The origin of the theory of mind is not Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism, but traditional Confucianism, which inherits Mencius' theory of good nature, so if we can't realize this, we can't realize the essence of Yangming's theory of mind. What is the essence of Yangming's theory of mind?
Wang Yangming put forward many theories such as "nothing outside the heart", "to conscience" and "unity of knowledge and action". Finally, he also summed up the four strategies of psychology: "there is no good or evil in the body, there is good or evil in the conduct, knowing good or evil is the conscience, and eliminating evil is the standard", but in the final analysis, conscience is still the core, and whether it is the unity of knowledge and action or the standard, it is the way to achieve conscience.
Zhu's Neo-Confucianism put forward the idea of "preserving justice and eliminating human desires". The so-called heavenly principles are the three cardinal principles and five permanents of Confucianism, and they are a series of strict moral standards and codes of conduct. Under this natural principle, everyone is crushed to death, becoming more and more distorted and decadent. Wang Yangming once pursued this kind of justice, but later he had a different opinion. He felt that this kind of justice was inappropriate. True justice is in people's minds. What he sees is the projection reaction of the heart, that is, there is nothing outside the heart, and this heart also represents people's conscience, and conscience is to embody this conscience in practice.
As for how to embody it, we should learn from things, integrate knowledge with practice, and put our inner conscience into practice to show our conscience. Knowing and doing must be synchronized. Knowing is doing, doing is knowing, and everything is the embodiment of the heart.