1. Source:
Yan Hui said: "Returning is beneficial." Zhongni said: "What is it?" He said: "Returning has forgotten benevolence and righteousness." Said: "Yes. "Yes, it's still not the case." He saw him again and said, "It's good to return." He said, "I've forgotten the rituals." Seeing him again, he said: "It's better to go back!" He said: "What do you mean?" He said: "Sit back and forget." Zhongni suddenly asked: "What does it mean to sit back and forget?" Yan Hui said: "Lost the limbs and dethroned the wisdom. It is the same as Datong. "Zhongni said: "The same is not good, but the transformation is impermanent. Qiu also invites you to follow." - "Zhuangzi· "Grand Master"
2. Interpretation:
The last time Yan Hui attended a lecture, he argued with his teacher Confucius about the etiquette of mourning. After being persuaded, he reflected on how he had lived for decades. Dream, sigh. From then on, he devoted himself to cultivating Taoism. Because he was honest, hardworking and practiced hard, he made rapid progress. Remembering that his teacher had taught him the art of fasting, he put it into practice. One day, Yan Hui came to report to the teacher and said: "I have made progress."
Confucius asked: "In which aspect?"
Yan Hui said: "I have forgotten the rituals and music. "
Confucius said: "Things outside the body should be forgotten. It is not enough."
A few days later, Yan Hui said again: "I have made progress again. "
Confucius asked: "In what respect?"
Yan Hui said: "I have forgotten benevolence and righteousness."
Confucius said: "The name outside the body. Well, it’s time to forget. It’s not enough.”
A few days later, Yan Hui said again: “I have made progress again.”
Confucius asked: “In what way?” /p>
Yan Hui said: "I have forgotten."
Confucius asked in surprise: "What does sitting and forget mean?"
Yan Hui said: "Not only do I forget, Without the existence of external objects, I even temporarily forgot my own existence. I stopped using my limbs, closed my ears and eyes, my soul left my body, my mind cleared away my thoughts, and I became consistent with the Dao. This is what I call sitting and forgetting.”
< p>Confucius said: "If you are consistent with the Tao, you will not have any preferences. If you are consistent with the changes, you will not stick to dogma. Yan Hui, in the past you lived in a back alley, eating with a basket and drinking with a ladle, and others couldn't stand it. You live a happy life. I once praised you as a wise man. Now I want to say again that you are a true wise man. This time it is your turn to be my teacher. ”****************************************** *************************************************** *************
"Sitting and forgetting" does not only refer to the posture of sitting quietly, nor does it only refer to the so-called "forgetting" state. It should be a kind of verification using the body and mind. It is a real state of life, not a kind of narcissism or anesthesia. "Tian Yinzi Zuowang" says:
Those who sit and forget are obtained by thinking, and forget by thinking. Isn't it the meaning of "sitting" to follow the path without seeing it? Isn't it the meaning of "forgetting" to have an opinion but not act on it? What does "no" mean? Said: "Because the heart is not moving." What does "not see" mean? Said: "The form is gone."[6]
The "sitting" here should be a way from form to substance, just like a raft crossing a river. You can't miss it when you reach the other side. , and "forgetting" is a state of being unconcerned after transcending all the rules of the secular real world. Obviously, this does not refer to self-anesthesia and escape. First of all, self-anesthesia people cannot completely forget their worries. Escape is not a permanent solution. One day he will have to face the real world, so can the river of his soul really stop? I'm afraid it's difficult. The only thing that can be done is to be completely pure. At this time, there are two methods. One is to transcend reality, complete reality and then transcend oneself to achieve the purity of the soul; the other is to transcend oneself and return to life. To practice the transcendent state and perfect state of body and mind. Obviously, Zhuangzi prefers the latter. Some say it is the realm of art, while others say it is the realm of religion.
