Huang Lao Xue is a school of philosophy and political thought that rose during the Warring States period. Yellow refers to Huang Lao refers to Lao Zi. During the Warring States Period, due to the popularity of the Five Elements Theory, the Yellow Emperor, which symbolizes the master of the Five Elements and is also the ancestor of China, became the object of worship and support by military strategists, legalists, teachers of Yin and Yang, immortals and even Confucianism. In Zhuangzi, the Yellow Emperor is often regarded as a master in fables. At the end of the Warring States period, the old school of Chu culture combined with the worship of the Yellow Emperor in the northern part of the Central Plains to form the Huang-Lao school, which marked the development of Taoist thought to a new stage.
The study of Huang Lao began in the Warring States and prevailed in the Western Han Dynasty. In the name of the Yellow Emperor, learn from Laozi and learn from Confucianism, Legalism and Yin and Yang. Broadly speaking, all Taoist thoughts in Qin and Han dynasties can be called the study of Huang Lao; In a narrow sense, only the theory named after Huangdi and Laozi is the study of Huang Lao. Sima Qian believes that the pedigree of the narrow sense of the study of Huang Lao does exist. He is in the historical records? "Biography of Le Yi" said: "Huangdi and Laozi are in Chen Le Public School, and their teachers don't know. Jiangshang Gonggong teaches An Qi Sheng, An Qi Sheng teaches Mao Mi Gong, Mao Mi Gong Gong, Yu Le Gong Gong, Chen Le Gong Gai Gong, and Gai Gong teaches Qi Gaomi and Jiaoxi. They are Cao's teachers. "
The classics that Huang Lao studied were The Book of the Yellow Emperor and Lao Zi. The Book of the Yellow Emperor recorded in Han Shu Yi Wen Zhi includes the Four Classics of the Yellow Emperor, the Ming of the Yellow Emperor and the monarch and minister of the Yellow Emperor. They were written by people in the Warring States period under the guise of the Yellow Emperor, and their contents were similar to those of Laozi, but they were all lost later. 1973 Four silk books unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha are important works of the Huang-Lao School. The ideas in the book belong to Taoism, and some ideas of Legalists and Confucianists are also adopted.
(1) Huang Jia
Taoism, initiated by Laozi and popularized by Zhuangzi, had a great influence on society in the middle and late Warring States period. At the turn of the third century BC to the second century BC, and during the Qi Xuanwang period, there was a Gong Xue under the thistle gate in Linzi, the capital of Qi State, where a group of famous scholars representing different ideological trends gathered. They use their own academic views to discuss heaven and man and "talk about chaos", forming a good academic atmosphere of free contention. Qi Xuanwang (reigned from 365,438+09 BC to 300 BC) "People who like literary lobbying, such as Zou Yan, Chunyu Kun, Tian Pian, Jieyu, Shen Dao, Yuan Huan, etc., were all cited as the first, and they died because they were doctors. It is the revival of the bachelor's degree in Miracle, and there are hundreds of people. "
As you can imagine, Gong Xue, Xia Ji at that time was a bustling scene with all kinds of talents. Among the 76 people who enjoy doctoral treatment, Zou Yan, Tian Pian, Jieyu, Shen Dao and Yuan Huan, the most prestigious bachelors, are all Taoist middleman. Zou Yan was not only respected in Qi, but also "Liang greeted him in the suburbs and held a ceremony for both sides", and Zhao and Yan were also treated with courtesy. Confucius visited Chen and Cai for many days, and his face was delicious. Mencius later traveled to Qi Liang and was left out in the cold, but it was useless, which was not comparable to Zou Yan's courtesy. Ideologically, Taoism before Zou Yan seems to have surpassed Confucianism. "Mencius? Teng Wengong said, "Yang Zhu and Mo Zhai are the best words in the world. The words of the world, don't return the sun, return the ink. "Yang Zhu is a Taoist theory. Advocates of. Yang Zhu's words spread all over the world in the middle of the Warring States Period, which shows the great influence of Taoism at that time.
Huang family theory is a kind of political philosophy or practical study based on Taoist natural philosophy. Its purpose is "quietism", and its practical political significance lies in simple administration and enjoying the people. In fact, the thought of Huang family's existence is a kind of imperial rule. "Shu" has been quite reflected in Laozi's thought, but his thought of "Shu" has been further enriched and improved when he arrived at Laodaoism in Xia Ji. These ideas catered to the needs of the ruling class and were valued and adopted by them.
