从宇宙论体验到超越性体验——沃格林论“天下时代”生存真理的分化

From Cosmological Experience to Transcendental Experience--Eric Voegelin on the Differentiation of Existential Truths in“Ecumenic Age”

在轴心时代或天下时代的精神突破中,最为核心的一点是突破宇宙论体验,而发现作为生存张力性结构的超越性体验。超越性体验的时间意识是永恒与时间的交叉点或居间点,它将人的生存界定为在有死的时间与不死的永恒之间的张力性结构,从而区别于宇宙论体验的时间意识只是将时间等同于宇宙节律,而人只是终有一死者,与不朽者的神分属不同的界域。宇宙论体验中神是宇宙内的最高事物,是宇宙整体的构成部分,而超越性体验中,神从宇宙内的神转变为世界与万物的神性根据,人则可以被理解为一种朝向神而展开的在神人之际的生存。宇宙论体验由于其实质性与类比性,而采用了神话的符号形式;但随着天下时代的精神突破,超越性敞开的位点变成了人的心性,这就导致了在天下时代与轴心时代心性论的兴起;而如果以智性意识承受超越性的敞开,就有了哲学的符号形式,如以灵性意识承受超越性的敞开,就有了启示的符号形式。基于启示而有救赎论的生存真理样式,它在神性与人性两极中更加侧重神性极点对人性的上拉或牵引;基于哲学而有人学的生存真理样式,它更加侧重人性极点朝向神性极点的探寻。

In the spiritual breakthrough of“Axial Age”or“Ecumenic Age”,the most central point is the breakthrough of the cosmological experience and the discovery of the transcendental experience as the tense structure of existence.The temporal con⁃sciousness of transcendental experience is the intersection or mediation point between eternity and time,which defines human ex⁃istence as a tense structure between time with death and eternity with immortality,thus distinguishing it from the temporal con⁃sciousness of cosmological experience which only equates time with the rhythm of the universe,while human beings are only ulti⁃mately dead and belong to a different realm from God,the immortal one.While God in the cosmological experience is the su⁃preme thing within the universe and a constituent part of the cosmic whole,in the transcendental experience God is transformed from God within the universe to the divine ground of the world and all things,and human beings can be understood as an existence that unfolds toward God on the occasion of God-man.The cosmological experience takes the symbolic form of myth because of its materiality and analogy;but with the spiritual breakthrough in“Ecumenic Age”,the locus of transcendental opening becomes the human mind,which leads to the rise of teleology in“Ecumenic Age”and“Axial Age”;and if one bears the transcendental opening with intellectual consciousness,one has the symbolic form of philosophy,as in the case of bearing the transcendental opening with spiritual consciousness,one has the symbolic form of revelation.There is a redemptive style of existential truth based on rev⁃elation,which focuses more on the upward pull or tug of the divine pole on humanity in the poles of divinity and humanity,and a humanistic style of existential truth based on philosophy,which focuses more on the search of the human pole toward the divine pole.