Dr. Heng Yu pointed out:
Sitting and forgetting means attaining concentration, which means that people who have achieved sitting and forgetting are actually in a state of concentration. "Tian Yinzi·Shen Jie" says: "Fasting is called 'faith and understanding', resting in peace is called 'xianjie', thinking is called 'huijie', sitting and forgetting is called 'fixed solution', and trusting, calming and leisurely wisdom is called "Tian Yinzi Shen Jie". , The four gates of spiritual enlightenment are called 'divine solution'. This means that sitting and forgetting is the fourth stage among the five levels of Taoist practice, and it is the stage of solution by concentration. The sign of success in sitting and forgetting is spiritual understanding and enlightenment means that whether sitting and forgetting is successful and whether enlightenment is the best criterion. [7]
It also made an in-depth comparison with Buddhist meditation, such as:
Although the status of meditation and sitting and forgetting in their respective cultivation systems are basically the same, they both achieve enlightenment. necessary conditions and direct power, but the process, content and final result of the two are completely different: the object of meditation is Zen, and the object of zazen and forgetfulness is the material self; there are various methods of zen meditation, while the method of zazan and forgetfulness is just silence. Not answering, silent and not looking; practicing Zen can be either gradual practice or sudden enlightenment, while sitting and forgetting can only be gradual practice; the result of participating in Zen is enlightenment and liberation, while the result of sitting and forgetting is attaining the Tao and becoming an immortal. All these are not the same.
[8]
In fact, his comparison was more based on the difference between Taoism and Buddhism. However, the concept of "sitting and forgetting" later became not only a Taoist method, but also became a Taoist method. With the trend of the unification of the three religions, "Ziu Wang" has been used in many new fields and given new concepts, such as the integration with Buddhism, the history of being borrowed by Confucianism, and its influence in literature and art. Application, so "sitting and forgetting" is no longer simple, its core meaning has also been reinterpreted and used in many fields.
And I think that the fundamental difference between "sitting and forgetting" and the escape and anesthesia that people often talk about is that it is a state of concentration, not fleeting like smoke and clouds, nor like a frog at the bottom of a well. Shattered dreams. It is a high degree of grasp of the subjectivity of life and an understanding of the original meaning of life.
Of course this is just a way of life. As Feng Youlan said, "The so-called saints in Buddhism are people who have reached a certain state. Such saints can be said to be quiet. For example, all Buddha statues have their eyes closed. "Meditate, sit still." [9] This coincides with the holy state reached by "sitting in forgetfulness". Of course, Feng Youlan's statement is somewhat one-sided, as Mahayana Buddhism is not just that.
I think Zhuangzi’s original intention may not be to make people completely so quiet and completely devoted to the inner world of the individual. If the external situation is indeed very bad and the individual cannot help the world, There is nothing reprehensible about living a transcendent life calmly, not to mention the possibility of leaving a legacy in many aspects, including art.
It is also obvious that the static holy state that can be achieved by "sitting and forgetting" will also become a tool for people to get rid of their responsibilities and missions at some point. "Taoists in the Song and Ming Dynasties originally opposed this kind of static state." Saints. Their saints are those who achieve the so-called human relations in daily life. "[10]
"The so-called saints of Taoists in the Song and Ming Dynasties are those who can live according to the way of life. ... Live according to the way of life, and it takes a lot of effort to live according to it. Those who are familiar with it do not need to use force to live according to it, and they are called sages."[11]
This "sage" theory of Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming dynasties has major implications for the development of the "sitting and forgetting" theory. People cannot completely focus on their personal world; they must transcend the external reality, that is, become a person with certain moral significance in the real ethical world.
2.
With the development of the concept of "sitting and forgetting" up to now, I think it has three levels, one is the health aspect; the second is the way of thinking; and the third is the philosophical level.
1
Health level.
So let’s first look at the definition and understanding of health preservation. Zhang Changan said in "The Practical Benefits of Practicing Qigong":
To maintain health, practice Qigong to summon the way of heaven, and the day will be retrograde;... Those who practice retrograde are to practice essence to turn into Qi, practice Qi to turn into spirit, and practice to practice spirit to return to weakness. , practice emptiness to return to nothingness, and one day practice emptiness to return to Tao. It means that people come from nothingness and nothingness, so they should return to nothingness to conform to the way of nature. It is said that this is the evolution and sublimation of daily things, so the emptiness exists in reality, and the existence in nothingness exists. Therefore, Confucianism calls this ascension result "transcendence into sainthood", Taoism calls it "transformation into immortality", Buddhism calls it "nirvana and becoming Buddha", and Qihuang calls it "real person". [12]
From here, his explanation seems to be that maintaining health is the way of heaven. What exactly is the way of heaven? Also known as retrograde movement, will retrograde movement violate the aesthetic and monastic principles of letting nature take its course?