According to historical records, ancient books such as Mencius, Biography of Xun Qing and Lv Chunqiu recorded that Zhao's Shen Dao, Qi's Tian Pian, Jie Yu, Chu's Yin Wen were all Taoist scholars, but their works were not preserved, so they can only be based on Zhuangzi? The world "and other pieces of written records, to examine the ideological purport of some individuals.
1. Thoughts of Shinto and Tianpian
Shinto and Tianpian are another branch of Taoism in Xia Ji. The combination of Taoism and Legalism is the characteristic of their thoughts. As far as Shen Dao is concerned, he advocates taking leadership as the main factor in everything, legislating according to nature, enforcing laws according to power, guiding the situation and respecting the law, so as to achieve the goal of peaceful and quiet governance. Zhuangzi? "The World" contains: "Public but not gram, easy and selfless. Resolutely no owner, interesting things instead of two, regardless of consideration, not seeking wisdom, there is no choice but to follow the fate. Meng Peng, Tian Pian and Shen Dao welcomed ancient Taoism. Everything is headed by qi, the sky can be covered but not carried, the ground can be covered but not covered, and the avenue can be covered but not distinguished, knowing that everything is possible but impossible. ..... So, Shen Dao abandoned his wisdom, but he had to; It is reasonable to exclude things. " In Shen Dao's view, everything is lost, and at this point, they are the same. Even the all-encompassing "avenue" is omnipotent. The genius of an enlightened person lies not in evaluating everything with his heart, but in his ability to contain everything in chaos like a road without distinguishing them. With this great wisdom, we can "do whatever we want because of our nature." If it is used according to the nature of everything, it is "inappropriate". On this basis, Shen Dao further advocated that in employing people, we should be "self-appointed, not self-appointed", that is, "governing by human feelings." The key to "governing by human feelings" lies in "law", that is, rewarding good and punishing evil through the role of law, so that people can be used by us. In order to implement the "law", Shen Dao paid more attention to "potential". The law needs powerful people to enforce it, so he put forward the idea of holding the law in place. Shinto's legal potential thought is a ruling technology based on Taoist wisdom.
"Lu Shi Chun Zhi Yi" also records Tian Pian's theory of Qi, Qi and Qi based on Tao. He preached his theory to the king of qi: "change should follow the rules, not because of sex." . His thoughts also have the Taoist style of advocating natural inaction.
According to the records in Zhuangzi Tianxia and Lv Chunqiu Zhiyi, the thoughts of scholars such as Shen Dao and Tian Pian were not understood and valued at that time. At that time, the rulers of Qi adopted preferential policies for scholars, making a large number of scholars, including Tian Pian, "list doctors every day". But this is mainly to show the world that the State of Qi can recruit all the wise men in the world, but it does not mean that the thoughts of Ji's scholars can be adopted by those in power.
2. Taoism in Guanzi
In the mid-Warring States period, the Huang-Lao School in Xia Ji further developed. Guanzi is the name of the trustee and an anthology of Xia Ji's research on Huang Lao. Guan Zi's four books (namely, Xin Xue, Nei Gong, Bai Xin and Yan Shu) are generally regarded as Huang's works by academic circles. Other chapters in the book are also similar to the ideas in Laozi and Huangdi Neijing. The author of Guanzi further enriched the Tao in Laozi, and put forward the magical ideas of "Tao gives birth to law" and "braking by static". In Laozi, "Tao" gives birth to everything, but in the political activities of governing the country and keeping the country safe, "Tao" is embodied as the principle that political activities must follow, that is, "law". "Law transcends power, and power transcends Tao." Tao is the foundation of law, and law is the application of Tao. "Fa" is not like "Tao". As long as we act according to the law, the monarch can govern the world well. Starting from "Tao gives birth to law", Four Articles of Guanzi transformed Lao Zi's inaction into a set of "governing the country with static braking".
The Silk Book of Huang Lao is a post-school work of Taoism in Xia Ji at the end of the Warring States Period. It is mainly based on Taoist thought, with Confucianism, Mohism, name and law. It is a masterpiece of the study of Huang Lao in the pre-Qin period. When Qin unified the six countries, some Huang Lao scholars turned to Qin and attached themselves. The book Lv Chunqiu collects their thoughts. Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals was compiled by the prime minister of Qin Dynasty. It is based on Taoist thought, compatible with the strengths of Confucianism, Mohism and Yin and Yang, and constitutes a huge theoretical system.
