The Taizhou School (Taizhou Xuepai) and the Popularization of Liangzhi (Innate Knowledge)

Abstract

Until recently our understanding of the Taizhou school of the sixteenth century was mostly focused in the philosophical arena, in which it was viewed as a Confucian school that promoted the idea of sagehood for all. Considering Taizhou scholars not only as thinkers but also as activists, this essay explores how they transformed their philosophical ideas into simple messages accessible to people from all walks of life and into actions that could be disseminated to the populace. Based upon research of several generations of the Taizhou scholars, this study proposes that the Taizhou scholar-activists had converted Wang Yangming's metaphysical idea of liangzhi (innate knowledge) into an emotive, moral concept of liangxin (conscience), more responsive to the masses. It illustrates that they disseminated this concept of liangxin to the public via their versatile methods of teaching and extensive social institutions of the time, such as community covenants, guild halls and lineage associations. Today, liangzhi may still exist, but mainly in scholarly works; whereas, liangxin has become the moral reference of daily life among all Chinese.