"Zhuangzi" said: "My life also has a limit, and my knowledge has no limit. If there is a limit, it will follow the limitlessness, and it is already gone. Those who have become a knower are gone. There is no end to the good deeds, and the bad deeds. Endless punishment, Yuan Du believes that it can protect one's life, support one's entire life, support one's relatives, and pass one's years." [13] First of all, Zhuangzi does not advocate letting us do too many things that are far away from the essence of life. He is opposed to alienation. Secondly, he wants us to act in accordance with the rules of secular society as much as possible when we enter secular society. Even if you want to realize the promotion and prominence of personal value, you still have to act in accordance with the way of nature and society. This is what he points out. Cook Ding explained it fully in Jie Niu.
The author believes that health preservation is indeed based on nature and is the highest principle. However, true nature has two aspects. One is that it is natural without man-made changes. The other is that it also includes man-made things. The behaviors and thoughts that conform to the laws of nature and society.
Then the way of heaven mentioned above is the human-made behaviors and thoughts that conform to the laws of nature and society. It emphasizes a kind of man-made sublimation that is in line with the way of heaven, rather than laissez-faire behavior. To put it simply, if you can choose between two foods A and B, A is more beneficial to you and B is less beneficial to you. If you know this knowledge, how would you choose if you were asked to choose? If you choose with a laissez-faire, ignorant point of view, then you are leaving it to chance, just like making a decision by guessing the heads and tails of a coin. In fact, your choice at this time is not an "inadvertent choice". Artificial and natural" thinking, because you have participated, but you have given up another opportunity. And if you want to choose "man-made behaviors and thoughts that conform to the laws of nature and society", then you will definitely choose A. Of course, we cannot say for the time being whether A and B have correct effects on us. .
I have explained specific issues related to health care from a personal point of view.
To a certain extent, sitting and forgetting is a way of maintaining health and an achievement.
Of course, we can also make some explanations from traditional Chinese medicine and fitness techniques. For example, Shaolin Master Deqian summarized Shaolin’s life-extending method into static method, vegetarian diet method, etc. Among them, static method is of great significance. , and mentioned in the Jingfa that quiet meditation can dredge the meridians of the human body, smooth the qi and blood, balance the yin and yang, strengthen the defense, and fill the true qi. It is also said that "a calm person can nourish the heart" because "the heart is the first of the five internal organs. The heart governs the blood vessels and the mind. If the heart is normal and has no disease, all the internal organs will be healthy. If the heart is weak, the blood will weaken, causing disease throughout the body." [14]
At the level of health preservation, there is not much difference between the Taoist method of sitting and forgetting and the Zen method of tranquility. From a modern point of view, their integration point lies in Qigong and some health preservation concepts.
What the "Sitting and Forgetting" method can achieve is a kind of static state in people, and in this special static state, people can restore their life functions, achieve optimal physical and mental health balance, and even develop the human body. potential. There are also many explanations and applications in modern psychology and modern therapy, so I will not repeat them in detail here.
2
Thinking style.
This state contains a mysterious experience, which is mentioned in Laozi. However, Laozi later returned to the level of realistic ethics, which is different from Zhuangzi. Later generations of Taoists and scholars from various schools have discussed a lot, and the state of meditation and Taoism is very deep. In fact, "Xin Zhai" is also integrated into "Zuo Wang". In other words, Xin Zhai is a way to start, while Zuo Wang is the state of accomplishment. It is worth mentioning that the state of forgetfulness is related to what Bergson called duration, that is, when entering the state of forgetfulness, psychological time may have disappeared.
How to obtain intuitive ability, Gu Minsheng said in "Research on Bergson's "Intuitionism"": "Intuition is hard labor, it requires the effort of the will. Only by making the human mind follow The habitual direction of rational thinking is reversed, beyond the scope of perceptual experience, rational understanding and practice, and all concepts, judgments, reasoning and other logical thinking forms are abandoned, and even no language symbols are used. Only in this way can all fixed and rigid ideas be eliminated. The possibility of understanding. Because metaphysics must use intuitive methods to achieve absolute reality."[15]
This is very similar to Eastern Taoism and Zen, such as "benevolence, righteousness" and "propriety". "Happiness", transcending specific knowledge and various skills, etc., to obtain a spiritual mysterious experience and ability, which is related to intuition. In fact, sitting and forgetting also has meaning at the level of intuitive thinking, and at the level of thinking On the topic, zazen and zazen are almost synonymous, and the reason is that they have been borrowed from each other and used interchangeably.
