"Under the Han Dynasty, Confucianism went from bad to worse. For more than a thousand years, in the middle of the Song Dynasty, Zhou Dunyi, who was born in the mausoleum, learned from the sages what he had never passed on, and wrote Tai Chi Tu Shuo and Tong Shu, explaining the principles of Yin and Yang and the five elements. He knew everything. " The Biography of the History of the Song Dynasty and Daoism put the Neo-Confucianism founded by Zhou Zi in a very high position.
Born in 10 17, Zhou Dunyi loved reading since childhood. He is quite famous in his hometown Daozhou Camp. People say that he is "ambitious, knowledgeable and has the demeanor of the ancients."
Because of his extensive reading, Zhou Dunyi was exposed to many different kinds of ideas. He dabbled in Buddhism from hundred schools of thought in the pre-Qin Dynasty to China in the Han Dynasty, which laid the foundation for him to study China's ancient wonderful book "The Book of Changes" and establish a congenital world view.
103 1 year, Zhou Dunyi 15 years old. Three years after his father died, he and his half-brother Lu Dunwen took refuge in his mother's uncle Zheng Xiang in Hengyang, who was then a college student in Longtuge, Song Renzong. This uncle is very kind to Zhou Dunyi and his mother.
1037, Zheng Xiang was transferred to Zhejiang and Shusuanshan Caohe, and Zhou Dunyi moved to Dantu County, Runzhou with his mother. Because of his intelligence, kindness and filial piety, Zheng Xiang loved him deeply, and he also loved Bai Lian. Zheng Xiang built a pavilion and planted lotus under the Phoenix Mountain in front of his house, and Zhou Dunyi used it for reference. On midsummer night, the lotus flowers are in full bloom, fragrant and beautiful.
Zhou Dunyi often walks by the pond of the West Lake, enjoying the beautiful scenery, learning knowledge and thinking about life. Not only that, the virtue of lotus flower's fragrance, purity, softness and non-stick also influenced Zhou Dunyi, cultivated his thoughts and sentiments, and laid the foundation for the birth of Ailian's Theory, which was praised by later generations.
On Zhou Dunyi's 20th birthday, my uncle invited the emperor to play and got him a supervisor's position.
During his tenure, Zhou Dunyi worked hard and won the hearts of the people. He is a very capable official with certain achievements. At that time, he was famous for his meticulous observation, adherence to principles, not flattering the powerful, and clear judgment on prison cases. His politics and scholarship are outstanding, and the world ranks him with Bao Gong, the representative of honest and upright official culture.
Zhou Dunyi loves elegant, dignified, beautiful and clean lotus flowers. After learning the news of Nankang Army, he dug a pond to grow lotus flowers in the east of the government, named Ailian Pool, with a pool width of 10 foot, a stone platform in the middle, a hexagonal pavilion on the platform and a zigzag bridge on both sides. He often strolls in Chi Pan in midsummer, admiring the lotus floating in the wind and reciting the lotus of love.
In "Love Lotus", Zhou Dunyi first wrote about Tao Yuanming's love for chrysanthemums and the love of the world for peonies as a foil, and then he calmly told the reason why he loved lotus flowers. The phrase "get out of the mud and don't get stained" is a familiar fragment. Every sentence is about lotus flowers, and at the same time, every sentence is about a gentleman's character.
Next, Zhou Dunyi called chrysanthemum, peony and lotus respectively "hermit", "rich man" and "gentleman", cleverly pointed out the intention of using flowers to describe people, and praised the noble ambition of a gentleman like lotus.
In life, Zhou Dunyi began to study Zhouyi, and finally wrote his important book "Too Easy to Illustrate", and put forward a systematic theory of universe generation:
Infinity and tai chi. Tai Chi moves to generate yang, moves to be extremely quiet, and static generates yin, while static moves to be extremely quiet. Dynamic and static are mutually rooted. Divided into yin and yang, two instruments stand. ..... The sage decided to be upright, upright and quiet, and stand up for people. ..... Therefore, there is a cloud: "The way to establish heaven is also yin and yang. The way to stand on one's feet is to be soft and firm. The way to establish a person is benevolence and righteousness. " He also said, "First goes against the end, so we know the saying of life and death." It is easy to be great, and it is the best.
Zhou Dunyi inherited Confucius and Mencius and started in Zhu. He absorbed the thoughts of Buddhism and Taoism, formed his own neo-Confucianism system, preached the world view of "infinite Tai Chi" and a calm, logical and sincere outlook on life, and became the founder of neo-Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty. Zhou Dunyi's position is discussed in Song Yuan Gong's book:
After Confucius and Mencius, Han Confucianism stopped learning classics. Sex has been whispered for a long time. With the rise of Yuan Gong and the inheritance of the second generation, great scholars emerged in Hengqu, and sages were knowledgeable.
