论生生之仁及其限度

On Benevolence of“sheng sheng”and Its limitation

仁是儒家的核心概念。早期儒家以爱释仁,仁是人道。汉儒开始以生释仁,仁即生生,生生是天道,仁是天道。宋儒以通释仁,宇宙万物因为仁的贯通而为一个生命体,人成为一体生物的部分,人道之爱与天道之生融为一体。生生之仁突出了生命体的生存。生存是“生物”的存在方式,以生释人便是以物释人,人是“生物”。人性与物性便失去了区别。和早期儒学不同的理学认为仁不仅生,而且内含天理。天理在人便是性。超越之性或理决定了人的生存性质。这种超越之理是人类理性活动的产物,即,心灵在具体的活动即“事”中找到了主宰之理、实现了心理合一。自然行为转变为超越行为。这种超越性转变不仅依赖于普遍之理,而且依赖于自主性的个体活动。传统仁学视域中的人仅仅是生物。因此,我们应该走出仁学的藩篱。

Benevolence(ren)is the core concept of Confucianism.Early Confucianism interpreted benevolence through sheng(producing),and benevolence is the Dao of human beings.Han Confucians began to interpret benevolence through sheng(producing);benevolence means sheng sheng(producing and reproducing),sheng sheng is the Dao of heaven,and benevolence is the Dao of heaven.Song Confucians interpreted benevolence through communication,and all things in the world became a living entity due to the connection of benevolence.Human beings became part of an integrated organism,and the love of humanity and the production(sheng)of the Dao of heaven were integrated.The benevolence of sheng sheng highlights the survival of living beings.Survival is the way of existence of“living beings”,and interpreting humans through sheng is interpreting humans through objects,and humans are“living beings”.Humanity and materiality therefore lose their distinction.Unlike early Confucianism,Neo-Confucianism believed that benevolence not only gave birth,but also contained heavenly principles.The set of heavenly principles in humans is nature.The transcendent nature or principle determines the nature of human existence.This transcendental principle is a product of human rational activities;that is,the soul finds the dominant principle in specific activities,namely“things”,and realizes the unity of mind and principle.Natural behavior transforms into transcendental behavior.This transformation to transcendence depends not only on universal principles,but also on autonomous individual activities.People in the traditional perspective of benevolence are only living beings.Therefore,we should step out of the barriers in our study of benevolence.