Lu Jiuyuan

Lu Jiuyuan (1139–1193) was a Song-dynasty Confucian philosopher who founded the School of the Mind. He argued that the mind and principle are fundamentally one.

Xin (philosophy): Xin is the Chinese concept of heart-mind, encompassing thought, feeling, intention, and moral awareness. Lu’s central claim treats the heart-mind as inseparable from principle.
Zhu Xi: Zhu Xi was a Song-dynasty Confucian philosopher who systematized a major tradition of Neo-Confucian thought. Zhu Xi emphasized investigating things to grasp principle, unlike Lu’s inward emphasis.
Confucius: Confucius was an ancient Chinese teacher whose teachings became the foundation of Confucian traditions. Lu understood his project as a return to the moral teaching of Confucius.
Lu Jiuling: Lu Jiuling was Lu Jiuyuan’s elder brother and a fellow Song-dynasty scholar. The brothers shared philosophical discussions and exchanged arguments with Zhu Xi.
School of the Mind: The School of the Mind is a Neo-Confucian tradition that locates moral principle and knowing in the mind. Lu’s doctrine became a foundational statement of this tradition.
Li (Neo-Confucianism): Li is the organizing principle or pattern that Neo-Confucian thinkers held to structure reality and moral life. Lu argues that principle is not external to the mind.
Cheng-Zhu school: The Cheng-Zhu school is a Neo-Confucian tradition associated with Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao, and Zhu Xi. Its account of principle and study became the main rival to Lu’s School of the Mind.
Four Books: The Four Books are a collection of Confucian texts central to later Chinese education and Neo-Confucian study. Lu’s arguments drew on the classics that shaped Song Confucian debate.
Yang Jian: Yang Jian was a Song-dynasty Confucian scholar and a leading student of Lu Jiuyuan. Yang carried Lu’s teaching forward through his own writings and instruction.
Innate knowledge: Innate knowledge is the capacity to recognize moral distinctions without deriving them solely from external instruction. Lu’s account of the mind supports the idea that moral understanding is fundamentally inward.

Linked from 2 pages

Cheng HaoCompared with: His school’s contrast with Cheng-Zhu thought clarifies the later stakes of Cheng Hao’s legacy.