On this day, 495 years ago, Mr. Yang Ming said goodbye to us, leaving behind the phrase "What is the light of this heart", which still echoes in our ears and illuminates our path.
Recently, more than 500 volunteers from all over the country have been scattered to Dayu in Jiangxi, Longnan, Xiuwen Longchang in Guizhou, Heping in Guangdong, Yuanling in Hunan, Junxian in Henan, Shaoxing in Zhejiang and other places to commemorate the 495th anniversary of Mr. Yangming's death, with the theme of "Breaking the Heart of the Thief and Walking the Way of Light". These volunteers, with their admiration for Mr. Yang Ming, traveled through the long river of history to feel his great soul.
On January 9, 1529, Mr. Yang Ming passed away peacefully in Dayuqing Longpu, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, becoming a bright star in the long river of history. Time flies, on January 7, 2024, more than 200 Yangming Xinxue volunteers from all over the world gathered in front of Yangming Heart Valley and Dayu Guangming Monument in Longnan to hold a solemn worship ceremony to remember this great philosopher.
They used their hearts to feel the wisdom and spirit of Mr. Yang Ming, crossed the gap of time and space, and had a profound spiritual dialogue with him. Although Mr. Yang Ming has passed away for 495 years, his thoughts and spirit still shine on future generations, inspiring people to continue to pursue light and truth.
In 1518, the thirteenth year of Ming Zhengde, on the seventh day of the first lunar month, Mr. Yang Ming showed the wisdom and military talent of the literati, and he led the army of the Nine Roads to advance into Jiulian Mountain and Sanhun Mountain. During his nearly two-month patrol, he successfully pacified the "bandits" and curbed the local civil unrest. He called for the establishment of a peaceful county, actively built schools, popularized education, and worked hard to eliminate the "thieves" in the hearts of the local people. He set up social studies and township covenants, and practiced the concept of "unity of knowledge and action" with practical actions. Since then, Heping County has become an important place for the practice of Mr. Yang Ming's idea of "unity of knowledge and action", the main mature place of Yang Ming's mental thought, and an important area for him to achieve immortal deeds and academic achievements.
On January 6, 2024, Lin Shimei, a volunteer of Yangming Psychology, and Zeng Xiaowen, the head teacher of Yangming Psychology, led more than 50 Yangming Psychology students from five counties and two districts of Heyuan City, as well as villagers and students where Yangming ruins are located, to pay homage to Mr. Yangming. With high respect, they felt the great soul of Mr. Yang Ming in person, traveled through the long river of history, and had a profound spiritual dialogue with this philosopher.
In 1506, in the first year of Zhengde of Ming Wuzong, Mr. Yangming was demoted to Longchang, Guizhou (now seventy miles northwest of Guiyang, Xiuwen County) as a post minister because of his opposition to the eunuch Liu Jin. At that time, Longchang was located in the mountains of Guizhou, and the Miao, bureaucrats and other ethnic groups lived together. In such a difficult environment, Mr. Yang Ming conducted a deep reflection and put forward the important view that "the heart is reason", which is one of the core ideas of Yang Ming's psychology.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Mr. Yang Ming did not give up his pursuit of truth. He continued to explore in the predicament, and finally one night, he realized that the heart is the root of sensing everything. This realization has had a profound impact on the development of Yangming Psychology, and it also provides us with a new way of thinking.
To this day, despite the continuous rain, the Yangming Mind volunteers who participated in the worship activities still have high respect, and they share each other's learning gains in the rain. The rain seemed to wash their hearts and let them understand Mr. Yang Ming's wisdom and spirit more deeply. Even in difficult situations, we must have firm beliefs and perceive the world with our hearts, which is the precious wealth left to us by Mr. Yang Ming.
In the 12th year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty, Wang Yangming, the champion of the new department, escorted the coffin of Wang Yue, the secretary of the military department, back to his hometown in Jun County for burial. At the foot of Daling Mountain, Wang Yangming witnessed the placement of Wang Yue's cemetery. In his spare time, he climbed to the top of Da Ling Mountain, lectured and discussed, and left the article "Da Ling Mountain Fu". During the 39th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty, the county commander Ge Ci established the Dongshan Academy in the place where Wang Yangming taught, which is now known as Yangming Academy. However, in 1679, due to disrepair, Yangming Academy was rebuilt into Yuwang Temple by Liu Jianxin.
On January 7, 2024, in order to commemorate the 495th anniversary of Mr. Yang Ming's death, about 60 local cadres, experts in Chinese culture, as well as leaders of Chinese culture and volunteers from other places participated in the event. They paid homage to Mr. Yang Ming and paid their respects to the great philosopher. During the worship activities, everyone reviewed Mr. Yang Ming's life deeds and ideological achievements. They discussed the enlightenment and value of Yang Ming Psychology for modern society, and delved into the question of how to apply it to modern society.
In Huaihua Yuanling, a land rich in human history, Wang Yangming first put forward the concept of "to conscience", and Lin Zexu also praised it as "a county with good mountains to stay and live, and Wuxi and autumn water for Junqing". Shen Congwen even lamented that it was "heart-wrenching". These poems and praises all show the long history and profound cultural heritage of Yuanling.
On January 7, 2024, 56 entrepreneurs and local public officials gathered in Yuanling to participate in the event to pay homage to Mr. Yang Ming. They commemorated this great philosopher with admiration, and at the same time felt the profound historical and cultural heritage of Yuanling. This event is not only a remembrance of Mr. Yang Ming, but also the inheritance and promotion of history and culture.