老子生存思想研究

【作者】 王英杰；

【导师】 白奚；

【作者基本信息】 首都师范大学 ， 专门史， 2009， 博士

【摘要】 为了从根本上解救春秋末期人的生存危机,重整社会秩序和人生价值,老子以哲学的方式探究了人的生存问题,从人之生存的社会环境和自身修养方面,对人的生存的本原、根据、价值、意义、智慧、境界、修养、方式等提出了自己的洞见卓识,形成了独特的生存思想架构。老子把“道”作为人和万物生存的本原,人和万物都从“道”那里获得生命,并把“道”畜积于自身而为“德”,以作为生存的自然本性和内在根据。人和万物皆仰仗着“道”、依据着“德”而存、生、长、成,因此也自然地尊贵着道和德。人和万物皆是存生长成的存在者,而道和德是存在者之所以存生长成的根源和根据。道化生万物的过程,是由简单到复杂、由无形质到有形质的落实过程,也是道朴之散而为形器的过程。万物具形,分有于道,随之也就有了执形忘本而背道离德的可能。既然道和德是万物的生存之根,那么,万物的生存就应当循道依德,得其生命的自然。在老子看来,“道法自然”,它是“无为而无不为”的;且道有“玄德”,它化生长成了万物而不占有主宰它们,因此万物也尽得其自然。老子认为,人的生存亦应当依循着大道,抱守着常德;因为人只有这样的循道依德,他的生存状态才是自然的,他的生命才是如其本真的。为此,老子向往一理想的社会,能为人的自然地生存提供一自由、安足、和谐的社会环境;希冀一理想的人生,能在效法天地的无私无为中达成生命的真朴、平和与自然。当然,这一理想社会和理想人生的实现,皆须以“道”、“德”为根本原则,以“自然”为最高价值。“圣人”即是从道顺德、自然无为的理想治者和人格典范。老子认为,当时社会的人之生命的不自然,其直接的原因是政治统治的“有为”多事,对人们自然本性的扰乱祸害,其深层的根源是人们精神价值的迷失,徇于形名而不体道原,逐于货利而不知返本。所以,老子主张圣人的“无为”之治,顺应百姓自然的生活而不搅扰,使人们有得遂其生的自由宽松的社会环境;主张人生的返本归根,明道同玄,重新找回自然真朴的生命,使人们有自觉地合乎大道玄德的生存智慧、心灵修养和精神境界。因此,老子的生存思想具有“反”的思维特征,通过反俗而返道,以批判反思当时的社会政治模式和精神价值观念来警醒世人,重新发现道原本性,返朴归真。人之生命的自然展开或者说人自然地生存于世,就要求他的精神观念、价值取向、行为心态等必须自觉地合乎大道的原则,老子称之为“守柔”,这表现为在处理人与外物、他人和自身的关系上的“不有”、“不争”、“无身”、“退身”、“无私”、“不盈”、“谦下”、“守雌”等柔性的德行。在老子看来,居守柔弱是达成生命之自然的最佳生存方式,同时他也希望以此守柔之方来改变世人的生活态度,消解社会的纷争,从根本上解救时弊。因为在老子看来,居守柔弱体现着大道的精神原则,有着强大的生命活力,能收到“善胜”、“全归”的最好效果。老子的“守柔”,反对世人的逞强,但也不是主张怯懦,而是教人减弱自己的意志私欲,顺守大道的自然。人要自然地生存,不可不明道知德;明达道体,知守本性,才能自觉地循道依德,使生命得其自然。然而大道无形无名,不可感知,所以老子所说对道的“明达”,是人的精神生命与大道的直觉同一。世俗之知,或囿于闻见,或强于名辨,皆不可明达大道。世人限于俗知妄见,惑于智巧诈伪,以名求知,据名立己,徇名而忘本,执己而逞私,不体大道,不知本性,在老子看来,这是人之“大迷”。因此,老子教人“知常”、“自知”,复归于“无名之朴”,重返大道之自然。其实“道”并不外在于人,它即是人的“常德”,即是人内在的、自足的自然本性。人可以通过心灵的直觉而见性明德,与大道合同一体。因此,直觉大道的认知过程,也即是人的心灵修养过程。真知大道的“明白四达”,也即是心灵状态的虚静澄明。老子主张“无欲”、“无知”、“无名”,对人的贪欲行为、智巧心机、名分观念等进行了深刻地批判反思,警戒世人不要向外追逐声色货利,不要玩弄智巧伪诈的心机,不要执于外在的形名分有,而是教人“守中”,返守内在心灵的虚静、和柔、纯真和自然。通过心灵的修养,人之生存的精神境界可与大道同一,老子把这种精神境界叫做“玄同”。人的精神境界同玄达道,即意味着他的生命状态是如其本真的,他的生存状态是自然的。明达大道,同于道玄,这既是人的真知明觉,又是精神修养的最高境界。老子认为,这种真知的获得、精神境界的达成,并非是依赖向外的逐求,而是要求人作反身的内观,经常地作“归根”、“复命”的修养工夫,使人的生存不离道原,返本复始,返朴归真,保有生命的虚静、真朴和自然。老子的理想人生状态,是复归于“婴儿”,人的精神生命处于自然的境界之中;老子的理想社会状态,是重返“小国寡民”,社会的治理状况处于自然的秩序之中。自然的人生状态,即是人的生命合乎大道玄德;自然的社会秩序,即是社会的治理合乎大道玄德。老子惟愿以“常道”、“玄德”引导人类及其社会走向自然的正道;人类重返正道,在老子看来,须以反而返、以反求正,通过批判反思当时世俗的背道离德而重新返回大道的自然。古代的老子生存思想,对于我们今天应对现代社会的生存危机,重新反思现代的科技文明、社会治理的行为观念以及人的生命自由等问题,以重整人与自然、人与社会、人与自身的和谐关系,重塑现代社会的新的生存理念及生存方式等,有着重要的思想借鉴意义和启悟价值。更多还原

