道家的视觉抑制与中国思想史取向

Visual Inhibition of Taoism and Orientation of Chinese Intellectual History

视觉的展开以人与对象拉开距离为前提,它为人提供了绝大部分外界信息,并引导心智一起关注对象性外物。在力主修内的道家思想中,向外活动的视觉被自觉反省与坚定抑制。老子反对“为目”,反对“心”随“目”向外追寻,而极力以道规训视觉。庄子一方面批判人们注目外在形色,主张废黜、遗弃视觉及其对象;另一方面,庄子特别警惕“目”对“心”的引导与塑造,反对“心有眼”与“内视”。道教反对外视而主张内视,但也主张“制眼”说。自觉抑制视觉使中国思想专注于内在生命,这不仅抑制了先秦以来的视觉思想萌芽之进一步生长,也抑制了中国思想开眼看世界的冲动,向内寻求内心的清静安宁成为中国思想主旋律。

The realization of vision takes as its premise the distance-keeping between the viewer and the viewed.It provides people with most of the external information,and guides the inner gaze of one’s heart-mind at the external objects.In Taoist thought,which focuses on the inner,the vision of the outward movement is consciously reflected upon and firmly restrained.Laozi opposes weimu(for the eye) and that the " heart to follow the " eye" to pursue outwards,and tries his best to discipline the vision with Tao.On the one hand,Zhuangzi criticizes that people just gaze at the external appearance,and advocates the abolition and abandonment of vision and its objects;on the other hand,Zhuangzi was especially wary of the "eye" to guide and shape the"heart",and opposes the belief that "heart has eyes" and "inner vision".Taoism opposes external vision and advocates not only internal vision,but also the theory of "controlling the eyes".Consciously suppressing vision enables Chinese thought to focus on inner life,and this not only inhibits the further budding of visual thought since the pre-Qin period,but also inhibits the urge of Chinese thought to open its eyes to the world.