Wang Gen

Wang Gen

Wang Gen (July 20, 1483 - January 4, 1541), a philosopher of Ming Dynasty, was born in anfengchang, Taizhou (now Anfeng Town, Dongtai City, Jiangsu Province). At first, he devoted himself to Wang Yangming (Shou ren) for survival. Later, he turned to study and founded Taizhou School, which inherited Yang Ming's theory of mind.

Main experience

My ancestors originally lived in Suzhou, and later settled in Taizhou

Anfeng

Chang (one of the ten in Huainan, now Anfeng Town, Dongtai City, Jiangsu Province) made a living by burning salt, and its ancestor was Wang Boshou. Wang Gen was born in 1483, the 19th year of Chenghua, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty. He was a "kitchen cook" (a coolie who burned salt). He was a kitchen cook for generations. He was "educated in a rural school at the age of seven, but he could not go to school even if he was poor". At the age of eleven, he dropped out of school and took salt with his father and brother. When he was 19 years old, he went to Shandong with his father Wang Shouan to do business. When he visited the Confucius Temple in Shandong, he got a lot of inspiration. He thought that "Confucius is also a person, I am also a person, and sages can learn.". Therefore, he recited the book of filial piety, Analects of Confucius and Da Xue every day, and put the book in his sleeve. When it was difficult for a hostage, he talked about it freely for a long time. In more than ten years of self-study, on the one hand, he was not ashamed to ask questions, on the other hand, he emphasized his personal experience. As a result of good management, he has become a rich family.

When he was 38 years old, he went to Jiangxi Province to visit Wang Yangming's gate and pay homage to his disciples. Wang Yangming thought that he was arrogant at first, so he changed his name to the word "gen" with the meaning of stillness. Wang Gen often argued with the teacher, "always dissatisfied with the teacher's theory", and insisted on his own point of view. He not only "repeatedly pushed hard, but also" did not stick to the Commentaries "and" followed the teacher's theory ", so he created his own" Huainan Gewu theory ". He advocated: "that is learning, that is Tao. If a person is trapped in poverty and discouraged, he will lose his origin, which is not learning. " It emphasizes the foundation of being a nation, and takes "settling down and establishing the foundation" as the starting point of feudal ethics. Once he swaggered through the market in a "swaggering car" (PU Lun) and was criticized by Yang Ming. In the second year of Jiajing (1523), Wang Yangming went north to Beijing and gave lectures along the way, which attracted the attention of all parties and caused a sensation. Wang Yangming was very angry when he heard the news and tried to call him back to "punish him with pain". However, his academic thought has spread all over the world. In the fifth year of Jiajing (1526), Wang Gen was appointed by Taizhou magistrate Wang Yaohu. He was a lecturer in Anding Academy. He publicized the idea that "common people's daily use is the way". Many scholars came here, which prepared the conditions for the establishment of Taizhou School. Most of Wang Gen's disciples were ordinary people. "They went into the mountains to seek seclusion, went through the market to inspire ignorance, gathered together along the way to the capital", but there were also many famous scholars, such as Xu Yue, Yan Jun, Wang Dong, Wang Bi, Luo rufang, he Xinyin and so on. There were 487 children in the five biographies, and Luo rufang was a great master. Huang Zongxi said that this school could "fight dragon and snake with bare hands". Taizhou School put forward the view that "common people's daily use is the way", emphasizing that "knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing, which is the virtue and conscience of heaven". Wang Gen had a unique style in his lectures. He made deep clothes and wore the five constant crowns according to the book of rites. He said, "when you walk, you will be regular and square, and when you sit, you will burn incense and know by heart." he refused to be an official all his life. He pointed out to the ruler directly: "to make the servant father and son feel comfortable under the rule, and still explain this learning with the second and third sons. The so-called" teacher's way "means that there are more good people, more good people, the court is right, and the world is governed.".

In 1539, Wang Gen, 57, was very ill. The next winter, when he was dying of serious illness, he said to his son Wang Bi, "if you know how to learn, why should I worry?" He hoped that Taizhou School would continue. After his death, hundreds of people were buried in the four directions.

Wang Gen made great contribution to Taizhou School in his life. Most of his students were from the lower class, including 487 farmers, woodcutters, potters and salt makers. Wang Gen didn't believe in the idealist genius theory of "born to know", but emphasized the importance of learning after tomorrow. This is his personal experience of self-study. As a result of his non scholastic background, he wrote very few works in his life, focusing on oral and psychological teaching, which made the "fool" easy to understand, which became one of the characteristics of Taizhou School. Wang Gen's works were compiled as "the remains of Mr. Wang Xinzhai".

Characters and deeds

In the first year of Jiajing, a Taizhou businessman came to Wang Shouren's home. Compared with Wang Shouren, he was just a nobody, but strangely, he attracted a lot of people's attention.