【Abstract】 To reverse the predicament of existence in the late of Spring and Autumn Period of China, and restructuring of social order and human values, Laozi studied philosophically the question on human being’s existence. Laozi established a unique existence thoughts framework, from the social environment of the survival of self-cultivation, consisting of a series of profound views on the originator, basis, values, meaning, wisdom, realm, consummation, approach of human beings’existence.Laozi took Tao as an originator of the existence of human beings and all things, that is, Tao gives birth to human beings and all things and is accumulated and transformed into Teh (virtues) as an essential part of human beings and all things, serving as nature and intrinsic origin of existence of the latter. Human beings and all things’growth depends on Tao and Teh (virtues, Tao’s outflowing operation), therefore they nationally honor the Tao and exalt Teh. Just as human beings and all things are representation of their own existence and growth, Tao and Teh are originator and foundation with which the representation could exist, live, grow and mature.When Tao produces all things from simple to complicated, from intangible to tangible, it is also the process that the unwrought material(Tao), when divided and distributed, forms vessels. When all things are endowed with forms and share a part of Tao, there will be also the possibility of too caring about externality and forgetting their origin and abandoning Tao and violating Teh.As the root of existence of all things, all things should abide by Tao and Teh so that they could get the natural life. According to Laozi, the law of the Tao is its being what it is, so on one hand the Tao does nothing (for the sake of doing it), on the other hand there is nothing which it does not do. And Tao with the mysterious qualify produces all things and nourishes them while not to claim them as its own or control them, so all things could hold their own nature. In the opinion of Laozi, human beings’existence should also conform to Tao, embrace the constant excellence, because only doing this his existence condition could be natural and his life be true as itself. Therefore Laozi conceived a perfect society in which human beings could live their natural life, enjoying freedom, affluence and harmony. Laozi also longed for a perfect life through which human beings could achieve simplicity, peace and genuineness of their life by following Heaven and Earth’s selflessness and doing-nothing. However such a perfect society and life could be realized only by adopting Tao and Teh as fundamental principle and naturalness as supreme value. The so-called sage should be an ideal governor and apotheosis of personality in complying with Tao and Teh.In Laozi’s opinion the non- naturalness of human beings’life was directly rooted in the (excessive) agency of their superiors (in governing them) which disturbed and human beings’inherent nature. However the deep cause derives from the loss of human beings’spiritual value: they are apt to seeking externality and names while neglecting Tao as an originator, indulging in money and benefit while ignoring restoring to origin. So Laozi insisted that the sage manage affairs without doing anything, that is, complying with common people’s natural life while not disturbing them, making people enjoy a free and loose social environment where they could have their own lifetime fulfilled. He also insisted that human beings restore to origin, understand Tao, identify with mysterious mystery and restore natural, genuine and simple life so that they could own such an existence wisdom, soul cultivation and spiritual realm that voluntarily comply with the mysterious quality of the Tao. We could find that it is featured with the character of‘reversion’in Laozi’s existence thought. By reversing the ordinary people’s thought and restoring to Tao Laozi criticized and reexamined political and spiritual values of that time to caution the earthling, prompting them to understand Tao as an origin and nature and restore simplicity and genuineness.For the natural extension of human beings’life viz. human beings’natural existence all their life, it is required that his spiritual values, behaviors, mentality and so on accord with Tao. Laozi named this as‘the guarding of what is soft’, which consists of such virtues with soft character involving interpersonal relation and relation between human being and his ego as‘no body’,‘no striving’,‘not being full of themselves’,‘humility’,‘the guarding of female