从“愚”到“明”的道家“知”之指向

From Foolishness to Clarity: the Objective of“Knowing” in Daoism

老子主张为道日损,为了得到道之知,提出损而无为的途径。其知与一般的知或学知有别。老子否定名言形式的俗人之知,看透其缺陷,认为此无利于把握道之整体,故提出知止的过程,以知止可至无知之知。愚作为无知之境,即是把握道、明道之前提,无知不是一无所知之义,而是通彻心之分别成知的过程,又超于其界限,形成更高层次上的知,此过程概括为知止而无知,无知而明道。明道又可分为知常之明以及见小之明。知常之明,是就把握道之"大"即与物反的属性而言的;见小之明,是就把握道之"小"即柔弱微妙的属性而言的。故由知而愚,由愚而明,超于俗知而达至道知,见道之微而复归于其本根之明,是道家对"知"的真正追求指向。

Laozi proposes devotion to dao through through reduction and non-action. This form of knowing daily reduction, a method of attaining knowledge of dao differs from ordinary knowledge or learning. Laozi rejects the knowledge in the form of aphorisms of mundane people, seeing through its imperfections and inability to lead to a grasp of dao as a whole, and thus proposes an ending of knowledge such that through this ending of knowledge one can reach the knowledge of non-knowing. Foolishness is the realm of non-knowing, and thus also the precondition for grasping or understanding dao. Non-knowing does not mean simply knowing nothing, but rather signifies a process of seeing through the distinctions and preconceptions of the mind, transcending their limits, and developing a higher level of knowing. This process can be summarized as one of ending of knowledge and entering into non-knowing, and through non-knowing attaining an understanding of dao. Understanding of dao can be divided into understanding through knowledge of constancy, and understanding through seeing the small. Understanding through knowledge of constancy signifies grasping the ＂greatness＂ of dao as returning together with things, while understanding through seeing the small signifies grasping the ＂smallness＂ of dao as softness, weakness, and subtlety. Thus from knowing to foolishness, from foolishness to clarity, transcending common knowledge and attaining the knowing of dao, seeing the subtlety of dao and returning to the clarity of the root, this is the real objective of Daoist ＂knowing＂.