Chapter 14 Section 3 Lectures and Style of Study in Ming Dynasty Academy

Talking (or being able to speak) is a major feature of Ming Dynasty academies, and it is also an important symbol of the prosperity of Ming Dynasty academies. The popularity of academy lectures was formed under the advocacy of Wang Yangming, implemented in academy education, and gradually became a fairly complete system. Wang Yangming believes that in order to learn, one should not live in isolation, one should not be exposed to the cold, and one should not study alone without friends.Sticking to one place, it is difficult to improve by following only one teacher. The best way is to gather frequently and give lectures. Teachers and friends can observe and be kind to each other, and learn from each other's strengths to make up for their weaknesses. The social function of education can be brought into full play only when the fascination of colorfulness is getting farther and farther away.

Lectures are similar to modern academic organizations, centered on the academies, and jointly formed by people from nearby communities. The academies are also jointly organized and presided over by turns. It has become an academic and educational activity with wide-ranging influence.The famous societies at that time were: Xiyin Academy Lectures, Donglin Academy Lectures, Guanzhong Academy Lectures, Ziyang Academy Lectures, Yaojiang Academy Lectures, and Tongshan Association, Shuixi Association, Xiyuan Association, Qingyuan Academy Hui, Yunxinghui, Yirenhui, Tianquanhui, etc.There are specific statutes for lectures. The so-called "every study must have an agreement, and every meeting must have rules." Wait.

Here is an excerpt from "Songshi Meeting" as an example to see: "Chongshi Meeting" was given by Tongcheng Fang Xuejian in the thirty-eighth year of Wanli (AD 1610) when he presided over the Ziyang Academy Lecture Xin'an Liuyi Conference. , a total of twelve, eleven existing: 1. There will be a system; 2. There will be a period; 3. There will be rituals; 4. There will be pictures; 5. There will be auxiliary; 6. There will be pointers; 7. There will be recordings; 8. There will be discussions; 9. There will be processes; Ten, there will be chapters; eleven, there will be precepts; twelve,...

Under the article "Precepts for Meetings", the following precepts are listed: learning is valuable, and arrogance should be abstained; middle-level emptiness is important, and full of heart should be abstained; The heart should be abstained; the cultivation of tranquility is precious, and the mind should be abstained; the uprightness should be valued, and the mind should be abstained; the utensils are expensive, and the mind should be abstained; Super, habitual mind should quit. The Ziyang Lecture Association has a strict organization, with various positions including the sect sect, the president, the administrator, the praise, and the supervisor.The sect of the Huizong is "the main alliance to explain and teach, and to be the leader". It is held by highly respected people from various counties; the president handles all affairs in the meeting; Boy Cai Min is in charge of reporting affairs, making appointments with friends, and reporting and contacting.

There will be a set schedule for the lectures: the lectures will be divided into monthly meetings and annual meetings. The monthly meetings will be held on the eighth day and the 23rd day of each month.The annual meeting is held on September 15th (Zhu Xi's birthday) or March 15th (Zhu Xi's death day).Each meeting will be held for three days. There will be a grand ceremony at the lecture: at the beginning, a ceremony of explaining food (using fruits and vegetables to sacrifice to the sages and teachers) will be held, offering sacrifices to Confucius and Song Confucianism; The position, the second bow to Huizong, and the second bow to the president.Hand in the factual record in front of Zhu Xi's god seat, and sit in the front seat of the hall; after the huizong or the president reads a chapter of the handout, sing a chapter of poems; choose less, go to the lecture again, and then sing poetry; choose less, check the record, rewards and punishments, Registration and assessment results; set up the table, finish the meal, withdraw the table, sit down again, ask questions, discuss and debate the etiquette, and at the time of application in the afternoon, bow to the god Zhu Xi, the guild sect, and the chairman, sing poems and leave.

The content of the lectures, in addition to the "Four Books" and "Five Classics", the writings and quotations of Neo Confucianists are all lecture materials.For each lecture, Huizong preliminarily selects a chapter and distributes it to the members. Every day he speaks, he also selects dozens of poems by Neo Confucianists such as Shao Yong, Cheng Hao, and Zhu Xi, and sings them during the lecture. After the meeting ends, Members of the church should each prepare a diary, recording what they do, who they meet, what they think, what books they read, and what they say.It must be faithfully recorded, and it will be handed over at the next meeting, and shared with the members for review.

The Ziyang Lecture will honor King Zhu Pi.Other symposiums also have their own sects, so the symposium has evolved into a stable academic group, and some of them have the color of some kind of political group. The development of lectures in academies in the Ming Dynasty, especially the rise of the Yangming School since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, had an important impact on the style of study in the academies of the Ming Dynasty.The prominent performance is: dare to doubt, pay attention to independent thinking.Wang Yangming pointed out: "The theory of a gentleman must be obtained from the heart. Everyone thinks it is true, but the heart of seeking it does not understand it, and dare not think it is true; everyone thinks it is wrong, and the heart of seeking it has an agreement, and no one dares to think it is wrong." Also." The second is the theory of equality, seeking common ground while reserving differences, not sticking to the door, not imposing one's own views on others, advocating tolerance and tolerance in academic debates, with a heroic and chivalrous spirit.