王阳明“心气一体”思想论析

A Study of Wang Yangming’s Doctrine of “the Continuity of Mind and Force”

王阳明气化思想与“心物一体”之旨相通:心物融通一体即呈现为一气之流行。因此,“气”的实情指“心气一体”清明和善的生生存在,并具化为阴阳的相生变易:良知发见心物一体存在的“生生”,呈现为阳气伸发之神与动;良知生发心物一体存在的“虚寂一体”,表现为阴气凝成之精与静。然而,清明和善的“心气一体”存在,会因习染私欲遮蔽心性,异化为“心气二分”的浑浊恶气存在,故气的清浊善恶只是对私欲障蔽深浅的表征。就功夫言,私欲对心性的遮蔽开始于对志意的汨没,进而导致格物致知等致良知功夫的失败。因此,只要人时刻切实地做得正心、诚意、修身、格物的知行合一之致良知功夫,就能转化对象化的昏浊恶气存在,复显心物融通的清明和善且真实无妄的一气生生存在。如此,心、气、致良知一体不分,且“知”与“行”是“心气一体”存在的两面。

Wang Yangming’s theory of force, qi, is interlinked with“the unity of mind and matter”, xinwu yiti,because the continuity of mind and matter presents the flow of force. Thus, the truth connotation of force is the lively existence of“the continuity of mind and force”, xinqi yiti, and embodied as the mutual existence and change of yin and yang. To put it explicitly, conscience sees the perpetual change, shengsheng, for the existence of the mind-matter continuity, displaying the spirit and movement of the growth of sunny side, yangqi;Conscience grows the void-solitude unity for the existence of mind-matter continuity, manifesting the energy and silence from the condensing of shady side, yinqi. However, the pure, bright and good existence of“the continuity of heart and force”may be alienated into the murky existence of“the dichotomy of heart and force”because the bad habits or selfish desires cover the mind and nature. Therefore, whether the force is pure or impure and good or evil is only the representation of the deep or shallow degree of shielded selfish desires. As far as efforts are concerned, the shield of selfish desires over mind and nature begins with the loss of will, and leads to the failure of the efforts in extending conscience, such as studying things to acquire knowledge, gewu zhizhi. Therefore, as long as people always make efforts in extending conscience for the unity of knowledge and action with the rectification of mind, sincerity in thought, self-cultivation and study of things, they can transform the existence of the objectified, impure, and evil force, and recover the good and authentic existence of perpetual force with the unity of mind and matter. Thus, mind, force and extending conscience become an integrated one, along with knowledge and action as the two sides for the existence of the continuity of mind and force.