United Under the Dao: Facets of Integration Between Wang Yangming and Daoism

This article examines the interactions between Wang Yangming’s School of Mind and Daoist traditions, focusing on specific instances of contact, adaptation, and reinterpretation. Drawing on both historically attested events and later hagiographical narratives—treated here as cultural representations rather than literal biographies—the study traces how Wang encountered Daoist religious sites, imagery, and technical vocabulary over the course of his life. Particular attention is given to parallels between Wang’s use of concepts such as liangzhi (innate moral knowledge) and Daoist terms from inner alchemy, as well as his adaptation of practices like stillness-sitting (jingzuo) and the metaphor of “forming the sacred embryo” (jie shengtai). The analysis shows that these elements were selectively reframed within his own intellectual framework, often shifting their emphasis from physical cultivation or longevity to moral and practical self-cultivation. Such a reorientation may have something to do with the Jingming Sect 淨明道. By situating Wang’s reinterpretations within the broader religious and philosophical environment of early sixteenth-century China, the article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of cross-tradition engagement and the circulation of ideas between Confucianism and Daoism.