The important role of intuitive thinking can be seen from the two sentences in "Laozi": "Studying increases day by day, and hearing the Tao decreases day by day." Zhou Lisheng explained this:
"Laozi calls the understanding of various specific things 'learning', and the grasp and understanding of the Tao is called 'hearing the Tao'." In his opinion, "learning" and "hearing the Tao" are two completely different ways of knowing. One is about the knowledge of metaphysical concrete things, which can be obtained through sensory experience; the other is about the metaphysical Tao. Knowledge, this kind of knowledge can only be obtained by intuitive enlightenment. The accumulation of concrete knowledge is of course accumulated, so it is said to be "increasingly", but the realization of "Tao" must be abandoned. Laozi calls it "sun loss". ’, and it is necessary to ‘loss again and again, to the point of doing nothing’, reaching the level of knowing nothing and doing nothing, that is, entering the state of forgetting both things and myself. He believes that the more specific knowledge, the more it hinders the understanding of Tao. and grasp, only by excluding sensory experience can we achieve unity with the Tao and enter the realm of attaining the Tao."[16]
It seems that intuitive thinking is mainly used to understand the "metaphysical" Tao, and not the Tao. It is not concrete "metaphysical" knowledge, so it is not difficult to understand the philosopher's interpretation of intuition.
Intuitive thinking and experience are also very obvious in art, and even more directly in the field of poetry.
Many poets in the Tang Dynasty also pursued intuitive experience. They all learned about inanimateness. The mind and body are in a state of emptiness that is close to silence. This can transform the pure consciousness in the individual's heart into an intuitive state, like the spontaneous light, generating insight and wisdom and a complete feeling of the unity of all things, and entering the "I" state where things and I are united. "[17]
It is precisely because of the intuitive way of thinking that there are many dazzling poems, such as "The bright moon shines among the pines," as reflected in Wang Wei's famous poem "Mountain Dwelling in Autumn Ming". "The clear spring stone flows upstream", an ethereal realm where things and I are harmonious.
In the search for methods of understanding, the East places great emphasis on inner tranquility and transcendence. It is possible to remove various factors that hinder understanding, especially emotional factors, and the reasons for pursuing inner tranquility and transcendence are not Not only because of these, but also because of the pursuit of intuitive understanding. Intuition usually exists in a high degree of rationality. It does not mean abandoning rationality, and starting to understand life with intuition, relying on reason, and using reason to enhance intuition. The quality of it is just like what "Laozi" said: "If you hold one in your arms, can you be free from separation? If you focus on your Qi and become gentle, can you be like a baby? If you cultivate and eliminate mystical knowledge, can you be flawless? If you love the people and govern the country, can you be without wisdom?" Can the gate of heaven be opened or closed? How can one be ignorant if one understands the four elements?” [18] Finally, we returned to the goal of rationality.
3
Philosophical level.
This is part of Zhuangzi’s way of transcendence. That is to say, this is a transcendent philosophy, but introverted in nature. Sima Chengzhen said in "On Sitting and Forgetting": "If you sit and forget, why don't you forget? You don't know your body inside, and you don't know the universe outside. It is one with the Tao, and all worries are forgotten. Therefore, Zhuangzi said it is the same as Datong. "[19]
This philosophical approach is obviously a philosophy of life, with an extremely strong humanistic consciousness. Because this way of transcendence takes people themselves as the starting point and destination.
Modern Yan Xianglin summed it up this way.
“Time and space constitute the primary material constraints for the existence of life. In view of this, Zhuangzi first adopted the philosophical denial of time and space.” And this is also “with the help of poetic imagination and intuitive experience.” [ 20]
So how did this intuition begin?
