文中子“三教可一”观及“中道”思想论说

Wenzhongzi’s Thought on “Conformity of the Three Doctrines” and “the Middle Way”

儒家汉宋学术间有一段受佛、道冲击的严峻历史,隋出身儒宗门阀的王通在儒学式微的逆势下,退居河汾续六经,企图匡复儒学。王通提出＂三教可一＂论,站在儒家立场上学习和融通佛、道二教,受佛教＂中道＂思想影响,强调意识形态争斗中讲究中庸之道不走极端,其学说辑为《中说》,谥曰＂文中子＂,突出＂中＂字,其融通佛、道的思路实开宋明理学之先河。文中子改造汉儒学风开创新经学,以心性讲经开一代风气,经世致用使汉儒走向宋儒,儒家意识形态的主导地位得以重新树立。文中子思想资料虽因亡佚残存不多,但从其＂三教可一论＂及＂中道＂思想,仍可确认其为我国中古时代继往开来承先启后的大思想家,是时代先驱者。

Between the Han and Song dynasties,there was a period of history in which Confucian scholarship was strongly impeded by members of the Buddhist and Taoist traditions.Under this unfavourable situation,and its consequent decline of Confucianism,Wang Tong – descendent of a noble family in the Confucian tradition–retreated to Hefen in order to write a commentary on the six Confucian classics and to thereby revive Confucianism.Wang Tong came up with the idea of the"conformity of the three doctrines"(sanjiao ke yi三 教 可 一),an attempt to study and combine Buddhism and Taoism from within the standpoint of Confucianism.Influenced by the Buddhist idea of the"middle way"(zhongdao 中道),Wang emphasized the importance of moderate ways of thinking within the ideological debates of his time.His writings were later assembled to form the Zhongshuo(中说),and he was posthumously given the title of Wenzhongzi(文中子),both of which emphasise the concept of"centrality"(zhong中)within his work.Wang’s thoughts on combining Buddhism and Taoism were,in fact,a herald of the neo-Confucianism which developed in the Song and Ming dynasties.By reforming Han Dynasty Confucianism,Wang Tong initiated new studies into the Confucian classics and helped to build a new atmosphere by teaching the classics in terms of disposition theory.His idea of"making study serve practical purposes"(jingshi zhiyong经世致用)was a bridge between Han and Song Confucianism;and,he helped to re-establish Confucianism as a leading ideology in Chinese society.Although much of the writings of Wang Tong have been lost,his ideas regarding the"conformity of the three doctrines"and the"middle-way"make him a great pioneering thinker in middle-ancient China;one who inherited much from the past whilst at the same time forging ahead into the future.