Research On Zhuangzi's "Freedom" Thought

After the reform and opening up,the diversification of social life has influenced the study of "Chuang Tzu" and multivariate interpretations of "Chuang Tzu" have emerged.Among them,"freedom",as one of Chuang Tzu’s thoughts,is a hotspot in the study of "Chuang Tzu" in recent years,from which we can trace the ups and downs of the thoughts of the pre-Qin dynasties through the principles of Taoists and its representative figure---Laozi.At the same time,with the deep involvement with the classic culture and thoughts in ancient times,we can learn the crucial lessons which is important for today.It’s no doubt that we should understand the real meaning of"freedom" firstly in order to discover the deep thoughts behind it.The word"freedom" originates in the west which is complex and diverse.Despite the word"freedom" is not written in the books of Chuang Tzu,there are many vocabularies to express the meaning of "free from bondage","unrestricted" and so on,such as "travel","change" and "peripateticism".Therefore,it can be conducted that the book "Chuang Tzu" convey the concept of "freedom"."Freedom" of Chuang Tzu is rooted in Laozi’s Tao,and it is obvious that Chuang Tzu that Chuang Tzu’s thought of "freedom" came from "inaction" of Laozi to some extent.Specifically,on the one hand,the sensory desires of human being cannot be fully realized,so it is necessary to stay satisfied with the current situation and put it in this way "this is the arrangement of life";on the other hand,although most rulers normally govern the country in a "promising" approach,it seems unlikely with all the restrictions in that time.In this way,the individual’s expectations of "destiny" and"satisfaction" in real life,as well as the ideal society of "inaction" that emerged at that time,make great significance.Chuang Tzu ’s philosophy is to go to the "freedom" land through Tao by getting out of the life predicament.Chuang Tzu expresses his freedom ideal with words such as "travel","change" and "wander",and tried to promote the spirit of life and pursue spiritual freedom by "changing one’s behavior or appearance in accordance with situation,with unchanged principles in mind".In order to realize the ideal of one’s personality freedom,Chuang Tzu thought that the key lies in "stillness" and "forgetting".It is the ultimate enterprise of Chuang Tzu’s philosophy that people change the state of their existence through spiritual cultivation and realize the highest spiritual liberation and freedom of human nature.Although the pursuits of spiritual freedom by Chuang Tzu and Western liberal education are different in ways and means,both of them are in the same path to achieve the final goal which is freedom and liberation of the spirit because they understand the nature of human beings.