According to historical records, he was dressed in strange clothes, a paper hat, and a wat board in his hand. It's not surprising today, but at that time, he led the trend of the times

He went to see Wang Shouren in this suit. Many people didn't know that there was another purpose hidden behind his wild appearance, but he couldn't cheat Wang Shouren.

Wang Shouren received this man friendly, discussed problems with him, and entertained him for dinner. He admired Wang Shouren's knowledge so much that he wanted to bow down to him. Wang Shouren agreed.

Before long, he changed into that suit and was ready to go out for a lecture tour.

Wang Shouren suddenly stopped him, changed his old smile, and asked him coldly why he wanted to dress like this. The answer is still the same, such as breaking the bad rules of Neo Confucianism and stressing the true meaning of mind learning.

Wang Shouren listened to him quietly and revealed his disguise with only one sentence: "you just want to be famous."

Seeing that the trick was torn down, it was hard for him to stay. He took out his last bit of dignity and said goodbye to Wang Shouren, ready to go home.

But Wang Shouren stopped him and told him that he was still his own student and could stay here as long as he wanted.

This man finally understood that the so-called family background and birth were never considered by Wang Shouren. What he wanted to do was to impart knowledge selflessly.

He put away all his disguise and bowed to Wang Shouren solemnly. He changed his mind and devoted himself to learning.

This man's name is Wang Gen. he later became Wang Shouren's best student and founded Taizhou School.

(excerpt from those things in Ming Dynasty)

Life characteristics

Wang Gen was born in a poor family (he dropped out of school at the age of 11). He suffered from hunger, worked steadfastly, managed the housework and burned salt in the salt field. He was a strong man with ambition and self-reliance since he was a child.

In his exploration of life road, Wang Gen once studied medicine and practiced medicine. He wanted to seek the road of life and cure the society through the way of medicine. Although he had some achievements, he did not take it as a lifelong career after all. He adjusted and changed his career path in time, grasped the initiative of life, and set the coordinate of his career on the career of "learning".

Since the age of 19, Wang Gen and his father Wang Shouan have sold salt in Shandong Province by sea or land three times (19, 23, 25 years old) or more. Because he is good at business management, management and financial management, he "handles things properly" and "has a rich family, which lays an economic foundation for his devoting himself to study and preach.

Wang Gen was originally a stout boy with rough literacy. He began to read Da Xue, the Analects of Confucius and the book of filial piety after the age of 19. Under the difficult conditions of poor cultural foundation, living on the seashore, and without the guidance of famous teachers, he studied hard, and "sat silently and meditated in silence". This kind of painstaking and independent spirit of hard study is extraordinary and touching. It is no exaggeration to say that Wang Gen is a very outstanding "self-taught person".

Wang Gen not only studied hard, but also respected his teacher with an open mind. At the beginning, he put the book in his arms and took passers-by as his teacher. But he was not complacent and satisfied with his own gains and "hearsay". At the age of 38, he heard Huang Wengang (a native of Ji'an, Jiangxi Province) say that his academic views were like those of Wang Shouren, governor of Jiangxi Province. Wang Gen, eager to learn and eager for knowledge, immediately broke through the heavy resistance of his family and traveled thousands of miles to Jiangxi Province. His disciples met Wang Shouren at the church. During the period of learning from wangmen, he not only "repeatedly pushed the difficult, but also" did not stick to Zhuanzhu "and" according to the teacher's theory ", but insisted on independent thinking, asking and debating when there was doubt. He not only respected his teachers and was eager to learn during the semester, but also "welcomed the funeral in Tonglu, asked his comrades to manage his home" and "went to Kuaiji to bury" after Wang Shouren died, and took care of his descendants. Such perseverance and respect for teachers are worth learning.

When Wang Gen was lecturing and preaching, he used some "methods" with ingenuity and imagination, such as making deep clothes according to the book of rites, wearing Wuchang crowns, holding wat boards, and riding Pushun chariots, Or put up a "recruitment advertisement" in front of the door, saying, "this way goes through Fuxi, Shennong, Huangdi, Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, Duke of Zhou, Confucius, not the old and the young, but voluntary scholars.". This kind of method, which makes the villagers feel terrible at the beginning, has achieved the effect of "gradually believing, long-term immersion and adaptation".

Wang Gen not only taught apprentices in his hometown, but also "traveled around the world". In addition to "going to the mountains to seek seclusion, passing through the market to inspire ignorance, gathering along the way to the capital (Beijing)", he also successively gave lectures in Nanjing, Guangde, Xiaofeng, Kuaiji, Taizhou and other places, and built "dongtaojingshe" in his countryside (anfengchang). The objects of teaching are: "up to Shibao Gongqing, middle and Xinjiang officials, Daomu orders, down to Shishu, qiaotao, nongli, few generations", but the main objects are the oppressed working people in the lower society (kitchen stoves, servants, farmers, traders, fishermen, monks and Taoists, etc.). Many of them have made great academic achievements.

Wang Gen preached in cloth all his life

Chinese PinYin : Wang Gen