论躬行——培养个人道德意志的道德修养方法

Towards Ways of Cultivating Personal Moral Behavior

躬行的首要阶段是"正心",亦即增强、扩充善的欲望和感情,减弱、消缩恶的欲望和感情,从而使善的行为动机克服恶的动机;躬行的中间阶段是"积善"与"改过",亦即不断确定和执行善的行为动机,不断改过迁善,积善而不是积恶;躬行的终极阶段是慎独,亦即在人虽不知而己独知的幽暗之中、细微之事也谨慎遵守道德,从而在任何情况下都遵守道德,致使遵守道德的行为恒久、稳定而成为习惯,最终实现自己的道德志向而成为一个有美德的人。

During the initial stage of good personal behavior, one strives to be kind - hearted, i.e. to increase and strengthen kindly desires and feelings as well as to decrease and weaken evil desires and feelings, thus enabling good motives of behavior to overcome bad ones. During the middle stage of kindly personal behavior, one makes efforts to accumulate kindness by constantly generating and carrying out good motives of behavior and overcoming faults and mistakes. During the ultimate stage, one endeavors to act on moral standards even when one handles minor issues and one behaves in the same manner even when no one else is present; he or she observes or follows moral tenets under all circumstances so that his or her moral behavior becomes permanent, stable and habitual, and finally he or she turns out to be a virtuous person after realizing his or her moral aspirations in the end.