Yuan Gong here is Zhou Dunyi, and Yuan Gong was his posthumous title. This passage clearly affirmed Zhou Dunyi's position as the founder of Neo-Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty. He often travels with monks and Taoists, playing the piano and reciting poems.
Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties occupies an extremely important position in the history of China's philosophical thought. Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties was mainly based on Confucianism of Confucius and Mencius, and absorbed the essence of Taoism and Buddhism in many ways, and gradually became the dominant philosophical thought in our society.
Zhou Dunyi's knowledge and tolerance also moved many people to follow him. The most famous ones are Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi.
Later, Zhou Dunyi moved to the foot of Lotus Peak in Lushan, Jiujiang, Jiangxi. There is a stream in front of the door. Because of its beauty, he calls himself Lianxi. Later, Zhu, a great scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, publicized him many times, so later people called Zhou Dunyi a Lianxi person. He also teaches science at Lianxi Academy, which is built by the stream.
Lianxi Academy occupies an important position in the history of Chinese academy, education and philosophy. In the history of the development of Neo-Confucianism, it is in a prominent position incomparable to other academies in terms of core, soul and origin.
Historically, there have been an endless stream of people studying, researching, visiting and searching in Jiujiang Lianxi Academy. Many famous people, such as Huang Tingjian, Su Shi, "Er Cheng", Zhu,, and so on. , has been stationed here.
1056, the emperor appointed Zhou Dunyi as judge of Hezhou. At that time, there were more than 10,000 families in Hezhou, but there was not a statewide institution of higher learning and not many scholars. Zhou Dunyi decided to run a state school to change the backward state of Hezhou culture.
There is a mountain on the east bank of Jialing River outside Hezhou City, named Shixueshan, which is located at the intersection of Jia, Fu and Qu Sanhe. Looking down from the top of the mountain, the river is long, the white sails are rippling and the scenery is beautiful. Zhou Dunyi thought: This is really a good place to study. I wish I could manage the public schools here.
Zhou Dunyi inquired that this was the private garden of Zhang Zongfan, a squire from Hezhou. He decided to call home and study in Shangzhou with Zhang Zongfan. Zhang Zongfan respected Zhou Dunyi's knowledge and personality very much, readily agreed to his request and donated the whole garden for free.
After the establishment of the state school, Zhou Dunyi invited Zhang Zongfan to preside over the study of politics and recruit more than a thousand students, regardless of wealth, as long as they are talented. He invited scholars from all over the world to give lectures, and great writers such as Su Xun, Su Shi and Su Zhe were invited.
As a result, Hezhou students have become a common practice and talented people have come forth in large numbers. There are one or two scholars every year, and Hezhou University has a great reputation. Zhang Zongfan also changed from a local gentry to an enlightened gentry and became a model of the gentry in the Northern Song Dynasty.
He is very proud. He invited craftsmen to build an octagonal pavilion on the top of the mountain. He wanted to ask Zhou Dunyi to write the plaque "Octagonal Pavilion", but Zhou Dunyi wrote the word "Yangxin Pavilion" in calligraphy. After writing, he explained meaningfully: "People are very important in nourishing the heart."
Zhou Dunyi was sentenced to five years in Hezhou with outstanding achievements. Later, no matter where he went, he was thinking about Hezhou Guoxue and Yangxin Pavilion, and he also wrote an article "Yangxin Pavilion" for Zhang Zongfan to engrave in the Pavilion.
1073, after Zhou Dunyi's death, Song Huizong was made Yuan Gong. 124 1 year, Song Lizong was granted the title of Runanbo, 13 19 year, Renzong in Yuan Dynasty was granted the title of Daoguo Gong, and he entered the Confucius Temple in successive dynasties.
In the Southern Song Dynasty, Wei Liaoweng went to East Sichuan to commemorate Zhou Dunyi at Jianlianxi Temple in Hezhou. 153 1 year, Yu Shi Qiu Daolong established Lianxi Academy in Nanjin Street, Hezhou. It can be seen that the rhyme of Mr. Lian Xi and his school has a far-reaching influence on Hechuan.
At the end of the Song Dynasty, Hengyang's memorial buildings to Zhou Dunyi included one courtyard and four shrines, namely, West Lake Academy, Lianxi Temple on the north shore of West Lake, Lianxi Temple on Phoenix Mountain, Lianxi Temple in Xiaoxiangmen and Lianxi Temple in Shigu. These are not family shrines, but memorial places set up by the state to worship Zhou Zi and integrate teachings.