Dong Xue·Dong Zhongshu’s Theory of Induction between Heaven and Man

Dong Xue·Dong Zhongshu’s Theory of Induction between Heaven and Man

The relationship between heaven and man can be said to be one of the basic issues throughout the history of Chinese philosophy. The two words "Heaven" and "Human" have Extremely rich in connotation. Almost all the great philosophers in ancient China have discussed the relationship between heaven and man and elaborated their own thoughts through their explanations.

Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, talked about destiny. Zixia, a student of Confucius, said: "Shang has heard about it, life and death have destiny, and wealth and honor are in heaven." ("The Analects of Confucius·Yan Yuan") "We have heard about it" , apparently Zixia heard it from his teacher Confucius. Confucius himself also said: "A gentleman has three fears: fear of destiny, fear of great men, and fear of the words of saints." ("The Analects of Confucius·Ji Shi") The heaven mentioned by Confucius is basically the heaven and emperor of the traditional religion at that time, which is the universe. The supreme ruler. Although Confucius recognized the decisive role of destiny in human beings, he did not deny the role of human subjective efforts. Confucius' actions throughout his life were rated as "knowing that they are impossible but doing them". His student Zilu explained: "A gentleman's official position is to practice his righteousness. If the Tao is not feasible, he already knows it." (The Analects of Confucius Wei Zi) )Obviously, Confucius did not give up human efforts in the face of destiny. After Confucius, Confucianism made new progress in its understanding of the relationship between heaven and man. Mencius inherited Confucius' theory of destiny and believed that destiny cannot be violated by people. However, Mencius emphasized people's conscious initiative as moral subjects, and people should strive to achieve self-moral perfection. Mencius further proposed that people should devote their hearts, minds, and knowledge to heaven, so as to achieve the state of unity between nature and man. Xunzi had the opposite opinion to Mencius on the relationship between heaven and man. He believed that heaven and man are separate, and each has its own nature and characteristics. Heaven cannot interfere with human affairs, and man cannot move heaven with his actions. He said: "Only a sage does not seek to know the heavens." "Therefore, if he understands the distinction between heaven and man, he can be called the perfect man." ("Xunzi Theory of Heaven") Xunzi's theory of the distinction between heaven and man is a contrast to Confucius and Mencius. The negation of relational thinking.

Dong Zhongshu’s discussion of the relationship between heaven and man inherited the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius and developed them in new ways. Dong Zhongshu disagreed with Xunzi's view of the separation of heaven and man, but he also absorbed Xunzi's idea that man, heaven and earth stand side by side and "participate with heaven and earth." Dong Zhongshu not only inherited the pre-Qin Confucian thoughts of heaven and man, but also integrated the thoughts of other schools and sects such as Yin-Yang, Mohism, and alchemists. He unified heaven and man into a complete cosmic system. In this system, heaven, There is a mutually reinforcing relationship between humans. Heaven can reward good and punish evil in human affairs, and humans can also win rewards from Heaven through their actions that conform to Heaven's will. Dong Zhongshu's theory of the relationship between heaven and man is called the theory of the induction of heaven and man. It is formed on the basis of a critical summary of Mencius' theory of the unity of nature and man and Xunzi's theory of the separation of nature and man. It is a higher level approach to traditional The return of destiny.

Dong Zhongshu called the origin of the universe "Yuan". He said: "Yuan is the foundation of all things, and the Yuan of human beings lies in it. What does peace mean? It lies before heaven and earth." ("Spring and Autumn Fanlu" "Chongzheng" (Chongzheng), quoted from "Chunqiu Fanlu" below (note only the title of the chapter) He also said: "The way of "Spring and Autumn" is to use the depth of the Yuan to rectify the end of heaven, to use the order of heaven to rectify the king's government, to use the king's government to rectify the throne of the princes, With the enthronement of the princes, the governance of the territory will be rectified, and the five elements will be rectified to achieve great results. "("Er Duan") "Yuan" already existed before heaven and earth, and in the order of "righteousness" in the universe, "Yuan" is listed again. At the top, this shows that in Dong Zhongshu's mind, "Yuan" is the ultimate origin of the universe. Dong Zhongshu’s fundamental theory of the universe can be called “elementary monism”.

