“明明德”与生活——论“大学之道”

Illustrating illustrious virtue and life—— on the fundamental doctrine of the great leaning

“明明德”与生活贯穿于“大学之道”的始终。“明德”既是宇宙-生活系统,又是人的生命本来面目。“明明德”既是澄明生命自身,又是“明德”的显发,“明明德”就是“亲民”、就是生活。在“明明德”中生活并在生活中“明明德”就是“至善”,“至善”既是“明德”照彻宇宙,是无限的,又是个体生命、特定时代对“明德”的特殊折射,是有限的,无限永恒地走在有限的途中。

The Great Leaning is originally one of the classics of Confucianism. Illustrating illustrious virtue and life run through it all the time. Illustrious virtue is not only the universe- life system, but also the true colour of life; illustrating illustrious virtue is not only to illustrate life, but also to develop illustrious virtue. Illustrating illustrious virtue is just renovating the people. The highest excellence is to live in illustrating illustrious virtue and to illustrate illustrious virtue in life. The highest excellence is limitless since it fills the universe, and at the same times limited since it is the special refraction of illustrious virtue of the individual and the specific era. The limitless eternally walks in the limited road.