唯天为大:孔子“天教”略论

Tian is the greatest: Confucius’ Tianism

在孔子看来,天具有神格性,即具有智能、情感与意志;天具有终极创生性,人与万物都是“天生”的,创生的方式就是“天命”。因此,天是万有之有、众神之神。圣人就是沟通天人的中介,但圣人仍是有限的人,而不是全能的天。孔子指出“唯天为大”,意在强调天是生成并统摄、高于并优于一切存在者的唯一超凡者。人的理性或德性可以超越经验,却永远无法超越这个凡俗世界,因此,“人”永远不能取代“天”。人对天的态度,应当是敬畏。所以,孔子的思想绝非“人本主义”,而是以天为本的“天本主义”;作为“儒教”,孔子的教义乃是“天教”。

Confucius believes that Tian (天) has godhood (intelligence, emotion and will) and creativity (all beings are created by Tian and have a designated destiny). Therefore Tian is the being of all beings and the god of all gods. Sages are not omnipotent though they are the intermediary between man and Tian. “Tian is the greatest” means that Tian is the only superpower who creates and controls all beings, thus superior to all beings. Man can never go beyond the secular world where they live though their rationality or virtue can surpass experience. For this reason, by no means does Confucius advocate humanism, but Tianism that takes Tian as the noumenon. In essence, Confucianism is Tianism.