Taoist Aesthetic Thought And Its Modern Significance

Taoist aesthetic education thought initiates from (aozi and ripes in Zhuagzi It regards the social situation at that time and Confucian aesthetic education thought as the background, then gives a deeply concerned sight to the surviving individual at that time. What it pays attention to is "that" person who survived in that era. Finding a way for the surviving individual to the artistic survival is the aim of Taoist aesthetic education thought, and "Tao" is the key. Before the producing of Zhiuangzi, laozi initially established the foundation of Taoist aesthetic education thought from the angles of human concern, kindness and beauty, experience connotation of 'Tao", spiritual connotation of "Tao" and other angles. Zhwngzi inherited and developed these understanding and rules to, therefore, it sets forth the core of " experience Tao" in Taoist aesthetic education thought. First of all, Zfangzi clearly proposed "experience Tao" and fully elucidated the experience characteristic of 'Tao". secondly, Zfiuangzi started with people's feeling to 'Tao", stressed the status and function in the process of reaching the 'Tao state", clearly entrusted 'Tao" with the aesthetic connotation, and made "experience Tao" into an aesthetic experience on this basis. Zhuangzi depicted the happiness and free experience used by the word "achieving Tao", and combined aesthetic experience, happiness and freedom together. Thirdly, Zhuangzi spread really out 'Tao state" and looked it as an ideal state and attitude of survival. Moreover, ZkuatiQzi also thought that 'Tao" had spiritual connotation. In addition, Zfiwngzi enriched "nature" connotation in the idea 'Tao rules nature" of Laozi. It regarded "nature" as the ideal state of human instinct, the relationships between human beings and things, and among human beings. He hoped surviving individual could gain freedom in transcending these relationships. In view of this, Taoist aesthetic education thought was mainly dispersed out from ZbuangziExperience, aesthetic transcendence, producing state are the three major pillars of Taoist aesthetic education thought, also are the active factor which could involved in the construction of Chinese contemporary aesthetic education. However, present aestheticeducation is deficient to these there aspects. First, experience is insufficient. At present, aesthetic education is usually considered as art education, while art education is often reduced as technology education, and it overlooks the importance of individual aesthetic experience. Second, misunderstanding to aesthetic transcendence also exits in present aesthetic education. They think that aesthetic is the satisfaction of sense organs, and transcendence is a discard to the satisfaction of sense organs. Taoist aesthetic education thought not only pays attention to achieving aesthetics sense in "experience Tao ", but pursues 'Tao state" as a common life state. Obviously, it can gives lots of inspiration to modern aesthetic education. The third point, it gives less importance to producing state in present aesthetic education. The destination of the aesthetic education is to accomplish an ideal character. And the symbol of character shaping is the producing of a stable life state .By the fable stories of " (Paodmg cut oxen" and "LunBian hack wheel", Taoist reveals for us that people hold and keep 'Tao state" in real life. This can help us to improve the present theory of aesthetic education and achieve the function of it.In addition, the paper compares Taoist aesthetic education thought with religion aesthetic education thought (concerned about Christianity mainly),Confucian aesthetic education thought (concerned about Confucian aesthetic education thought of the Pre-Qin days, which is mainly represented by Confucius), and with aesthetic education thought of Schiller, which puts far-reaching effect on Chinese contemporary aesthetic education, so that their features will be well explained and grasped.