宋应昌朝鲜讲学活动考--阳明心学在域外的一次“外王”实践

Song Yingchang’s Efforts to Introduce the Learning of Mind into Korea: An Oversea Practice of the “Exterior Kingly Way”

万历朝鲜之役爆发之后,信奉阳明心学的宋应昌被明廷任命为经略,作为明军的最高指挥官前赴朝鲜。在朝鲜期间,除指挥明军作战外,宋应昌还曾与朝鲜官员李廷龟等人讲学长达数月,并通过公文与当时的朝鲜国王宣祖论学。宋应昌在朝鲜的讲学活动除了学术目的外,还有着很强的政治意图。通过向宣祖讲论“明德”“亲民”,宋应昌试图劝阻朝鲜方面处死投降日本的本国民众的做法,并促使朝鲜方面妥善安置这些降民。而将朝鲜世子光海君的讲官李廷龟等人召至幕下讲学的目的,则是希望他们以自己的心学思想教育光海君,以期其将来能够带领朝鲜实现中兴。不过,由于宋应昌与朝鲜君臣在粮草供应、和战方针等问题上的激烈矛盾,加之朝鲜方面尊奉程朱的学术宗尚,使得宋应昌在朝鲜传播阳明心学的努力归于失败,其学说始终未被朝鲜方面接受。

After the breakout of the Wanli Korean War, Song Yingchang was appointed by the Ming court top commander of the Ming military forces sent to Korea. As a believer in the famous Ming philosopher Wang Yangming, Song Yingchang tried to introduce Wang’s learning of mind into Korea while conducting military campaigns. He summoned several Korean officials to his headquarter in Korea and discussed the learning with them for several months;he also talked about Neo-Confucian concepts such as illustrious virtue and renovating the people in official notes to Seonjo, the then king of Korea. All these efforts by Song Yingchang were out of not only scholarly motive, but also clear political purposes. Through elaborating on illustrious virtue and renovating the people, Song Yingchang tried to persuade the Korean government to stop killing its people who had surrendered to the Japanese invaders and instead provide them with proper relief;by discussing with the Korean officials, who were serving as teachers of the heir apparent to the Korean throne, Prince Gwanghae, Song Yingchang was trying to make sure that the prince would be educated properly to become a ruler of virtue. However, due to irreconcilable conflicts on issues such as army provisions and whether to seek a peace treaty with the Japanese, along with the orthodox status of Zhu Xi’s Learning of Principle in Korea, all these efforts by Song Yingchang to introduce the Learning of Mind were rejected thoroughly by the Korean side.