a sage alongside Confucius, Mencius, and Zhu Xi, and he is also the last sage in Chinese history. It's not easy to become a sage. Capable ministers (referring only to those who are capable and not treacherous) are present every year, but treacherous ministers are also numerous, and emperors change every few decades. But sages, they may not appear for hundreds of years. They can be considered the giant pandas of the human world.
"To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a mission for the people, to inherit the teachings of the past sages, and to bring peace to the world for all generations." This is the highest moral ideal proposed by Zhang Zai, a great scholar of the Song Dynasty, and it is not an exaggeration to describe Wang Yangming's life with this.
In 1472, Wang Yangming was born into a scholarly family, and his family background was quite good. Therefore, he received a good education from an early age and was well-versed in the books of sages. But no one expected that this young man who read the books of sages would also become a sage, write books, and be respected by thousands of people, letting others read the books of sages he wrote.
We all know that celebrities are people who receive a lot of attention in society in a certain aspect, but we don't know how well they do in other aspects. As for extraordinary individuals, they are not confined to one path and often like to explore multiple different paths. Maybe this year they learn to play the violin, next year they learn magic, and the year after they go to a vocational school to study excavator operation. Several years later... they directly perform magic using an excavator to play the violin.
Extraordinary individuals are like this. Our Mr. Wang Shouren is naturally not inferior to others and has been different since childhood. While his peers were reciting the books of sages, he told his father, Wang Hua, that he wanted to become a sage. This scared his father and he directly scolded him, probably because he thought his young son was not studying well and was always thinking about these messy things. But one important reason why Wang Shouren was able to become a sage is his perseverance, or simply put, his determination. In order to explore how Zhu Xi's "Investigating Things and Extending Knowledge" was actually done, what things were investigated, and what could be gained after investigation, he chose to start with the bamboo in the courtyard, believing that reason exists in all things in the world. He sat on a bench and investigated for several days, but he didn't investigate anything and even made himself sick. His father was very worried because of this. Why? Just because of this!
Wang Shouren's original name was Wang Yun. It is said that he couldn't speak even at the age of five, which made the Wang family desperate and they visited many famous doctors but couldn't figure out the reason. Later, a Taoist priest came and suggested changing the character "Yun" to "Shouren". It was a coincidence that shortly after changing his name, Wang Shouren could speak fluently.
Wang Shouren also loved horseback riding and archery, just like Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao. The key is that he was also quite accomplished in this area. Once, a military general didn't like him and wanted to humiliate him, but couldn't find any handle. After thinking about it, he could only come up with a bad idea, asking Mr. Wang to demonstrate archery in front of the soldiers. Wang Shouren was not a military general at that time, and he had been suffering from lung disease for a long time, so he could be described as weak. But who is Wang Shouren? He was determined to serve his country from a young age and was proficient in horseback riding and archery. He wouldn't be stumped by mere archery. He drew the bow, set the arrow, aimed, and released. He repeated this three times, and all three arrows hit the bullseye. After a moment of silence in the army, there was a burst of applause.
But in ancient times, everything else is inferior, only reading is supreme. And what is reading for? Most people read to obtain the black gauze hat on their heads. Famous people may have gained fame, but their official careers are uncertain. People like Li Bai and Du Fu have a reputation that is inversely proportional to their official careers. Now let's look at Wang Shouren. He became the Minister of War in Nanjing and was honored as the "Newly Established Earl". These two achievements alone are enough to make countless literati and inkmen envious. In addition, his achievements are not limited to official careers and knowledge. Look at Prince Ning, who finally made up his mind to follow in the footsteps of Zhu Di, rebelled, and dreamed of becoming the emperor one day. But as soon as he encountered Wang Yangming, he used his wisdom to escape from Prince Ning's pursuit and quickly built an army with his superb skills in making empty promises (the quality cannot be guaranteed, but the momentum is enough). As for what empty promises he made? I believe it's nothing more than rewards after suppressing the rebellion. That kind of national righteousness is something to rely on in the future. It's unlikely to attract many people with this kind of thing. In this way, relying on this ragtag army, how did he suppress the rebellion? Answer: Unity of knowledge and action. In fact, it means playing dirty. If your forces are weaker than the enemy, your later stage is weaker than the enemy, and your morale is weaker than the enemy, what do you do? No problem, Mr. Wang plays dirty. I hit wherever you are weak, and I use my strengths to attack. It's all about sneak attacks all day long, and even sending fake notices and documents, making the other side panic. What? You say this is not in accordance with martial ethics? But the other side is a rebel, they don't even care about "ethics". If I still adhere to martial ethics, then I would be a bit foolish.
As for what happened after suppressing the rebellion, it was mentioned in the previous article, so I won't go into details here.
In the second year of Jiajing (1523), the triennial imperial examination was held. Surprisingly, the final essay topic was to evaluate Heart Learning, which angered many Wang clan students, because the orthodox doctrine at that time was Cheng-Zhu Confucianism, and "Heart Learning" was considered a heterodox teaching among those conservative officials, and it could even create social instability factors (I'm talking about you, He Xinyin). During the exam, a Wang clan student named Wang Shan directly threw away his brush, and many people felt sorry for his behavior. A bright future was right in front of him, but he wasted it like this. But he believed that if he had to criticize his teachers without conscience to become an official, then it would be better not to become one! In addition, guess how Wang Shouren evaluated this matter? He was happy about it. Because this meant that Heart Learning was beginning to be known to more people and was no longer confined to the Wang clan. In this sense, the person who set the question unintentionally and extensively promoted Heart Learning.
In the sixth year of Jiajing (1527), in June, the court appointed Wang Shouren as the Minister of War in Nanjing, in charge of military affairs, and sent him to Guangxi to suppress the rebellion. This was another excellent opportunity to leave behind a great story, but Wang Shouren used his physical discomfort as an excuse to decline. However, the court didn't care and insisted on sending him, issuing another imperial decree. This time Wang Shouren couldn't refuse anymore and prepared to depart for Guangxi. But guess what happened? Two of the rebels in the local uprising heard that Wang Shouren was coming and immediately decided to surrender, while the remaining rebels fled into the deep mountains and forests. Look, it's good to have a reputation. It makes things easier, and you don't have to go through so much trouble.
Wang Shouren's teachings transcended national borders and were accepted and recognized by many countries after experiencing various hardships. Japanese general Higashikata Heihachiro, after defeating the Russian navy, showed a waist card that said "I bow to Yangming for life," with "Yangming" referring to Wang Yangming. In the late Qing Dynasty, when Western powers set foot on this land they considered to be decadent and backward, they were still amazed by such advanced thoughts.
The fact that Wang Yangming's teachings can cross national borders, be accepted and recognized by people from another cultural system after experiencing various hardships, is enough to illustrate the value and strong vitality of Heart Learning. This is not only an extremely precious spiritual treasure left by Wang Yangming, but also the pride of the Chinese people. It also makes him worthy of the title of sage.