论宋代孔子地位变化

The change of Confucius’s status in Song Dynasty

两宋时期是孔子地位跌荡起伏、重构发展的一个重要阶段。历经唐末五代丧乱后,在宋初社会的普遍认知中,儒家面临崩坏边缘,作为儒门先圣的孔子,其社会地位也伴随儒学地位的低落而跌落。与此同时,则是世俗认知中佛学及其人物地位的不断上升。南宋时,孔子地位持续跌落,后者地位远超前者。在宋代社会生活中,许多供奉孔子的建筑年久失修、祭拜孔子的仪式常年荒废,在书画、雕塑等艺术作品中,孔子地位也受到道释人物形象的挑战,甚至有优伶以孔子为戏。无论是孔子的无形思想,还是孔子的有形塑像,都面临失去原有凭依与地位的困境。为重树孔子地位及儒学权威,宋代士大夫不懈努力,如王安石儒学创新高度和地位超迈先贤,可与孔孟比高低;二程发挥孔孟绝学创立“洛学”,经后续传播演进,至南宋朱熹集大成,形成新的儒学即“理学”思想体系,其贡献等同孔子;宋儒也利用书院及州县学极力抬高孔子地位,同佛、道争夺生存空间。南宋理宗正式将“理学”升至官学正统地位,同时也热衷于佛教,此为儒佛认知转变之重要导向,许多士人也倾向于儒佛并重,三教并尊。此后,长期以来儒佛发展偏失的趋势发生重大变化,儒佛地位得以重新调整和建构,二者走向均衡发展趋势。孔子地位又有所上升,也再次为后世孔子及其学说奠定了不可动摇的地位。

The Song Dynasty was a critical stage for the fluctuation and reconstruction of Confucius’s status.After the chaos of the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties,Confucianism was on the brink of collapse in the general understanding of early Song society,and the social status of Confucius,as the sage of Confucianism,fell along with the decline of Confucianism.Meanwhile,there was a continuous rise in the secular cognition of Buddhism and of the status its figures.During the Southern Song period,Confucius’s status continued to decline,while the effect of Buddhism went far beyond it.In the social life,many architectures dedicated to Confucius were in disrepair,and the ceremonies for worshiping Confucius were often neglected and abandoned for years,and in art forms such as painting and sculpture,Confucius’s status was challenged by the figures of Taoism and Buddhism.There were even actors who portrayed Confucius in plays.Both Confucius’s intangible thoughts and his tangible statues faced the dilemma of losing their original reliance and status.In order to restore the status of Confucius and the authority of Confucianism,literati and officialdom of the Song Dynasty made unremitting efforts.For example,Wang Anshi achieved great innovation and surpassed the sages in Confucianism and could be compared to Confucius and Mencius;the Cheng brothers established the“Luo School”based on the wisdom of Confucius and Mencius,and spread it through subsequent generations.The evolution of Confucianism was culminated by Zhu Xi in the Southern Song Dynasty,whom developed the Neo-Confucianism into a comprehensive ideological system known as the“Li School”,which equaled the contribution of Confucius.Confucians also used academies and county schools to elevate Confucius’s status and compete with Buddhism and Taoism for survival space.Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty officially elevated“Neo-Confucianism”to the orthodox position of official learning,while also being enthusiastic of Buddhism,which marked an important shift in the cognitive shift between Confucianism and Buddhism.Many scholars also favored equal emphasis on Confucianism and Buddhism,and respect all the three religions.Subsequently,the long-standing trend of imbalance in the development of Confucianism and Buddhism underwent significant changes,and the status of Confucianism and Buddhism was readjusted and reestablished,and both moved towards a balanced development trend,which made the status of Confucius rise again,and once again laid an unshakable status for Confucius and his doctrine in later generations.