A General Review Of Cheng Xuanying’s Thought On Re-Metaphysics

The ttheory of Re-Metaphysics is a specific school which was formed by Taoism in the Wei Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties,by making commentaries on classics of Taoist and Taoism,on the basis of absorbing the ideas from the Madhyamika of Nagarjuna and Prajna Vodiniess of Buddhism,and developed to its boom time between Sui and Tang Dynasty.Cheng Xuanying,the leader of this school,established a integrated “Re-Metaphysics”system,thus made a great contribution to its prosperity between Sui and Tang Dynasties,which should not be effaced.Briefly,his system of “Re-Metaphysics”can be divided into three parts:the Ontology of Tao,the Nature of Tao,the Ideas of Taoist cultivation,the three of which are closely related to each other,and build a whole system together.Firstly,the ontology of Tao with the empty essence,laid the foundation of the whole system,and throughout the nature of Tao and the ideas of Taoist cultivation from the beginning to the end;Secondly,the nature of Tao with a subtle and natural mind,on the basis of the theory of the essence,provided theoretical arguments for the cause and foundation of the realization of its “Tao conform to Re-Metaphysics,and forget both environment and wisdom " realm;Finally,in the ideas of Taoist cultivation,he not only vividly depicted the “Tao conform to Re-Metaphysics,and forget both environment and wisdom" realm,and put forward the ways and methods to the native place of Re-Metaphysics,and provided a theoretical guidance to the cultivation and enlightenment of all the living.This article will point out that: Cheng Xuanying connected the early and late phase of the development of the thought of Re-Metaphysics.Firstly,by giving play to the Metaphysical contents in the thought of traditional Taoist,he elevated the noumenon of their Tao,and successfully established his own ontology of Tao,which interprets Tao with “empty”,thus propelled the school of Re-Metaphysics philosophy to develop to its extreme;Secondly,by inheriting the nature of Tao which is empty,which belonged to the Taoism in Dynasties of Wei Jin South and North,he put forward the proposition that the nature of Tao is subtle and natural,and distinguished the differences between the nature of Tao and that of objects,and gave a unique interpretation to the proposition of “Exhaust the thing’s principles and probe into human nature,even into human’s destiny”,so,afforded a major beacon for the veer of Re-Metaphysics philosophy,from ontology philosophy to the philosophy of mind and nature during the middle and late periods of Tang Dynasty,and provided an important mind datum for the emergency of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism;At last,,his“Tao conform to Re-Metaphysics,and forget both environment and wisdom" realm,successfully transformed the practice of cultivation target of Taoism of purely questing for soaring to djinni into the pursuit of inner spiritual transcendence,and provided theories preparation to the development and maturation of the Neidan mind of Taoism.