| dc.description.abstract | Gu Xain-cheng (1550-1612), under the influence of his father Gu Xue in his youth, was a man of integrity and enthusiasm. Having obtained his doctorate in the 8th year of Wan-li(1580), he first served in the Ministry of Economy and then the Ministry of Personnel. His political career was often frustrated by his impeccable integrity that wouldn’t tolerate any unjust case or disruption from the privileged, and by his pride of not flattering to those in power. In the 22nd year of Wan-li(1594), he was dismissed his government position, for the Ministry of Personnel failed to cater to the Shen-zong emporer in selecting cabinet officers. From then on, he dedicated himself to delivering lectures which criticized the sect of Wang’s thought and contemporary politics in the hope of improving society.
Gu’s thought was more aligned with that of Cheng and Chu, deprecating Wang’s thought and the study of Zen. The comments on the Zen-based notion of “neither good nor evil” were especially strong. In the 26th year of Wan-li, Gu had debated on “neither good nor evil” and “the combination of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism” with Guan Zhi-dao in Hui-quan. Gu propagated “human nature is good” and that “putting minds into practice”. The latter was especially emphasized by Gu. Although Xain-cheng started his academia from Wang, and also made a thorough study in Buddhism, However, after receiving the guidance of Ying-qi. Gu tended to Cheng and Chu’s thoughts. Moreover, the main idea of his thinking was moral education, which was obtained by deep research of his writings. Therefore, not only Gu’s teachings, but also his words and deeds, showed how he cared about the society and country.
This study focuses on Gu’s behavior, research, and thinking, ranging from 29th year of Jia-jing to 40th year of Wan-li (1550-1612). The discussion of Gu’s behavior helps to understand how he acted as a government official and his attitude to deal with people. The analyses of Gu’s research enable the following scholars to know where Gu’s academic background came from. To dissect Gu’s thinking helps to figure out why Gu exclude the sect of Wang’s thought and the study of Zen. Besides, Gu believed in good humanity, emphasized that actions speak louder than words, and made efforts to rebuild the Dong-Lin academy. In a word, it is worthwhile to make a thorough study of Gu Xain-cheng from every angle.
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