季本“龙惕说”:阳明学体用观发展的一个面向

Ji Ben’s“Longti Theory”:An Aspect of the Development of Yangming Study’s Substance-Function View

在王阳明去世后不久,其门人季本与王畿等围绕“龙惕说”展开了激烈论辩。此说是季本提出,用以阐释其对体用关系认识的理论模型。季本认为,体与用是一体的,这种“一体”体现为离开现实的发用没有所谓的本体,即“离用无体”。在他看来,以“水镜”比喻的心体只是“有体无用”,落于佛氏窠臼;以“龙惊惕而主变化”则能完美阐释其体用观。王畿等人的质疑和批评,实质上是对季本体用观的否定,反映了阳明逝后,其学说继承者在体用观阐释上已出现严重分歧。

Shortly after Wang Yangming’s death,his disciples Ji Ben and Wang Ji engaged in a heated debate about the“Longti theory”-literally the“startled dragon theory”.This theory was proposed by Ji Ben to explain his understanding of the relationship between substance and function.Ji Ben believes that substance and function are one,and this“unity”is reflected in the absence of function with no so-called substance;in other words,“no function no substance”.In his opinion,the Heart Noumenon,metaphorically referred to as the“water”or“mirror”,is merely“only substance but no function”,falling within the confines of Buddhism.The perfect interpretation of the Heart Noumenon can be achieved through the phrase“the dragon is startled and changes are made”.The questioning and criticism by Wang Ji and others essentially negate Ji Ben’s Substance-Function View,reflecting the serious differences among the inheritors of Yangming’s theory after his passing.