Longchang enlightenment

Wang Yangming was 36 when he came to Longchang.

It is no exaggeration to say that what he wants to do most is to survive.

Previously, Wang Yangming worked in the Ministry of War and was an official in Beijing.

/kloc-in the winter of 0/506, eunuch Liu Jin was good at politics and arrested officials such as Dai and Bo. Wang Yangming was filled with indignation and wrote a letter to Ming Wuzong.

I don't know if the emperor saw the throne of Wang Yangming, but Liu Jin did. Liu Jin was very angry, and the consequences were very serious: Wang Yangming was sent to prison with a stick of forty.

This kind of punishment is unbearable for people with poor health. At that time, Dai was beaten with 30 sticks and died directly under the stick.

Wang Yangming is lucky, at least he survived.

But Liu Jin's heart is not very good. Subsequently, Wang Yangming was demoted as the stationmaster of Longchang Station in Guizhou. 1508 arrived in Longchang.

What kind of official is the stationmaster? Sorry, there are no products.

At that time, Longchang was a deserted village. There are two descriptions about this village in Mr. Yangming's chronicle:

Longchang is located in the mountains in the northwest of Guizhou, with many snakes, poisonous snakes and boils. ...

In a word, the living environment is extremely bad. Moreover, the people who live here are basically ethnic brothers, and the language is completely unreasonable. There are only a few people who have escaped from Middle-earth, so I guess they can help translate.

To put it bluntly, this is a complete wilderness.

Since you didn't die under your nose, let you die thousands of miles away-Liu Jin should have thought so at that time.

It's really not easy to survive in Longchang.

An ordinary day in Longchang.

Wang Yangming suddenly saw three people coming to Beijing-an official passing Longchang with his son and servant and staying in a Miao family.

Wang Yangming saw them through the fence and wanted to visit them (it is really rare for an outsider to come to such a place). But it rained and it was a little dark, so Wang Yangming thought about it. The next morning, Wang Yangming sent someone to report, only to find that the three had already left.

At noon, someone told Wang Yangming that an old man died under the centipede slope, and two people beside him cried very sadly. Wang Yangming was a little sad: the official must be dead.

At dusk, someone came and said, "There are two dead people at the gate, and one is sitting next to them."

The next day, someone came from centipede slope and said that there were three bodies under the slope.

Unknown officer, son and servant all died in Longchang wilderness.

This official is probably from Beijing because he has been demoted. A similar experience made Wang Yangming feel unbearable. He took the boys and buried them one by one.

At first, the servant was reluctant. Wang Yangming said, I am just like you. Hearing this, the servant burst into tears.

After the three men were buried, Wang Yangming wrote an immortal memorial: Lost in the Road. In Wang Yangming's view, the death of officials is almost inevitable.

Wang Yangming said, all the way hungry, exhausted, foreign boils, unhappy in memory, how can you avoid death? I knew you would die, but I didn't expect it to be so soon.

Indeed, the huge gap in "career", high physical fatigue and extremely bad living environment-few people can really carry it down in the face of multiple psychological and physical sufferings. Even if you carry it, you have to take off several layers of skin.

But Wang Yangming survived with great tenacity and lived well.

In the place where this man has to take off several layers of skin, he not only has not gone to "death", but has completed "rebirth" in his life.

How did Wang Yangming do it? He also told his own experience in "A Travel":

It's been two years since I went to my parents' hometown, and I've been self-sufficient with evil drugs, and I haven't been sad for a day.

I don't feel sorry for myself, afraid and sad every day.

The secret is simple: have a good attitude.

A person's psychological state does affect his physical state to a considerable extent. When encountering major setbacks, people who survive often rely on that "one mouthful of true qi".

There is a simple reason. But the key question is, how to practice this "true spirit"?

Judging from Wang Yangming's experience, there are several points that may be the most important for him to maintain such a mentality.

First, learn more about the world and people's hearts, but at the same time cultivate more inner beliefs.

A simple life is often desirable. But many times, we can't bear the blow of some events, probably because of simple life experiences, and we didn't expect the world and people's hearts to be so complicated.

Unlike many modern people who live by technology, in Wang Yangming's era, the best career that ordinary scholars can expect is politics. The officialdom of the Ming Dynasty is really a kaleidoscope-like world. Right and wrong, good and evil are complicated. ...

Wang Yangming's father, Wang Hua, won the first prize in 148 1 and was named an academician. This year, Wang Yangming was nine years old. Wang Yangming should have a very clear understanding of the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.

When encountering injustice and oppression, if a person lacks an understanding of the world and people's hearts, I am afraid it will be easy to let go-why is fate so to me and why is human nature so? But at the same time, if you lack your own faith, I'm afraid you can only force yourself to comfort yourself, or even lose confidence in the world, and instead use the same behavior to hurt others-if you fight with dragons for too long, you will become dragons yourself.

