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A Study on Unity of Original Substance[本體] and Moral Effort[功夫] in Yang-Ming’s Philosophy

Ahn Tae mo 1

1동국대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper is about the Yang-ming(陽明) philosophy on the relationship between original substance[本體] and moral effort[功夫]. For Yang-ming, the relationship between them is explained as Four sentences teaching[四句敎]. Four sentences teaching is the primary doctrine which embodied the concise and central contents of the philosophy of Yang-ming. But Four sentences teaching has many meanings, so the Yang-Ming`s scholars have interpreted it differently. The typical interpretation argues for the Four absence[四無] and Four exist[四有] of Wang-Ji(王畿) and Qian De-hong(錢德洪). In response, Yang-ming is compromised their argument through the idea that substance and function are of one source[體用一源]. However, Gao Xian-cheng[顧憲成] does not accept that the original substance of mind[心體] is a substance without any specific good and evil[無善無惡]. But this does not understand the relationship between original substance and moral effort in Yang-ming. For this reason, transcendental moral knowledge and original substance of mind[良知本體] can be defined as substance of mind supreme good[至善] and substance without any specific good and evil. Why is Yang-ming emphasizing the unity of original substance and moral effort? For Yang-ming, moral effort is not found outside of original substance, but to regain the lost moral knowledge and original substance of mind. It is pleasant to recover the lost moral knowledge and original substance of mind, which used to be in conflict with each other in peace and bliss[樂]. In Yang-ming the concept of original substance and moral effort is united into a single category.

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