This thesis focuses mainly on the thoughts of four scholars from Donglin School in the late Ming Dynasty: Gu Xiancheng, Gao Panlong, Qian Yiben, and Sun Shenxing. Rather than other scholars from the Donglin School, previous research put most attention on the thoughts of Gu Xiancheng and Gao Panlong. Sometimes, the texts extracted in the Ming ru xue an by Huang Zongxi are selectively studied, if any. This thesis expands the research scope to include the thoughts of Qian Yiben and Sun Shenxing. Through an in-depth analysis of the four scholars, this thesis presents the features of the thoughts of Donglin School in a more comprehensive way.
In addition to the Introduction and the Conclusion, this thesis can be generally divided into four main sections. In the first section, the scope and definition of “Donglin School” are determined. The goals of establishing the Donglin Academy are then delineated. What is more, the connection between the four Donglin scholars and Wang xue are explored. Thus the choices made by the Donglin scholars between Zhu zi xue and Yang ming xue are demonstrated; the scholars’ attempts at correcting the flaws of the Wang xue in late Ming Dynasty are also presented.
The second section focuses on the four scholars’ discourses on human nature, starting by exploring how they rejected the theory of Wu shan wu e , elaborating their opinions on Xin shan , and then analyzing the similarities as well as differences in the views they took about Qi zhi zhi sing . In the third section, the four scholars’ Li-qi theories and way-of heaven theories are analyzed, followed by a discussion on their varied understanding of Xin 心, which is considered to be a certain demonstration of the differences existing in their Li-qi theories. Based on the perspective above, this thesis further analyzes the four scholars’ views about Zhong he , presenting how they have been unsettled between Cheng zhu xue and Yang ming xue and also providing a theoretical foundation for the fourth section of this thesis— the ways to practice. The main topic of the fourth section is the four scholars’ opinions on the concept of Shen du , aside from their attitude toward learning, which emphasizes equally Ben ti and Gong fu as well as cultivation and enlightenment. In the fourth section, there is an elaboration of the scholars’ views on Ben ti and Gong fu, which reflects the features of their thoughts.