试论王阳明心学视域下的养德养生思想

On Wang Yangming’s Thought of Cultivating Morality and Preserving Health from the Perspective of Mind Theory

王阳明在其心学视域之下,提出了养德养生并举的思想。首先,他认为“有志于圣贤之学,惩忿窒欲,是工夫最紧要处”,所谓“惩忿窒欲”,是借儒家经典《周易》的权威来宣示养生养德的要道。他指出提升道德和增进学问,必须如同自己有疾病在身,深感切肤之痛,方能够“求名医,问良药,有能已者,不远秦楚而延之”。其次,阳明主张通过“变化气质”来达到养德养生之目的。而在“变化气质”的具体方法当中,其认为治病祛疾、培补元气是一个有效的途径。最后,他提到子思的“致中和”,认为这是养德养生的重要功夫。他说:“心得养,则气自和,元气所由出也”,从而认为:“故心也者,中和之极也。”就是说养心就是“致中和”,其中包含了养德就是养生的思想观念。但是,王阳明极强的入世精神与衰弱不堪的身体形成了难以化解的矛盾,因而未能实现其养德养生并举的愿望。

Wang Yangming put forward the idea of cultivating morality and preserving health at the same time from the perspective of his mind theory.First of all,he believed that“it was the most important point of kung fu to be interested in the study of sages and to punish the pent-up desire”,and the so-called“punishing the pent-up desire”was the main way to declare health and morality by using the authority of the Confucian classic Zhou Yi.He pointed out that improving morality and upgrading knowledge,was like feeling the pain of one’s own illness,so that those who can“seek a famous doctor,ask for effective medicine,and have the ability to delay it not far from Qin Chu”.Secondly,Wang Yangming advocated the goal of moral cultivation and health preservation through“changing temperament”.Among the specific methods of“changing temperament”,he thought that it was an effective way to cure diseases and cultivate vitality.Finally,he mentioned Zi Si’s“harmony”and thought it was an important effort to cultivate morality and preserve health.He stated that“If you are nourished by your heart,your Qi will be self-balanced,and your vitality will derive from it”,and he thought that“If you have the heart,you will be extremely neutral.”That is to say,cultivating the heart was“to be neutral”,which contained the idea that cultivating morality was cultivating the heart.However,Wang Yangming’s strong spirit of serving the world and his weak body created an irresolvable contradiction,thus he failed to realize his desire to cultivate both morality and health.