On the Systematical Construction of Yangming’s Liangzhi Theory

Abstract: Wang Yangming’s theory of mind can be called Yangming’s liangzhi theory in a sense. This theory forms a rigorous system, in which layers of concepts of liangzhi are linked and corroborated by each other, such as liangzhi duzhi (liangzhi can be attained alone), liangzhi zizhi (liangzhi is self-knowledge), liangzhi zijue (liangzhi is self-consciousness), liangzhi yinian (liangzhi is one-thought), liangzhi wuzhi (liangzhi is full knowledge) and so on, forming an organic set of theoretical links. When we explain the rich and unique connotations of these concepts, we can find that the theoretical construction of Yangming’s liangzhi theory highlights the importance of liangzhi zizhi in the process of realizing the liangzhi benti (the substance of liangzhi), and the liangzhi zizhi shows that liangzhi is not only a moral norm or judgment standard, but also has such qualities as self-reflexivity, inwardness, and rootedness as moral introspection, thus making Yangming’s liangzhi theory greatly enrich the ideological connotations of the Confucian tradition of spirituality and its tradition of self-cultivation.