Activism and the Unity of Heaven and Human: Insights from the Mèngzĭ

行入與天人合一：《孟子》的觀點

方嵐生(Franklin Perkins)

《宗教哲學》 70期 (2014/12) Pp. 107-125

https://doi.org/10.6309/JORP.2014.12.70.107

摘要

在許多宗教傳統裡，行入與天人合一之間，存在著一種緊張的關係。筆者在此所說的行入，是指嘗試積極努力以使世界更為美好。這需要在一定程度上拒絕世界現在的樣貌，希望可以改變成為一個更好的世界。然而，如果世界是神聖力量的產物，那麼天人合一會引領走向清靜無為，此為一平靜的接受現世的方式。在中國的一本經典中，我們可以從兩個重要的座右銘來靠近這個議題：「天人合一」以及「天人之分」。不同的宗教傳統及哲學有許多不同的方法來探討此關係，本論文將檢視由孟子提出的方法。在第一個層面上，孟子建立了「天」與「性」之區別，其中「天」代表整個世界的一種型態，而「性」代表了人的本性，驅使我們對抗外在世界並且能使它變得更好。筆者是根據一個有名的故事來如此分析，該故事描述了孟子敗興離開齊國時的想法，他宣稱「夫天，未欲平治天下也。」（公孫丑篇）。最終，孟子的行入是基於這種人性跟欲望的概念，並且形成一種儒家的鍛鍊，甚至可說是精神上的鍛鍊。同時，孟子仍然嘗試於連結「性」與「天」，對於與天合一提供了一種特別的觀點。總結而言，本文研究人與天之間的連結，並不是基於關注於天的意志或意向，而是用人本性的力量。這種連結使得孟子的行入成為一種宗教性或精神層面的鍛鍊。

關鍵字

孟子 ； 行入 ； 天人合一 ； 天人之分 ； 性

並列摘要

In many religious traditions, there is a tension between activism and unity with the divine. By activism, I mean the attempt to actively strive to make the world a better place. That requires in some sense rejecting the world as it is, hoping instead for a better world. If the world is a product of divine forces, though, then unity with the divine often leads toward quietism, the tendency to peacefully accept the world as it is. In a Chinese context, we can approach this problem through the tension between two important mottoes: tiānrén héyī 天人合一, the unity of heaven and human, and, tiānrén zhīfēn 天人之分, the division between heaven and human. While different religious traditions and philosophies have proposed a variety ways for addressing this tension, in this paper I will examine the approach taken by Mèngzĭ. One level, Mèngzĭ sets up a distinction between heaven (tiān) as the patterns of the world itself and human nature, xìng, which drives us to resist the way the world is and make it better. I base this analysis on the famous story that describes Mèngzĭ's feelings upon leaving the state of Qí in failure, when he claims that ＂heaven does not now want peace and order in the world＂ (2B13). Ultimately, Mèngzĭ's activism is grounded in this conception of natural human tendencies and desires, and it forms a kind of Confucian practice, a spiritual practice even. At the same time, Mèngzĭ still attempts to link xìng to tiān, thus providing a distinctive version of unity with heaven. This paper concludes by examining the connection between human beings and heaven, arguing that it is based not on a concern for heaven's will or intention but rather with harnessing the generative forces of nature. This connection is what allows Mèngzĭ's activism to be a religious or spiritual practice.

並列關鍵字

Mengzi ； activism ； tianren heyi ； tianren zhifen ； xing.