中国人的思维
2009-6
上海锦绣文章出版社
王柯平
299
When t was a guest speaker in Germany in 1992， I said to the audiencethat the intercultural communication between East and West is notproportionately at the same level. For a Chinese professor or universitystudent in general can provide a name list of more than a hundred well-known figures in the Western history. Then， how many of the Chinesecounterparts from antiquity to the present could a German professor oruniversity student at large possibly know？ No more than a dozen， I guess.There are of course exceptions among the faculty members and students inthe departments of Sinology who surely know more. How come it is so？ Inmy opinion， it is mainly due to the fact that China has been in a passiveposition or "under attack" since the advent of the modern era， thus bearinga kind of eagerness to look into and learn from the West. In contrast， theWest has been in an active position， having far less need to know Chinabecause her existence would matter little to the Western mentality in thepast century or so. Such a situation corresponds more or less to that in the18th century when China assumed herself to be the center of the world andfelt no need to take any look at the West.
《Chinese Way of Thinking（中国人的思维）》讲述了When t was a guest speaker in Germany in 1992， I said to the audiencethat the intercultural communication between East and West is notproportionately at the same level. For a Chinese professor or universitystudent in general can provide a name list of more than a hundred well-known figures in the Western history. Then， how many of the Chinesecounterparts from antiquity to the present could a German professor oruniversity student at large possibly know？ No more than a dozen， I guess.There are of course exceptions among the faculty members and students inthe departments of Sinology who surely know more. How come it is so？ Inmy opinion， it is mainly due to the fact that China has been in a passiveposition or "under attack" since the advent of the modern era， thus bearinga kind of eagerness to look into and learn from the West. In contrast， theWest has been in an active position， having far less need to know Chinabecause her existence would matter little to the Western mentality in thepast century or so. Such a situation corresponds more or less to that in the18th century when China assumed herself to be the center of the world andfelt no need to take any look at the West.
PrefaceLi ZehouAcknowledgementsIntroductionSection I Nature and Human Existence1 A Rediscovery of Heaven-and-Human OnenessThe Three-fold SignificanceThe Two-dimensional OrientationA Pragmatic Alternative2 Laozi on the Dao of Human ExistenceFrame of Reference： The Dao of Man， Heaven and the SagePursuiL of Sageliness： Practical and Sagely WisdomPath to Freedom： Attitudes toward Life and Death3 Zhuangzis Way of Thinking through FablesThe Peng and Happy Excursion to the InfiniteThe Butterfly and Self-emancipation4 Poetic Wisdom in Zen EnlightenmentRevelations from Natural ScenesNatural Spontaneity as a Psychical PathA Poetic Way of Zen EnlightenmentThe Realm of SEInyat~ as BeautySection II Harmony， Governance， and Warfare5 Harmonization without Being PatternizedThe Meeting of East and West as a Good-natured HypothesisHarmony and Uniformity in PerspectiveThe Need of a New PhitosoplTos Poiesis6 Humane Governance and Pragmatic ReasoriRule of Law as the Fundamental BasisWise Leadership of Crucial NecessityThe Pragmatic Reason in Question7 No More Hiroshimas and Sharp WeaponsA Poetic Reflection after HiroshimaA Philosophical Pondering over Sharp WeaponsSection III Morality， Art， and Aesthetics8 Confucius Expectation of PoetryPoetry as a Social Discourse Sui GenerisPoetry as an Aesthetic Discourse Sui GenerisPoetry as a Moral Discourse Sui Generis9 Aesthetic Criticism of TransculturalityBeyond East and West： A Transcultural TransformationAesthetic Education as a Critical Necessity （Meiyu Shuo）Art as a Refuge from Suffering （Jietuo Shuo）Art as Aesthetic Play for Freedom （ Youxi Shuo）The Artist as Creative Genius （ Tiancai Shuo）The Refined as the Second Form （Guya Shuo）The Theory of Poetic State par Excellence （ Jing]ie Shuo ）10 The Theory of Art as SedimentationArt as SedimentationA Critical ConsiderationA Methodological Reflection11 Appreciating Nature in View of Practical AestheticsThree Levels of Aesthetic ExperienceAesthetic Effects of Heaven-and-Human OnenessSelected BibliographyGlossary
With respect to Chinese philosophy and religion， it cannot do withoutreference to Zen Buddhism. As for its position and function in Chineseideology， Zen Buddhism straddles two provinces； it is both a religion anda philosophy. Under certain circumstances， it is a philosophy rather than areligion， owing to its being a study of the wisdom of human existence.Such wisdom is usually contained in poetic imagery or allegorical symbolisms.It is essentially oriented towards spiritual emancipation or liberation. It isexercised through such approaches as self-control， self-concentration and self-enlightenment， thus helping people awaken and transcend the formidablegap between reality and ideality on the one hand， and on the other，leading people to face anxieties and frustrations with ease. It pertains to apsychological balance and joy out of the so-called " bitter sea ofboundlessness" （ku hal wu bian）. Eventually， it enables people to enterinto the kingdom of Zen or dhyana delight， where the human mind isassumed to be intrinsically purified， peacefully settled， and genuinelypleased. It is noteworthy that Zen Buddhism as a special form of wisdom stressesmainly these two factors： apprehension and action. The former is achievedvia deep contemplation and high awareness， and the latter is actualizedthrough personal engagement and praxis. All of this is somewhatapproximating the Greek conception of sophia as wisdom in the theoreticaland practical sense aforementioned. However， it is in striking contrast toany religious cults that favor philo-logos， a love of words rather than philo-praxis， a love of action. This being the case， anyone who is serious aboutthe cultivation of dhyana or Zen enlightenment is not supposed to be achatter-box， ready to recite doctrines from scriptures or canons. Instead，he devotes himself to insightful understanding and constant praxis so as tostay carefree and transcendent in the mentality of absolute freedom.
