Yangming's theory of mind is superior to Zhu and Buddha.
Compared with Buddha Lao, Wang Yangming obviously took the same road as Buddha Lao, that is, seeking Tao from the heart and seeking Tao from himself. Whether consciously or unconsciously, the path of mind learning is similar to that of Zen, which is undeniable. Therefore, as soon as Yangming's theory of mind was born, it was ridiculed as Zen, not groundless. But it is this point that also shows that Wang Yangming is older and wiser than Buddha, because both of them seek Tao from the heart, and his mind is not only wise, but also close to the people; Not only cultivated themselves, but also protected the people. However, in his later years, the Buddha was alienated from others, extinct, able to cultivate self-cultivation, unable to settle people, unable to rule the country and level the world. In this way, the Buddha fell at the foot of his heart.
Compared with Zhu, it is undeniable that both Wang Yangming and Zhu established the holy gate and practiced the holy way together. What they did was to settle down and continue to learn the holy way. However, the two took the opposite path. Zhu's pursuit of worldly Tao and reason hopes for the miracle of "suddenly getting through once". However, things are different and reasons are always different and cannot be coupled. Zhu devoted all his energy to the outside world, interpreting classics and sacred learning, making Confucian sacred learning a classic authority for more than 800 years. However, he spent his whole life, but he didn't exhaust his reason. Instead, he made the sacred learning fragmented, and even Wang Yangming felt that he couldn't start reading Zhuzi. The genius of Wang Yangming lies in Zhu's doing the opposite. Wang Yangming started with Zhu's style of doing things, but he didn't do it because he put it into practice. He began to suspect that Zhu's style of doing things always made me unacceptable. Is there a problem? After a long period of exploration and pondering, I finally realized that "the way of a saint, I am self-sufficient, and I don't pretend to seek outside." Don't underestimate such a sentence, this is a fundamental change, this is the establishment of purpose, and this is the birth of the soul. From then on, Wang Yangming sought Tao from himself, and practiced spiritually and inwardly. Take the completely opposite road with Zhu, but it is simple and direct, which is easy for everyone to understand. The same is "respecting morality and seeking knowledge", because different understandings lead to completely opposite paths. Zhu thought that he should be outside his heart, so he devoted all his energy to the knowledge of "learning from the Tao". Where did you get the energy to "respect morality"? Kung fu has been made into two pieces. How can Tao be one piece? Wang Yangming believes that the heart is unreasonable, the heart is integrated and the heart is rational, so knowledge and action can be integrated. Because he thinks that "Taoist inquiry learning" is a kung fu of "respecting morality", it is just one thing, and "Taoist inquiry learning" and "respecting morality" are originally one. Otherwise, there is "Tao" besides "respecting morality"? In addition to "seeking knowledge", there is also "respecting morality". In this case, it becomes an internal and external part.
It should be said that compared with Buddhism, Yangming's theory of mind is brilliant in "doing", thoroughly understanding things and people, and so is the world. Compared with Zhu, Yangming's theory of mind is brilliant in "one essence", "one inside and one outside" and "one thing, one thing, one reason", which re-establishes the purpose of Confucianism and puts "literature of surplus mechanics" back to the second place.
? I appreciate Wang Yangming's theory, because I am close by nature and like the knowledge that I have applied. Second, because he has a purpose and a mind, he will not commit rampant pedantry; The third is its simple learning system, which can be covered by only a few propositions. The more you learn, the more harmonious and magical you feel. Although kung fu is not easy or even difficult to do, the so-called "breaking thieves in the mountains is easy, but breaking thieves in the heart is difficult." However, the theme is so clear, I am afraid of not doing it, and I am afraid of doing something wrong! In the history of China's philosophy, no knowledge system is so simple and harmonious, so practical and useful!