自然‧人生的觀照與日本人美意識

所謂的美意識，是在接受美麗的對象時，在創造精神的態度中產生作用的意識。日本自古代開始，接受了中國文化與佛教等外來文化，這些外來文化與日本的傳統文化融合後，發展出其獨特的文化內涵，這當中也產生了日本人獨特的美意識。本論文旨在透過日本人的自然觀，命運觀，生死觀的探討，來理解日本人的美意識。首先在序論中的先行研究中，藉由以往研究者們的成果來概觀日本人的美意識。在第一章論述日本的自然環境，及分析其對自然觀有何影響。日本人喜愛自然，期望與自然共存、調和。這可說是日本人自然觀的核心。另一方面，日本人在自然變化中，感受春夏秋冬四季的變化，及自然事物的盛衰與凋零。我們可以發現在這樣的自然觀中，孕育出「物哀」的美意識，及在文學中，產生了許多有關「飛花落葉」的作品。在第二章中，分析了日本人的忍耐心理。佛教的無常觀滲透至日本人的精神意識中，因此即使遭遇不幸或困境時，都能以冷靜態度應對，面對死亡也如日常一般地看待。此外，日本人也有「命運在天」的想法。對所有的事物都是以因為這是命運、宿命來做思考，因此心中常存有「斷念」的思惟。在這樣的覺悟之下，日本人不要求完美，而是追求不完全的美。在日本茶道中，閒寂的美意識最能表現這種不完全的美。第三章中,論述了武士的起源，與武士道概念的歷史變遷。提到武士道，浮現的是武士對死亡的覺悟。對於死有所覺悟的武士，他們追求的是比生命更高的價值。置生死於度外，做自己應該去做的事。這樣的心態對武士來說是很重要的。從「花中第一為櫻花、人中第一為武士」這句諺語可以看出櫻花與武士之間有相似之處。如同新渡戶稻造所說的櫻花是武士道的象徵。櫻花的綻放與凋散，對於面對死亡有所覺悟的武士而言，毅然慷慨赴義的死亡是一種理想的美學。櫻花、武士、死亡，三者之間密切連結，相即不離。而日本武士此種的行動美學可以說是一種死亡的美學。

關鍵字

日本人美意識；自然觀；命運觀；生死觀；無常觀

並列摘要

The so-called aesthetic consciousness refers to an awareness of effects on the creative attitude when accepting a beautiful object. Since ancient times, Japan has accepted Chinese culture, Buddhism, and other foreign cultures. These foreign cultures have blended into Japan’s traditional culture to develop unique cultural connotations. The unique Japanese people’s aesthetic consciousness has also come about. The purpose of this paper is to gain an insight into Japanese people’s aesthetic consciousness by exploring their view of nature, view of destiny, and view of life and death. First, from the previous studies in the preface, the results of past researchers are adopted to gain an overview of Japanese people’s aesthetic consciousness. In Chapter 1, Japan’s natural environment is discussed and its impacts on the view of nature are analyzed. Japanese people are fond of nature and expect to coexist and live in harmony with nature, which is the core of Japanese people’s view of nature. On the other hand, through the natural changes, Japanese people can feel the changes of the four seasons and the rise and fall of natural things. With such a view of nature, the “mono no aware” aesthetic consciousness is bred. Moreover, many works pertaining to “blossoms fall and leaves scatter (the evanescence (impermanence) of worldly things)” have been created in literatures. In Chapter 2, Japanese people’s mindset of patience was analyzed. The view of life as impermanence in Buddhism has penetrated the spiritual awareness of the Japanese. They manage to cope with a calm attitude even in the face of misfortune or difficulty. They perceive dying as something that just is. Additionally, Japanese people also believe “fate is in the hands of the heavens”. They contemplate on all things from destiny and fate orientations. Therefore, the “desisting” mindset often exists in their hearts. With such a realization, Japanese people do not ask for perfection but pursue the beauty of incompleteness. In the Japanese tea ceremony, the aesthetic consciousness of idling best manifests this beauty of incompleteness. In Chapter 3, the origin of samurai warriors and the historical evolution of Bushido (the way of warriors) are explored. When it comes to Bushido, the realization of death rises before a samurai warrior’s mind. Samurai warriors who have come to a realization about death pursue a value greater than life itself. The attitude of “doing what should be done without any regard for one’s own life” is a very important for Samurai warriors. From the proverb “Japanese cherry blossoms (sakura) are the best among all flowers; Samurai warriors are the best among all people”, it can be seen that Japanese cherry blossoms and samurai warriors share similarities. Just as Nitobe Inazo put it, “Japanese cherry blossoms symbolize Bushido”. To a samurai warrior who has come to a realization of death, the blooming and withering of Japanese cherry blossoms is the aesthetic ideal of heroically sacrificing one’s life. Japanese cherry blossoms, samurai warriors, and death are closely linked and inseparable. The aesthetic of action by Japanese samurai warriors can be said to be the aesthetic of death.