Spread of Wang Yangming's Philosophy of Mind

Timeline

1. 1490–1494Beijing · North ChinaWang Yangming went to Beijing in 1490 for the metropolitan examination (without passing), where he met kindred spirits such as Zhan Ruoshui, shifting from exclusive devotion to Cheng-Zhu investigation of things toward valuing inner realization. He failed the metropolitan examination multiple times, yet gradually gained influence among the capital and Jiangnan scholarly circles through poetry and discussions of classical meanings, laying practical foundations and a friendship network for his later philosophy of mind system.
2. 1499Beijing · North ChinaIn 1499 Wang Yangming passed the jinshi examination and was appointed a secretary in the Yunnan Bureau of the Ministry of Justice. After entering office, his proposition that 'the learning of the sages must be sought within' spread among scholars through friendships with classmates and colleagues; though not yet forming the complete philosophy of mind system after his enlightenment at Longchang, it already differed from orthodox Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, marking a new stage in the early dissemination of the philosophy of mind.