| Abstract |
Sharing the common interest of correcting drawbacks, Xu Jing-An, Li Jian-Luo and Hu Lu-Shan of late Ming Dynasty, who respectively stand for non-monism-nor-dualism of mind and nature, monism of mind and nature, and dualism of mind and nature, repeatedly debate on the matter of separation and combination of mind and nature. The way they integrate mind and nature is the consideration of mind and nature as a whole, which governs the concept of nature in the practice of mind, and constructs the thought pattern that mind is established by nature and nature is displayed by mind in the respective of self-cultivation. Besides, they all oppose metaphysical enlightenment of human nature and heavenly principles. Instead, they emphasize learning from real practice. Therefore, the thesis of syncretization of both inner and outer runs through their theory of mind and nature. Morality cultivation and awareness of the fundamental truth, which were less concerned in The Great Learning, has become the core of the debate. The relevant relationship of mind-matter and relationship of matter-body are also incorporated into the argument. They steer self-cultivation of mind to morality cultivation with one accord and emphasize the realization of ideal of uniformity of mind and nature on the self-cultivation patter of body-mind integrity and joint of matter and body, which becomes one of the characteristic of the development of noumenon thought in late Ming Dynasty. |