But Wang Yangming has his own beliefs. His belief is the personality of a Confucian gentleman.

After coming to Longchang, Wang Yangming asked himself a question: "What can saints do here?" Wang Yangming wants to know, what would a saint like Confucius and Mencius do if faced with a similar situation?

Wang Yangming found the answer. In Longchang, Wang Yangming named the newly-built hut "He Louxuan". Later, he built a gentleman's pavilion nearby.

Anyone who has read "Humble Room Inscription" knows that the allusion of "Harmony Building" comes from The Analects of Confucius. Wang Yangming quoted this allusion, which is really appropriate.

According to the Analects of Confucius, Confucius wanted to move to Jiuyi (Huaiyi). Some people say that place is very humble. Confucius said, "How can a gentleman be humble if he lives there?"

In the eyes of "someone", the Central Plains has splendid Chinese culture. How can you go to the land of barbarians? But Confucius didn't see it that way.

Longchang is also a place of "Na Man". And Longchang's hut is absolutely "humble". But Wang Yangming called it "He Lou Xuan".

Gentleman's personality is an important spiritual force supporting Wang Yangming's life in Longchang.

Second, put down your posture and find something to do.

Just arrived in Longchang, Wang Yangming and his party were depressed.

I knew the dragon farm was bitter, but I didn't know it was so bitter.

Over the mountains, everyone was tired all the way. After arriving at the Dragon Field, it is estimated that what everyone wants to do most is to have a good sleep first.

Sleep? Sorry, there is no place to sleep.

What, isn't the post office organized? How can Cheng Yi not even have a place to live?

Sorry, this, really not.

The organizational system of the Hongwu period has now existed in name only.

I don't know whose house I stayed for a few nights. Anyway, it didn't take long to get to the dragon field, and the entourage couldn't stand it and fell ill one after another.

At this time, Wang Yangming willingly became a "servant". He personally boiled water, chopped wood and cooked porridge to serve these patients; I often sing some songs from my hometown and tell some humorous jokes to comfort my servants. Under the careful care of Wang Yangming, the health of the servants gradually improved.

But what's the use of good health? People send you here just to disturb you, not to make you do anything serious.

Well, if you won't let me work, I'll find something for myself.

First thing: no house? Then build a house. Wang Yangming and his servants began to engage in livelihood projects. Build your own thatched temple first, and then teach the local people to build houses. Since then, Longchang has a house with civil structure for the first time.

The second thing: no government affairs? Then read and educate people. Wang Yangming dug a cave in the mountain and turned it into a living room. He named it "Xi Yi Chao" and studied Zhouyi here.

Then, Wang Yangming began education. Many students admire Wang Yangming and have come to ask for advice. It's a pleasure for Wang Yangming to take them to travel and preach everywhere.

Besides, Wang Yangming did a lot of things. For example, when the ethnic minorities in Shuixi, Guizhou Province rebelled, he wrote to warn the local chief executive of ethnic minorities, Ann Rong Gui. The latter listened to Wang Yangming's suggestion and sent troops to quell the disaster.

It can be said that in the past few years in Longchang, Wang Yangming has done his best.

People should have something to trust. The spiritual strength in our hearts is the foundation. On this basis, we need to enrich ourselves by constantly doing things.

It is not so easy for a person who is used to a good life to settle down and do some trivial things at first.

But acknowledging the reality and starting from what you can do is the first step to get out of the predicament and start over.

Third, don't pin the meaning of life on external things.

In the imperial examination era, many scholars took being an official (making a fortune by the way) as their life goal. Once the officialdom is frustrated, life seems to have lost its direction, and it is hard not to fall into depression.

For Wang Yangming, the imperial examination is only a means, not an end.

On one occasion, Wang Yangming failed in the imperial examination. There are also roommates who fail the list and are ashamed of it. Wang Yangming went on to say: the world is ashamed of not being the first, and I am ashamed of not being tempted.

I don't care if I'm on the list.

This statement sounds a bit high-profile today. However, when Wang Yangming said this, he meant it.

Mencius said: forty without being tempted.

If you pursue external fame and fortune, your heart will certainly fluctuate with external gains and losses.

Wang Yangming also attaches great importance to the imperial examination, which he thinks is a condition for his career and adoptive parents. But that's never the most important thing.

The most important thing is to be a first-rate: a saint. And to be a saint, you should not rely on outsiders.

Thousands of saints in Qian Qian are shadows, and conscience is my teacher.

Conscience comes from the heart, and meaning comes from itself.

Society is an organization, and the essence of organizational success is to meet the needs of others.