Third, Taoism in Sui and Tang Dynasties and beyond.
After the decline of metaphysics, Taoist thought still lingers. From the Sui and Tang Dynasties and beyond, we can get a glimpse of the number of people who annotate Laozi and Zhuangzi.
During the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, Lu Deming, Yi Fu, Yan Shigu, Cheng, Li Rong, Ma Zong, Du Guangting and others were famous for annotating Laozi. From Song Dynasty to Yuan Dynasty, there were Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, Chen Jingyuan, Su Shi, Su Zhe, Ye Mengde, Lin, Fan Yingyuan, Li Daochun, Zhao Mengfu, Wu Cheng, He Daoquan and others. Ming Taizu, Xue Hui, Shi Deqing, Li Zhi, Shen Guan Yi, Jiaozi, Lin Zhaoen, Gui Youguang, Zhong Xing and others in the Ming Dynasty; Qing Shizu, Wang Fuzhi, Fu Shan, Ji Yun, Bi Yuan, Yao Nai, Wang Zhong, Yan Kejun, Wang Niansun, Yu Yue, Gao, Tao Hongqing, Yi Shunding, Yan Fu, Sun Yirang, Liu and others in the Qing Dynasty; Modern, Ma Qichang, Luo Zhenyu, Wu, Ma Xulun, Zhi Weicheng, Dong, Ding Fubao, Qian Jibo, Wang Li, Gao Heng, Qian Mu, Jiang Xichang, Lao Jian, Yan Lingfeng, Zhang Chunyi, Zhu Qianzhi, Ren Jiyu, Chen Guying and others.
In the Tang Dynasty, Lu Deming, Cheng and others were famous for annotating Zhuangzi. In the Song Dynasty, Chen Jingyuan, Lin and others; Jiao Hong, Shi Deqing, Fang Yizhi and others in the Ming Dynasty; Wang Fuzhi, Yao Nai, Wang Niansun, Wang Minyun, Yu Yue, Sun Yirang, Tao Hongqing and others in the Qing Dynasty; Modern Zhang, Guo Qingfan, Ma Xulun, Jiang Xitian, Hu, Wen Yiduo, Qian Mu, and others.
Most of the above scholars are scholars with profound academic attainments. They annotated Laozi and Zhuangzi with the attitude of research and investigation, and formed the Taoist chapter and sentence study.
However, after the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the existing form of Taoism changed. It is mainly prevalent in the Taoist camp. Taoist scholars establish their religious theories by explaining and applying Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi's thoughts. So there appeared the situation that Taoism emphasized metaphysics in Sui and Tang Dynasties, and Taoism's Inner alchemy theory appeared in Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The later existence of Taoism is also reflected in the following aspects:
First, the infiltration of Taoist thought into other academic thought systems, such as Taoist thought, had a great influence on the formation of Neo-Confucianism ontology in Song and Ming Dynasties. Buddhism in the Song and Ming Dynasties advocated the confluence of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, in which Taoism refers to Taoism and Taoism.
Secondly, from the thoughts and speeches of heretical scholars in past dynasties, we can see the shadow of Taoist critical spirit, such as Baojing's theory of no monarch in Jin Dynasty; In the Ming Dynasty, there were Li Zhi's childlike innocence, He's fertility desire and Tang Xianzu's emotion. In Qing Dynasty, Tang Zhen's theory of breaking worship and Yuan Mei's theory of spiritual nature were all related to the influence of Taoist thought.
Thirdly, the literary theories and literary works of past dynasties were influenced by Taoist aesthetic thoughts and ways of thinking to varying degrees. China's history of aesthetic thought, painting, literature, calligraphy, sculpture and music all show a strong Taoist spirit.
Fourthly, hermits or frustrated literati in past dynasties also borrowed Taoist thoughts as their spiritual pillars, such as Tao Yuanming's Peach Blossom Garden, Li Bai's dry prosperity, Lushan's remote sending of a land master to a virtual boat, and Su Shi's water tune songs, all of which were influenced by Taoist thoughts.
It can be seen that the influence of Taoism on China culture is extensive and far-reaching. We must never ignore the existence of the potential spiritual undercurrent of Taoism because of its establishment, or drown it in Taoism.