The controversy in late Ming thought surrounding the first sentence of the four Yang-ming teachings, "The mind without goodness or evil", is not only an important issue within the Wang school, but also one of the best points of observation for studying the interaction of the three religions. As the common method of the three religions, " Neither Good nor Evil " is an exceptional example of Confucianism's incorporation of Buddhism and Taoism. In addition, this theory has had a wide range of influence, and has been the subject of many debates and reconciliations, with both sides endeavoring to resolve the issue, both positively and negatively, bringing great ripples to late Ming thought. Therefore, the historical significance of the theory of " Neither Good nor Evil " is worthy of review and examination.
The main concern of this paper is to understand the significance of the theory of " Neither Good nor Evil " to the school of Wang, and why those who are closely related to Buddhism and Taoism in the school of Wang are particularly concerned with this aspect. Moreover, how Confucianism enriches the proposition of conscience teaching through the discussion of " Neither Good nor Evil " also provides a channel of communication between the three religions. Along with the deepening of the " Neither Good nor Evil " theory, it is also worth noting the development of the ethical dimension of the consideration of transgressions and evils. Not only does the work of the deeper conscience teachings expand, but also the new thinking on the subject and substance theory, which influences the structure of the The body-function theory and the enlightenment theory of the Song Ming tradition.
Through the discussion in the five chapters of the main text, the intention is to point out that the controversy surrounding " Neither Good nor Evil " not only spans schools of thought, but also involves different doctrinal connotations among different schools of thought. In the course of the controversy, Wang school of thought has gradually integrated Buddhism and Taoism, from the theory of work to the ontological nature of conscience, providing an important resource for Confucianism to reflect on its own doctrinal system and to rethink the possible development of Confucianism under the issue of "no good, no evil. Among them, " Neither Good nor Evil " triggers the reflection on the issues of "conscience" and "transgression" and "for evil", which can be seen in Wang Longxi, Zhou Haimen, Tao Wangling, and Tao Suk-ling respectively, and in the extensive Yuezhong lineage involving the two religions, which is a great opportunity for Confucianism to reflect on the main direction. Guan Dongming followed up on this issue, and as Buddhism came into the picture, he gradually opened up the thought of the "ontology" of conscience, and debated with the challengers. In this way, a new ontological paradigm of "Cultivation-Enlightenment-Certification" was adopted to cure the scholars' disease of "emphasizing enlightenment over cultivation. In contrast, Fang Dazhen and Wu Yingbin have a comprehensive reflection and observation of the theory of " Neither Good nor Evil ", which has developed from " Neither Good nor Evil " to "No self, For things", and through the integration of Zhuangzi and Yi, they have an innovative understanding of the relationship between mind and matter, which has become the nourishment of Fang Yi-zhi's scholarship, and an important opportunity for him to develop his great learning, to develop his three-point framework of the circle, and to reflect on the theory of Neither Good nor Evil, and goodness and evil.
In summary, through the understanding of the " Neither Good nor Evil " debate, it is possible to trace the development of the most important issue in the history of late Ming thought and to see the special nature of this issue. Through the case studies of the characters in each chapter, and with the organic connections between chapters and characters, it is possible to reflect the ecological network of complex intellectual interactions, and to respond to the important changes in thought during the Ming and Qing dynasties, which should be useful in providing a genealogy of the meaning of the transformation of Yan-ming studies to the history of thought in the Ming and Qing dynasties.