從道原經看先秦道家思想對信息的瞭解

An Understanding from Tao-yuan Ching Annotations of pre-Ch'in Taoist thought Regarding Information

宋光宇(Kwang-Yu Sung) ； 陳國鎮(Kuo-Gen Chen) ； 蘇莉華( Li-Hua Su)

《佛學與科學》 1卷1期 (2000/07) Pp. 37-45

https://doi.org/10.30162/BS.200007.0009

摘要

在兩千五百年前的戰國時代中期，中國的先賢哲人已經知道宇宙剛剛形成時的狀態，也知道構成宇宙和生命的起源是「信息」。對信息的特性有很清楚的描述，認為「聖人」「聖王」都是善於掌握信息，才能治理天下。但是對主導信息的「心智」層面仍然不認識。當佛教在東漢時傳入中國，帶來對宇宙、信息和心智的認識，方才彌補了以前的缺憾。
《道原經》是一篇亡佚了兩千年之久的經書。一九七三年底在湖南長沙馬王堆三號漢墓出土，經過解讀之後，方才重現於世。這篇經書的主旨是在探討主宰宇宙運作的基本力量，中國古籍稱之為「道」。用「生命多層結構」來看，「道」就是「信息」，是構成萬事萬物必需要的設計藍圖。中國古代的聖王都能充分掌握正確的信息來治理天下。這篇經文跟佛教諸多經典討論宇宙的起源、構造和運作，有不少相互發明之處。同時也顯示，在戰國時期的中國人雖然知道有「信息」的存在，至於如何積極有效的去認識它、掌握它、運用它，卻沒有清楚的說明。也就是對能夠覺知和運用信息的「心智」部分認識不多。及至佛教傳來，正好補足這一方面的缺憾，使得佛教可以很順利的與中國先秦道家思想相結合，在唐宋時代，開創出光輝燦爛的新文化，也促成後世所謂的「儒釋道三教合一」。

關鍵字

道 ； 信息 ； 道原經 ； 馬王堆

並列摘要

The Tao-yuan Ching or Sutra of Tao's origin is a canonical text lost for two millennia. It was unearthed in 1973 in Tomb No.3 of the Mawangdui Han Dynasty burial site near Changsha in Hunan Province. After being read and annotated, the work is once more accessible to the world. The primary purpose of this canonical work is to explore the fundamental force driving the universe, which is referred to in ancient Chinese works as the Tao. Viewed in terms of a multiple-layered life structure, the Tao is Information, the necessary blueprint for all things. The sage kings in ancient China completely and accurately mastered Information to rule their realms. This canonical text has many points of mutual elucidation with discussions in the Buddhist Canon regarding the origin, composition and operation of the universe. It also indicates that Chinese during the Warring States period knew of the existence of Information, but lacked any clear explanation of how to go about assertively and effectively understanding, mastering, and utilizing it; they also did not know much about the Mind part of recognizing and utilizing Information. This gap was filled with the subsequent transmission of Buddhism, which allowed Buddhist teaching to dovetail smoothly with pre-Ch’in Chinese Taoist thought and created a brilliant and splendid new culture during the Tang and Sung Dynasty eras of the 7th through 11th centuries that ultimately spurred the amalgamation of the Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist in later ages.

並列關鍵字

Tao ； information ； Sutra of Tao's origin ； Mawangdui