The Biography of Wang Yangming: the Cheating Life of a Saint

This is a popular biography that combines a passionate legend with profound thoughts. It restores Wang Yangming's three immortal legendary lives of "morality, meritorious service and speech" with humorous and down-to-earth writing. When he was young, he was a rebellious and unruly "problem boy" who refused to take the ordinary path of the imperial examination and aspired to be a sage; when he was middle-aged, he was framed by traitors and was demoted to the dragon field. He cut a coffin and sat in meditation in the wild and desperate situation, and suddenly realized that "the heart is reason" and founded the line of mind science. His wisdom has repeatedly accomplished extraordinary feats. The book contains not only the counter-insurgency battlefield with swords and shadows, but also interesting and vivid scenes of famous lectures, as well as exciting debates with the conservatives of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. From the sudden enlightenment of Longchang's enlightenment, to the condensation and sublimation of the theory of "Towards Conscience", to his death song of "If my heart is so bright, what else can I say", Wang Yangming spent his life proving that everyone can become a saint, as long as he sticks to his conscience and unites knowledge and action. The book breaks out of the obscure academic framework and uses story-based narrative to interpret the essence of psychology, making "the heart is reason" and "the unity of knowledge and action" become perceptible and knowable life wisdom for ordinary people. It is not only a hearty historical legend, but also a spiritual guide that enlightens life.