以行证道——论《西游记》主旨

Some Comments on Purport of Journey to the West

《西游记》的主旨乃以行证道。《西游记》所证之道,即非儒道,亦非道家或释迦之道,乃是"三教归一"之道。《西游记》的"三教归一",包括诸多方面,从本体论讲,三教归于心;从性理论来讲,三教归于善;从功用论来讲,三教归于治。《西游记》把心、善、治三者有机整合,以心为本,惩恶扬善,从而达到天下大治。《西游记》是明代志于道的知识分子,继承与发扬孔子《春秋》精神,用游戏笔墨表达的"三教归一"的"济世"主张。

The purport of The Journey to the West is to prove the doctrine by activities. The doctrine that the novel wants to prove is neither the doctrine of the Confucianism,nor the one of the Taoist or the Buddha. It is the doctrine of the amalgamation of the three religions. By ontology,the religions are unified to mind; by human nature theory,they are unified to goodness; while by function theory,they are unified to governance. In The Journey to the West,the mind,goodness and governance are organically integrated,by centering on the mind,praising virtue and punishing vice and finally achieving the great order throughout the land. By inheriting and promoting the spirit of Confucius＇ Spring and Autumn Annals,the intellectuals who are devoted to the doctrine in the Ming dynasty express their proposal to benefit the mankind of the amalgamation of the three religions with playful words by The Journey to the West.