The Mind Being the Tao:Yang Jian's Consciousness and Interpretation of the Original Mind
Under the enlightenment of Xiangshan,Yang Jian was conscious of the original mind(Benx-in)based on the retrospect of his judgment on the fan lawsuit,and started his study on philosophy of the Mind with the proposition that the mind is the Tao.In the interpretation of the original mind,Yang Jian inherited the metaphysical thinking from the pre-Confucians but also launched the rethinking on the onto-logical construction.On the one hand,he affirmed the transcendence of the original mind over concrete things,emphasizing the mirror and perception of the mind to the universe.On the other hand,he made clear the invisibleness of the original mind,thereby,negating any theoretical construct that treats it as an independent noumenon.Different from Zhu Xi's construction of the universal noumenon for all existence,and from Xiangshan's establishment of the intrinsic value noumena of individuals,Yang Jian did not view the original mind as a noumenon independent of things,but emphasized the presentation of the original mind,mirroring the real existence of all things in the universe.Through introspection of his own moral judgment,Yang Jian came to realize that the practice of morality is not rooted in exploring and following the essence of values,but rather in the autonomous manifestation of one's original mind.Based on the autonomous manifestation of the original mind,individuals can comprehend the true existence of all things within the unity of subject and object,thereby,demonstrating practical moral conduct.
Yang Jianthe original mindconsciousnessthe mind being the Tao