Dong Zhongshu constructed his unique universe system based on "Yuan Monism". He said: "The sky has ten ends, and that's all. Heaven is one end, earth is one end, yin is one end, yang is one end, fire is one end, gold is one end, wood is one end, water is one end, and earth is one end. , Human beings have one end, and all ten ends are the number of heaven." ("Guan Zhi Xiang Tian") He also said: "Heaven, earth, yin, yang, wood, fire, earth, metal, water, nine, and people. And the number of ten is the end of the world. ...Beyond the end, it is the most precious thing, but it is not among them. It is the most precious thing in the world." "Heaven and Earth Yin and Yang") Dong Zhongshu calls the entire universe heaven. Heaven is composed of ten elements: heaven, earth, yin, yang, fire, metal, wood, water, earth, and human beings. As for everything in the world, it can only be attached to One of these ten factors, such as poplar, belongs to the category of wood and cannot become an element that constitutes the universe. Human beings are different from all things. Human beings are one of the ten ends of the universe, so they are the most noble in the world.

Dong Zhongshu also discussed the relationship between the ten factors that make up the universe. He said: "The qi of heaven and earth are combined into one, divided into yin and yang, divided into four seasons, and listed as five elements." ("The Five Elements Reciprocate") means that the qi of heaven and earth transform into yin and yang, four seasons, and five elements. Dong Zhongshu also said in "Li Yuanshen": "What is the origin? It is: heaven, earth, and human beings, the origin of all things." And humans were created by heaven, "He who is human is also heaven" ("Heaven is human") ). In the relationship between heaven and earth, heaven also plays a leading role. "Heaven is high in its position and provides gifts to people below." "Heaven holds its own way and is the master of all things." However, the earth is in a subordinate position. "To be superior to one's Qi" and "to humble one's position is to serve Heaven". Heaven, earth, and humans are the roots of all things. Heaven is the "lord" of earth and the "base" of humans. It also governs the two qi of yin and yang, the changes in the four seasons, and the five elements. It is the master of the universe. In Dong Zhongshu’s view, heaven is the creator with a will. The so-called “heaven is the king of hundreds of gods.”

" ("Suburban Sacrifice") Heaven created humans and at the same time created all things for humans. Therefore, Heaven is not only the supreme God but also the embodiment of supreme morality, "the way of Heaven is most benevolent."

In Dong Zhongshu's Heaven In the cosmic system with ten ends, heaven and earth derive Yin, Yang, Five Elements and humans. Yin and Yang are two functions of the unity of opposites. The Five Elements are a cyclic system that generates and wins each other. Yin and Yang and the Five Elements carry the will of Heaven above and represent the King below. They are the interaction between heaven and man. Channels and intermediaries. In the relationship between yin and yang, Dong Zhongshu proposed the theory that yang is superior to yin. He believes that everything that belongs to yang always plays a leading role in nature, while things that belong to yin can only play a supporting role. . He said: "The right side of heaven is yang, not the right side of yin." "Yang is noble and yin is low. This is the rule of heaven. "("Heaven Discrimination in Man") When discussing the relationship between the five elements, Dong Zhongshu put forward the sayings of "the five elements are mutually reinforcing" and "the five elements are mutually winning". In the order of metal, water, wood, fire and earth, the ratios are mutually beneficial. , that is, metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, and earth generates metal, this is called "the five elements generate each other"; the mutual victory between them means that metal overcomes wood, wood overcomes earth, earth overcomes water, water overcomes fire, and fire To overcome metal, this is called "the five elements win each other." At the same time, among the five elements, Dong Zhongshu also believes that earth should be the main one. The so-called "the five elements are more valuable than earth" ("Five Elements Pair"). Consider Heaven as the supreme God with dominating rights, moral will, and creator of all things. Humans are purposefully created by Heaven. Therefore, humans must be consistent with Heaven. Dong Zhongshu said: "You cannot live as a human being. God is a man. Human beings originate from Heaven, and Heaven is also the great-grandfather of human beings. The reason why this person is like heaven. The human form is transformed into the numbers of heaven; the blood and Qi of human beings are transformed into the will of heaven into benevolence; the virtues of human beings are transformed into the principles of heaven into righteousness. Man's likes and dislikes are transformed into the warmth and purity of the sky; man's happiness and anger are transformed into the cold and heat of the sky; man's orders are transformed into the four seasons of the sky. ” ("We are the gods") Based on this, Dong Zhongshu put forward the theory of "human beings match the numbers of heaven".

