A founding scholar of NeoConfucianism studies in the Ming Dynasty, Wu Kangzhai was always wellknown among scholars in the Ming and Qing Dynasties as a moral practitioner. Although Wu’s philosophy of mind owed its origin to Mencius and the Cheng Brothers, he presented his personal distinctions in his life of moral practice. Wu’s life of moral practice can be divided into three phases: the phase of “cultivating conscience”, that of “cultivating soul” and that of “cultivating character”, which represented the different degrees of his realization and knowledge of the mind. Wu’s practice of “reversely seeking the conscience” and paying attention to internal accomplishment provided a practical basis and logical prerequisite for the doctrine of moral cultivation in later days.

NeoConfucianism in the Ming Dynasty; Wu Kangzhai; cultivating conscience; school of Chongren