莊子“安命”思想探析

本文主要探討莊子所申論之「命」，獲知：如若僅由字面觀之，則或不免以為莊子認同常識所說的「命定論」「宿命論」。然而，如若能深入於文字之內而不僅只停留在字面上，則不難了解：（一）莊子的看法不同於常識，常識以為命有「吉／凶」「死／生」「窮／達」……之別，然而莊子以渾化對立、超越對待的無待智慧為基礎，指出：「吉與凶」「死與生」「窮與達」……等人生際遇，皆相互流動、通而為一，進而彰顯「命」乃渾全不可分割之整體。亦即莊子將常識予以翻轉，指出「命」具有整體、無從分割之特質，超越二元相對概念之上，寓藏無所對待之要旨，其義理與「道」相應。（二）莊子安命，並非因為命定、故而不得不安，而是明瞭「命」具有流通無間、無所對待、整體不可分的深義；亦即了解任何人生際遇皆是蘊藏整體意涵的「命」的流動、變化，皆是「全」。知曉無論人生的際遇為何，皆未嘗暫離渾全之整體、皆無所缺憾，故而能安命地坦蕩接受、無條件承擔一切際遇。（三）另外，莊子雖言「知不可奈何而安之若命」「達命之情者，不務命之所無奈何」，但其意涵均不僅止於字面，亦非對命或人生際遇發出浩歎，而在於指出：以「命」觀之，種種看似互為對照的人生際遇，實乃不可分割的整體，世人無從以分別意識將其整體性加以切割或進行揀擇，所以坦然接受其際遇，以是而安命。

關鍵字

莊子；命；安命；人生際遇；不可奈何

並列摘要

This study intends to explore the philosophy of ”fate” as contended by Zhuangzi, which, if comprehended simply literally, may unavoidably give an impression that Zhuangzi consents to the notions of commonsense fatalism or destiny, but if it were explored further and not confined to the superficial meaning, it would not be difficult to come by the following implications: (Ⅰ) Unlike commonsense distinction between blessing and misfortune, life and death, predicament and freedom, and so on, Zhuangzi has actually based his philosophy on a wisdom of non-opposability in which opposites are inextricably confused and opposition transcendental; he states that all life encounters such as blessing/misfortune, predicament/freedom, etc. are constant flux reciprocally flowing to each other; which in turn shapes each other and becomes one with each other, while further indicating the synthetic nature of fate that is not to be sundered; in other words, Zhuangzi has turned around the commonsense by pointing to the oneness nature of fate, which has surpassed the concept of oppositional dichotomy, bearing a meaning that is non-oppositional, which corresponds to the meaning of the ”Way” or ”dao”. (Ⅱ) Zhuangzi sees comfort with fete not because of having no choice but reluctantly accepting the predetermined fate, but because of knowing fate being a constant flux by nature, bearing no distinction, opposition or sunderance, which is an understanding that any life encounter reserves in it the flux and the transience, and thus can be viewed as the whole, and that whatever life encounter is, there is no departure from the whole, and thus can leave no regret or loss, making it possible to accept fate in a placid and life-comforting manner, and making any life encounter bearable and born unconditionally. (Ⅲ) Although Zhuangzi advises to ”accept it as fate for having no alternative” and ”pursue what fate has brought by nature, but not what it has not”, the utterance should not be comprehended merely by its literal meaning, nor should it be falsely perceived as the lamenting over life encounters; it rather points to the oneness and non-oppositional nature of fate behind all life encounters which is transcendental to all opposable concepts, and earthlings should select or sunder any part of the whole with the conscious of individuals.