The so-called "human beings match the numbers of heaven" means that people are consistent with the heavens from their external form to their moral qualities. It is a copy of the sky. First of all, in terms of human body, the human head is round like the sky, the hair is like the stars, the ears and eyes are like the sun and the moon, and the air breathed through the nose is like the wind in the sky. Three hundred and sixty-six, which is similar to the one-year change cycle of the sun; there are twelve large joints in the human body, which is similar to the one-year change cycle of the moon; people have five internal organs, which are consistent with the number of the five elements; people have The limbs correspond to the numbers of the four seasons. Secondly, from the perspective of human social relations, heaven is superior to the earth, and heaven "nobles the yang but despises the yin." Therefore, in the human world, "the meanings of monarch and minister, father and son, and husband and wife are all based on the yin and yang." road. The king is yang and the minister is yin; the father is yang and the son is yin; the husband is yang and the wife is yin. ... Therefore, ministers contribute to the king, sons contribute to the father, wives contribute to the husband, yin contributes to the yang, and earth contributes to the sky" ("Jiyi"). Therefore, "the three principles of the king's way can be Seek from Heaven" (ibid.). Dong Zhongshu also regards loyalty and filial piety as the scriptures of heaven and the meaning of earth. He said: "Heaven has five elements, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Wood produces fire, fire produces earth, and soil produces metal. Metal generates water,...so the father is born, the son grows up; the father is good, the son nourishes it; the father nourishes it, the son becomes it. ... From this we can see that the father teaches and the son receives, this is the way of heaven. Therefore, it is said that a husband is filial, which is the scripture of heaven. "("Five Elements Pair") This is to use the mutual generation of the five elements to demonstrate filial piety in the world. He also said: "The clouds from the earth become rain, and the air from the earth becomes wind. Wind and rain are caused by the earth. The earth does not dare to have its merits, and its name must be based on the destiny of heaven, just like the weather. Therefore, it is called the wind and rain in the sky, but it is not called the wind and rain in the earth. If one works hard on the earth and returns his name to heaven, it is extremely righteous. Who can do this? "That is why the earth serves heaven, which can be said to be a great loyalty." ("Five Elements Pair") This is a way of saying that heaven is superior to earth and earth is humble. To demonstrate the relationship between monarch and ministers, requiring ministers to be loyal to the monarch. Thirdly, from the perspective of human moral quality, humans are also in line with heaven. Dong Zhongshu wrote: "The beauty of benevolence lies in heaven. Heaven is benevolence. Heaven nurtures all things, transforms them into being, nourishes them, and achieves success. There are no, and the end of the end, all the intentions of the people. Said that human beings should be like heaven, possessing the character of benevolence and righteousness. Dong Zhongshu even believed that the emperor's appointment of officials and how to distribute social wealth should imitate the laws of heaven and heaven.

Dong Zhongshu's "Man is the Number of Heaven" is actually a subjective comparison between heaven and man. He imposes the hierarchical system and ethical concepts of the human world on heaven, and in turn imposes this hierarchical system and ethical concepts on heaven. As God's will, people are required to accept it.

Regarding the relationship between heaven and man, Dong Zhongshu not only believed that "man must match heaven", but also further put forward the theory of induction between heaven and man. He believed that human activities will receive retribution from heaven. Dong Zhongshu said in "Three Strategies of Heaven and Man" written by Emperor Wu of the Upper Han Dynasty: "It is extremely terrifying to watch Heaven and man interact with each other! The country will be defeated due to wrongdoing, but Heaven will send disasters first to warn them; if you don't know yourself, you will There are also strange things to warn people about; they don’t know how to change, and they are even injured and defeated. This shows that Heaven’s heart loves people and wants to stop the chaos. Since the world is not in a state of great destruction, Heaven wants to support and keep them safe.” Here, Tian is described as a vivid personality of God.