One of the important ways is "sitting and forgetting". Regarding the specific operation method of sitting and forgetting, he gave the following explanation. He divided sitting and forgetting into the following parts: first, sitting and forgetting moral consciousness and value standards; second, sitting and forgetting the sensory body or perceptual organ; third, sitting and forgetting Forgetting spiritual "smartness"; fourth, forgetting knowledge forms and cognitive activities; fifth, it also includes the ideological connotation of forgetting the worry of death; sixth, there is also the hidden thought of forgetting the burden of "emotions". [21]
Of course, it must be explained that this kind of transcendence seems to be purely intuitive cognition on the surface, but in fact it is not. First of all, if you want to admit that everything is completely pure intuition , then first of all the theorists have to abandon the original understanding itself - knowledge and methods about intuition and transcendence. Secondly, as discussed above, all intuitive understandings in the Tao Te Ching originate from and return to reason.
But later, the theory of transcendence about zuowang was used for religious transcendence. This was not because of the lack of language among later generations of scholars, but because zaowang itself contained a certain degree of religiousness. The factor, that is, can a person or part of a person's characteristics who have gone through a certain process of cultivation really achieve eternal existence that transcends the limitations of time and space?
This kind of questioning has always been lingering in the minds of some people, and has been practiced by them, especially the later Taoist inner alchemy sect, which developed the theory of the sun god's emergence and ascension very completely, and claimed that These theories can all be implemented successfully to some extent.
In short, the transcendent method of the "Sitting and Forgetting" theory has a strong introversion. This kind of transcendence is opposite to the concept of transforming the world with faith and force, but it does not mean that the two are irreconcilable. On the contrary The two are complementary. Once humans truly utilize the complementarity of the two, humans will be one step closer to a free world.
3.
The modern significance of sitting and forgetting.
It is very worth mentioning that in modern society, people have millions of lifestyles, as well as their life forms. It seems that these can no longer be classified as superior by a certain standard. Inferior and superior, but the re-evaluation of all values ??is not endless. It-the ultimate beautiful ideal of mankind will never be divorced from the greatest freedom under eternal rationality. This freedom is the existence of order. state, it will always require people to firmly grasp their own hearts when they have a greater degree of possession of the external world. All steps of civilization cannot fail to listen to the true voice of the soul.
What's more, when all people's thoughts are attracted by the brilliance of the outside world, there is a danger - neglecting the modern construction of the inner world. This situation is the internal and external, spiritual and material, spiritual The development of technology and skills presents an imbalance. The wasteland phenomenon in modern philosophy and literature is actually an extreme imbalance of the above situation. This is a one-way imbalance, that is, in the shell of highly developed science and technology, Countless souls like deserts and wastelands are struggling. Of course, the dangerous situation is not just that, there are more explicit or implicit variables.
In this situation, the Taoist way of transcending sitting and forgetting is undoubtedly a very important concern. It not only shines in the metaphysical level such as health preservation, but also in the metaphysical level. There is also a dazzling and moving light on the level.
Of course, we must also explain that "sitting and forgetting" is only a historical theory, and its role in the process of human physical and mental growth and social change is also historical and has certain limitations. The first thing to explain is that the situation that is most likely to happen is to violate the original intention and original intention of life in the name of it. That is, when life is faced with a crisis, not only do you not work hard, but you build a drunken dream and hide in it. Spending time numbly inside is not the achievement of "Zuo Wang", nor is it the true "Zuo Wang"; secondly, the strong introversion of "Zuo Wang" should be exerted in certain fields (such as art, philosophical speculation, etc.) Huge role; Furthermore, the theory of "sitting and forgetting" needs new development. During the Neo-Confucian period of the Song and Ming Dynasties, especially Wang Yangming, he had already regarded meditation as a means of coping with the real world, and no longer pursued religious practices such as meditation. realm.
Sitting and forgetting
This is originally a philosophical term used by Zhuang Lao. "Zhuangzi: The Great Master" says: "The limbs are dropped, the intelligence is deposed, the knowledge of the law is separated from the form, and it is the same as the great wisdom. This is called sitting and forgetting." It refers to the transcendental thought and mental state of sitting upright and completely forgetting all things.
Guo Xiang's note: "If you sit down and forget, why don't you forget what you are doing? That is, those who forget their traces and the reason for their traces will not be aware of their body internally, and will not recognize the existence of heaven and earth externally, and then the wilderness and change will become one and all will be connected. Also. "When the chess skills and theory of Go develop to a certain level, they will also reach this state of detachment and forgetfulness of things and themselves. The villa where Chu Sizhuang, the national Go player of the Southern Dynasties, studied chess was named "Zuowangju".