阮籍的自然觀

Juan Chi's Concept of Nature

戴璉璋(Lian-Chang Tai)

《中國文哲研究集刊》 3期 (1993/03) Pp. 305-333

https://doi.org/10.6351/BICLP.199303.0305

並列摘要

”Nature” is the core concept in Juan Chi's thought, and throughout his life Juan's conception of ”the way of nature” comprised the guiding principle in his process of self-cultivation. This essay is based on an objective reading of Juan's writings on nature, with the aim of providing precise explanations of his conception of nature and the direction of his thought. The main points of this essay concern Juan's views regarding the fundamental meaning of nature, and his application of this understanding to methods of self-cultivation. In addition to detailed study and analysis of extant documentation, we also compare Juan's thought to the closely related thought of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. In this comparison we can clearly see where Juan's thought is indebted to the Lao-Chuang school, and where his original contributions lie. According to my investigation, Juan's conception of nature simply takes nature as nature; he proposes no false or rash views about the basic meaning of nature, but rather develops a conception of the unity of nature. Furthermore, he creates a methodology of personal cultivation based on this sense of unity in nature. In his later years Juan's understanding of nature was quite similar to that of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. However, his views on self-cultivation are not at all like the Lao-Chuang emphasis on achieving open-mindedness and tranquility. Instead, his theory of self-cultivation actually tends toward a longing for primitive harmony and a desire to wander in a supernatural (or transcendental) world. His indebtedness to the Lao-Chuang school of thought, then, is rather limited. Juan Chi's writings belong to the Wei-Chin genre of other wordly wanderings (yu-hsien wen-hsüeh), opened up through Juan's creativity.