Research On The Influence Of Lao Tzu And Chuang Tzu On Zhang Zai’s Philosophy

As one of the "five scholars of the Northern Song Dynasty",Zhang Zai is the pioneer and founder of Sung-Ming Confucianism,based on the criticism on the Buddhism and the Taoism as well as the correction of Han-Tang philosophy,he used the Qi theory in order to revive the true spirit of Confucius and Mencius and gave a new interpretation about the relation between the heaven and man.Zhang Zai’s attitude towards Buddhism and Taoism is generally criticized,absorbed and transformed,people tend to pay attention to the former but ignore the latter.Through careful reading and studying of Zhang Zai’s original works,the author holds that Zhang Zai’s theory of Qi has been inspired and influenced by the Qi thought of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.The first chapter points out the origin of Zhang Zai’s Qi theory and the function of Qi in Zhang Zai’s philosophy system.In summary,the main source of Zhang Zai’s philosophy is six classics,the four books and the Buddhism and Taoism.He use the book of Changes and the doctrine of the mean as the medium in order to absorb Taoism into his own philosophy,the theory about "the void" and Qi was based on the criticism of Buddhism and Taoism.The whole system of Zhang Zai’s thought is the unity of heaven and man based on the Qi theory.Zhang Zai’s thought about "the heaven Tao",human nature and the ideal of life were all linked by the Qi thought.In the view of "heaven-Tao",Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu’s theory about the origin and the creation of all things have influenced Zhang Zai to varying degrees.One of the most important category "the Void" can be originated to the Taoism,based on the new interpretation of "the Void",Zhang Zai combined the "nature" and "moral values".Zhang Zai also absorbed Lao Tzu’s "all of things born from the Tao" to discuss the creation of the universe and refers to "the void is Qi" and "Qi combines being and non-being".In the process of the creation of the universe,Chuang Tzu considered the "Yin Qi" and "Yang Qi" as the vital force of the development and transformation of all of the things;through the condensation and dispersion of Qi,he explained his altitude about the life and death.All of these manifests the enlightening significance of the Qi thought to Zhang Zai.Both of them cared about the ultimate concern behind the theory of Qi,that is the settlement of individual life.Zhang Zai’s theory of human nature is based on the theory of Qi,the proposition of the unity of "physical nature" and "the nature of heaven and earth" reflects the tendency of the integration of Confucianism and Taoism.In succession of the theory of Mencius’s "the goodness of human nature",the thought of "what the heaven confers is the Tao" proposed in the Doctrine of the Mean,Zhang Zai was influenced by Taoism’s though and put forward "the physical nature".So,changing the bad influence of Qi is the key point of Zhang Zai’s self-cultivation theory.The key category involved in Chuang Tzu’s theory of self-cultivation is "Qi","emptiness" and"mind",his thought of "listening to Qi" and "empty and waiting for things"influenced Zhang Zai.The premise of Zhang Zai’s "brotherhood" is all of the creatures including the human can be traced to the the material of Qi,which has inseparable relation with the thought of Chuang Tzu’s "the thing that pervades all the world is Qi".Chuang Tzu regarded Qi as the basis of the unity of all things,all of the things come out from the Tao and born with the Qi,based on the theory,Zhang Zai points out that the thing that pervades all the world is Qi,in addition,things in the world have a common nature from the origin life,the sage can consider all of the things in the world as the whole.Although Chuang Tzu and Zhang Zai both agree with "the oneness of all things",the former advocates the return to nature,while the latter advocates moral commitment.The reason that why the thought of Taoism can have an effect on Zhang Zai is the Taoism’s role as an integral part of Chinese culture and an indispensable part for the care of human life.Though there is a big difference between Confucianism and Taoism,these two schools cannot be separated completely and constitute the subject of traditional Chinese culture together.