Many times, our value and significance are really reflected in satisfying others.

But we may also forget one thing: just because a person's career has suffered setbacks and lost his position in the organization does not mean that his meaning has disappeared.

The real meaning can only be found in yourself.

Life is unreasonable. No one can avoid setbacks.

Sometimes we can really make progress in setbacks; Even because of being cornered, unexpected energy broke out.

But things will not develop like this by themselves. Frustration will not be responsible for teaching you to grow.

In the face of setbacks, no matter how much hope there is, we have only one way: to face them with a good attitude. Proceed from reality and find your own way.

For Wang Yangming of Longchang, he is also looking for his own real path.

Therefore, he lived in Cheng Mo day and night, thinking hard.

Longchang, an ordinary late night.

People have fallen asleep. All is silent.

Finally, on a starry night for a month, Mr. Wang Yangming woke up from a nightmare, not with fear, but with ecstasy, shouting: I know the way of a saint, I am self-sufficient, and I am not false in seeking outside. Once upon a time, it was a big mistake to be realistic. All the truths are in our hearts, not outside our hearts.

This is the enlightenment of Longchang, which marks the birth of Yangming's theory of mind.

For a long time, when it comes to realizing Tao in Longchang, most people think that Wang Yangming's "Tao" is "self-nature, seeking for nothing."

These eight words, condensed into three words, are "heart is reason"-unreasonable outside the heart.

How can three words that look particularly simple and intuitive help Wang Yangming create such great achievements in the future?

In fact, "mind is reason" is not that simple.

First of all, if all truth, truth and justice are in my heart, then everything I do from my heart is in line with truth and follows justice. Everything that conforms to the truth and follows the principles of heaven is a great event, and everyone who has made great achievements is a great man.

You love someone sincerely, which is a great thing in itself. Otherwise, even if you are in a high position, but you don't act according to your conscience, even if what you do is earth-shattering, it can't be called greatness.

Everyone can be great, and everyone can be a saint.

Secondly, if something is great, then when you do it, your heart is full of fanatical mission. No matter what difficulties you encounter, don't forget your active attitude. You will go forward bravely and your spirit will ensure the success of this matter.

Third, if everyone can be a saint, then everyone is equal. When you are arrogant, remember that you are not superior to others; When you feel inferior, remember that you are not worse than others. When someone oppresses you, you should have the courage to resist, and the spirit of self-respect and fearlessness is the soul of Yangming's mind.

Finally, if all the truth and justice are in my heart, then we don't have to spend time seeking the truth, which saves time and improves efficiency.

However, "mind is reason" is easy to make people think. Since truth and justice are in my heart, anything I do from my heart is a great thing. So, is murder and robbery justified?

Wang Yangming tells you that doing things comes from the heart, not at will. There is something inside us called conscience, which monitors our every move at any time. Only what it recognizes is great.

Truth and justice are in our hearts because we have a supervisor-conscience.

This can't blame some people for thinking too much, because Wang Yangming didn't take the word "conscience" as the formal concept of his theory when he founded the theory of mind in 1508. It was not until 152 1 year after 13 years that the concepts of "conscience" and "to conscience" were born.

Unreasonable outside the heart means that the truth is not outside our heart or in authority. In other words, we must be skeptical about the so-called truths that are popular in the world to see if they are in line with our hearts.

We should dare to challenge the authority that is not in my heart, and don't take the right and wrong of authority as right and wrong. Everyone carries his head on his shoulders, but not everyone has his own things in his head. We have a lot of other people's things in our minds, so we must judge with our conscience whether it is reasonable or not and follow the natural principles.

We must have the ability to think independently and free will. Only in this way can we become real people, not puppets among the rabble.

The cornerstone of Wang Yangming's theory of mind is "mind is reason", which is the simplest and clear "Tao" that Wang Yangming realized in Longchang. This "Tao" is one, and this "one" is to be your own master and not to be the slave of others.

As long as you are willing to work hard, there will be truth. Wang Yangming said that if you really want to be filial to your parents, you must have reason to be filial to your parents. If you are really loyal to the monarch, you must have reasons to be loyal to the monarch. The truth of filial piety and loyalty does not need to be sought outside, it is in our hearts.

Therefore, everything in the world is afraid of your heart, but if you do it with your heart, there is nothing you can't solve, because the truth will show itself. If you don't pay attention, even the simplest things won't be solved, because the truth won't appear.

Wang Yangming said that the heart is material-oriented. In other words, the heart must be presented in things before truth can appear. If you don't act, your heart is just an organ, and the truth will never reappear.

Only by taking action can truth appear, and it is really "mind is reason".

Wang Yangming's theory of mind is called action philosophy, and its origin lies in the beginning of his enlightenment in Longchang-mind is reason.