Dong Zhongshu made use of the achievements of natural science at that time and used similar correspondence as the basis for his theory of induction between heaven and man. He said: "Pour water into the flat land today to remove the dryness and create dampness. Use fire evenly to remove the dampness and create dryness. All things will be different from each other and become the same. Therefore, if the qi is the same, it will be consistent, and if the sound is proportional, it will be the same. Check Jiaoran also.

When you try to tune the harp and harp, you make a mistake. If you drum the palace, the other palace will respond. If you drum the harp, the other palace will respond. If there is no god, there are only so many. Good things call for beautiful kinds, evil things call for evil kinds, and kinds arise accordingly. For example, if a horse crows, the horse will respond, and if a cow crows, the cow will respond. When an emperor is about to rise, his beauty and auspiciousness can be seen in advance; when he is about to fall, monsters can also be seen before him. Things are called to each other by kind. " ("Likes Move with Each Other") Therefore, the two largest categories in the universe, heaven and humans, also move in response to each other. The mutual induction between heaven and humans is mediated by the qi of yin and yang and the five elements. Dong Zhongshu believes that between heaven and earth At this time, the relationship between yin and yang qi and people is like the relationship between water and fish, but the qi is too thin and cannot be seen by humans.

Dong Zhongshu's theory of induction of heaven and man is inherited from Mohism in form. It is related to the thoughts of the Yin and Yang School, but the content of his induction of heaven and man is Confucian social and political ethics. The will of heaven is actually the thought of Dong Zhongshu and other Confucian scholars of the Han Dynasty. The basis for heaven to reward good and punish evil is to see whether the world is good or not. Implemented the ideas of Confucianism. Dong Zhongshu combined Confucianism with the theory of yin and yang and the five elements to understand the relationship between heaven and man, and developed and perfected the theory of the relationship between heaven and man in Dong Zhongshu's theory of heaven and man. Among them, the rulers of the human world occupy a special position and play an extremely important role. The relationship between heaven and man is actually the relationship between heaven and the kings who manage the human world. Dong Zhongshu once said this about the word "king". Explanation: "The ancient writers who drew three consecutive paintings were called kings. The three paintings are heaven, earth and people. And those who connect it have the right path. To take the heaven, earth and man as a coherence and connect them, who can be the one who is not the king?" ("Wang Dao Tong San") The king became the center of communication between heaven, earth and man, which provided a theoretical basis for the centralized rule of the monarch. In Dong Zhongshu's view, the rights of the king, the supreme ruler of the world, are granted by God, and the king inherits the destiny of God to rule the people. Dong Zhongshu said: "The king is responsible for obeying the will of God and obeying the orders. He is responsible for educating and transforming the people." To form one's nature; to set the right rules and regulations, to control the order of the superior and the inferior, to prevent desires. "("Three Strategies of Heaven and Man") But Dong Zhongshu also believed: "The people created by Heaven are not kings, but the kings established by Heaven are the people. Therefore, if one's virtue is enough to bring peace and happiness to the people, God will give it to him; if one's virtue is enough to harm the people, God will take it away from him. "("Yao, Shun, Tang, and Wu") That is to say, the king should imitate the benevolence and love of heaven to govern the people and handle political affairs. If he does well, heaven will send "fu Rui" to encourage him; if he does not do well, he will be encouraged by "Fu Rui". Well, God will send "disasters" to condemn; if you still persist in not realizing it after the condemnation, eventually "those who are evil enough to harm the people will be taken away by God."

The purpose of Dong Zhongshu's discussion of the relationship between heaven and man is to Realistic social politics serve. On the one hand, he believed that the king represented the will of heaven, so the people should obey the king. On the other hand, he believed that the king should respect heaven and love the people, otherwise he would be punished by heaven. He came to the conclusion that " "Submit the people and reach out to the king, bend the king and reach out to heaven" ("Jade Cup"). This theory not only found a basis for feudal autocratic rule, but also restricted the royal power to a certain extent, which was conducive to the long-term stability of feudal society.