feebleness’. According to Laozi, maintaining gentleness is the best existence way to achieve a natural life. Also he wished the earthling alter living attitude by means of maintaining gentleness, melt social struggle so that thoroughly resolve the social evils of that time. In Laozi’s opinion, maintaining gentleness shows Tao’s spirit and principle so that it has a strong vigor of life and come to the best result of‘full restoration’and‘shill fully overcoming’. Laozi’s insistence on maintaining gentleness and against struggle, however, does not mean be coward but to reduce his willing appetite and comply with naturalness, the Tao’s primary character.Human beings’natural existence depends on the understanding of Tao and Teh. Only by understanding Tao and Teh and safeguarding nature, one could self-consciously abide by Tao and Teh so that make life natural. While the Tao is intangible, nameless and imperceptible, the understanding of Tao and Teh means an intuitional identity between human beings’spiritual life and Tao. The common people, on the country, could not understand Tao due to their limited knowledge or immersion in inconsiderable name and discrimination. The common people are apt to boasting himself, showing off, seeking fame while neglecting nature, indulging in selfish desire for himself while ignoring of Tao and his nature thanks to their superficial knowledge and common sense or immersion in their improper ingenuity and deceit. Laozi believed all above are‘big delusion’for human beings. Laozi advocated‘understanding the unchanging’,‘self-knowledge’, restoration to the‘nameless simplicity’and naturalness, the character of Tao.Tao, however, is not transeunt, it itself is human beings’unchanging excellence, human beings’inherent nature. One could understand nature and virtue and incorporate with Tao in virtue of mind’s pure sense. Therefore the recognition of Tao by pure perceiving is also the consummation of human beings’mind. The‘manifestness in every direction’of the genuine wisdom and Tao is also the indication of mind’s emptiness and limpidness. Laozi advocated‘no desire’,‘no knowledge’and‘no name’and deeply criticized common people’s greedy behavior, improperly ingenious thinking and the conception of name and social position. Laozi suggested not pursuing excessive money and benefit, not too caring about externality and name but‘guarding your inner’, that is, reversing and conserving the status of emptiness, gentleness, genuineness and naturalness of mind. By means of the consummation of mind there could be coherence between human beings’spiritual realm and Tao, which was called Xuantong (‘the Mysterious Agreement’) by Laozi. When one’s spirit recognizes mystery and understands Tao, his life would be as genuine as itself and his existence be natural.The understanding of Tao and contemplation of Tao’s mystery are not only the indication of human beings’genuine knowledge and sense but also the highest realm of spiritual consummation. According to Laozi this could be achieved not by seeking for something transeunt but only by constant spiritual consummation viz. introspection of restoration of root and life so that his existence could not deviate Tao (as an origin), on the country, it could restore to the root and origin, simplicity and genuineness, and could make life empty, genuine, simple, pure and intact. Laozi’s ideal life is such a status as‘restoration to babe-like one’in which human beings’spirit is natural. Laozi also conceived an ideal society,‘little state with a small population’, where the governance of society complies with natural order. Natural society order means the governance of society comforts with Tao and Teh just as natural life means his life abides by Tao and Teh. We could find that Lao—Tse preferred to introducing human beings into natural valid principle by means of‘the enduring and unchanging Tao’and‘the Mysterious Quality’(of the Tao). According to Laozi the method of restoration valid principle is restoration with reversion and correction with opposition: restoration the Tao’s naturalness by means of the criticism and reexamination of the violation of Tao of that time. Today we must deal with existence crisis of modern society and reexamine modern science and technology, the approach of social governance and human beings’life freedom so that a new existence idea and existence style and a harmonious relation between human being and nature, human being and society, uman being and himself could be established. Laozi’s thought on existence will give us some reference and suggestion.更多还原