On the Ethical Connotation of Wang Yangming's “Conscience”

Conscienceis the core concept of the school of mind of Wang Yangming. It is the starting point,but also its destination. The main source of the concept of Consciencecame from the first Master Meng at the pre- Qin era and Zhu Xi in the Song Dynasty. The main ethical contents ofconscienceinclude three aspects: 1) Conscienceis a moral body,it composes the order of the universe and the nature; 2) Conscienceis the norm of morality,it constitutes the standard of the morality of human and knowledge society; 3) Conscienceis the judgment standard of morality,it is based on human behavior for judgment. We want to realize and fulfillment conscience,we should do the following three points: 1) Sit quietly,relaxing and considering; 2) realization and overcoming oneself; 3) the unity of knowledge and action. In short,Wang Yangming's consciencehas abundant ethical connotation,and it is a key to understanding of the school of his mind and learning system.