The Research On "Fa Yan"

The Han Dynasty was the first stable beginning of the feudal society after the unification of the Qin Dynasty. Displays in the academic thought, it changed from the various schools of thought during the period of pre-Qin times to the early years of the Han Dynasty towards the unification of thought in the middle stage of the Western Han Dynasty. learn from the loss of the Qin Dynasty, the Western Han Dynasty have to search for the new thought of governance. The dominant thought of the Han Dynasty changed from the HuangLao Taoism in the early stage to the Confucianist in the later stage gradually. Two kinds of thought struggled with each other throughout the entire process, Which also simultaneously promoted the communication and the fusion of them. As was taught by Yanjunping,he was deeply influenced by the Taoism, but the main body of his thought was still Confucianist. In this book, Yangxiong inherited the basic thought of Confucius and Mencius, carried through the thought of"Division between the Heaven and Human being"creatively, and criticized the thought of superstition . In brief, this book can be regarded as introspection of the academic thought of the entire Western Han Dynasty.This paper demonstrated the significance and the value of this book in three parts:In chapter one, I analyzed the comments of the various schools of thought by Yangxiong in order to indicate the predominant of Confucianist. Yangxiong commented in two different standpoints:One stands for science in appreciating thought of the arguer. In his opinion, he thought that one should argue with one's own aspiration in order to improve its character and distinguished from the various schools of thought. The other stands for politics in that of Lawyer and Taoism, in which he make the attempt to receive the meaning of government. He criticized the thought of Lawyer severely, and thought that there was no benevolent feeling. For taoism, he developed what is useful in morality and discard what is not in denying courtesy. He recognized the new intension of Confucianist, expanded the scope of the scripture of Confucianist, established the succession system of that, and expounded the basic concepts of that.In chapter two, It elaborated the relationgship between Heaven and Human being in order to demonstrated the thought of training personality to rule the country. Yangxiong brought the release of Human being from the god, while returned the meaning of Heaven to Nature, which enhanced the importance of Human being and denied the fatalism. Compared with the superstition, birth and death were consided as the natural process. God was transformed into the heart that is a capability of recognization. On the basis of Shishuo in Zhou Dynasty, he brought up the new thought of Human nature that embrace good and evil, which infered the importance of education by the saint in accomplishing ones'morality. Self-accomplishment can get one true joy, which also can advance the society to harmony gradually.In chapter three, To discuss the spread of this book, and to debate on the morality of the author. Yangxiong made his counsel before Wangmang usurped the throne, and insinuated after Wangmang usurped. This book affected many thinkers in Eastern Han Dynasty, and got the same respect with the thought of Mencius in Tang Dynasty. During Song Dynasty, it received even more respect, which also gave rise to the moral debate.