Biography

Zhan was born in Zengcheng, Guangdong. He was appointed the president of Nanjing Guozijian (南京國子監, the Imperial Nanjing University) in 1524. He was later appointed the Minister of Department of Li (禮部, Li Bu, which mainly administers national ceremony, sacrifice, imperial examination, education, diplomacy, etc.), Minister of Governmental Personnel (吏部), and then Minister of Military Affairs for War (兵部) at Nanjing of Ming Dynasty.

As a scholar, Zhan is famous for mind theory. He was also a famous educator. In his life he founded and jointly founded more than 40 Shuyuan (書院, Confucian academies).

Zhan was a lifelong friend of the philosopher, general, and administrator Wang Yangming. He shared an appreciation of Lu Xiangshan idealism (xinxue), Daoism, and Buddhism with Wang, although their intellectual paths ultimately diverged.

生平

生於成化二年十月十三日（1466年11月20日）。弘治五年（1492年）中廣東鄉試舉人，弘治十八年（1505年）登乙丑科進士，選翰林院庶吉士，擢編修。當時王守仁在吏部講學，湛若水、呂柟與其相唱和。不久，奉命出使安南。正德年間，母親逝世，丁內艱歸鄉，為其守墓三年。守喪結束後卜居西樵山講學，來此求學的書生，湛若水會先要求其學習禮儀，而後才能入席聽講，興起者甚眾。嘉靖初年入朝，陞翰林院侍讀，不久陞南京國子監祭酒、禮部侍郎，官至南京禮、吏、兵三部尚書，後致仕歸鄉。嘉靖三十九年四月廿二日（1560年5月16日）逝世于番禺的禺山精舍，享耆壽九十四歲，後歸葬故鄉增城天蠶嶺。追贈太子少保，謚文簡。

學派

湛若水師從陳獻章，是嶺南學派的主要領導人，曾在南嶽衡山紫雲峰下衡岳寺廢址上築樓建宇，名為甘泉精舍，並在此講學，後人又稱之為甘泉書院。「天下靡然從之，號陽明之派曰浙宗，甘泉之派曰廣宗，而王陽明早逝，甘泉獨以高壽作人，學者慕風而至，得以及門為慶倖。」

著作

著有《湛甘泉集》、《格物通》、《三禮經傳測》、《春秋正傳》等卷。

註釋