秉要執本，在乎情性之極： 陸希聲《道德真經傳》「性情論」發微

Abstract

陸希聲《道德真經傳》中認為要把握住老子學說的重點，就必須秉執理解的要領與根本，那就是以性情論題為核心的觀察。因為性情的安頓直接攸關心性主體的實踐，因此，其以為老子學說的主要方向，即在於以身心修養的工夫為起點，爾後方能推及家國、天下。而此理治身心的義理重點，推其要、究其極，即在於正視一己之身的性情問題，故言老子之學「秉要執本，在乎情性之極」。根據陸氏此一理解的通孔，可以發現《道德真經傳》中關於情性之著墨，確實所在多有。此對於鮮少論及人性議題的《老子》文本而言，當是企圖通過一個特殊的理解視域，以進行《老子》的解讀。因此，《道德真經傳》中擬欲構織的情性理論，當是值得抉發疏理的，而此亦正是中唐以來儒學復興運動最被關注的一個議題焦點，因承之跡可見。當我們逐一檢別《道德真經傳》的文理脈絡時，可以清楚發現一個重要的根本意向，那就是通篇一再出現的「復性」之說。而「復性」的理論內涵，則主要在消彌情、性斷離的現象，而使情、性得以再度統攝為一。故與此「復性」一說直接關涉的有：「情由性生」、「性情相因」、「性靜情動」、「性體情用」，以及「由靜復性」、「斲雕為樸」、「寡欲知足」等諸多哲學命題，此便使得心、性、情、欲的人性論內容，成為《道德真經傳》主要面對的思想課題。對於「殊異之情外感於物」之下，所產生「以情亂性」的現象，陸氏提出「化情復性」、「以性正情」等主張，「正情」、「化情」都是針對邪妄之情而來。因此，「情性」組辭的提舉以及其間關係的安頓，遂成為《道德真經傳》的重要意旨，所有理論建構皆指向這個意旨的中心。因此，本文的論述重心，主要即針對性、情進行解義並探討兩者之間的深密關係。結論處，則擬以李翱〈復性書〉為一參照系，就其所提出「滅情復性」、「性情對立」、「揚性抑情」的見解，對比彰顯出《道德真經傳》性情思想的理論特色。

Lu Xi-Sheng, the author of Dao-der-zhen-jing-zhuan （Annotations of Dao Der Jing）, believed that “nature and sentiment” were the key points to understand Laotze. According to Lu, the settlement of body and mind was related to the fulfillment of human. Therefore, one must start with self-cultivation and then develop to give people peace and security. As a matter of fact, Lzotze seldom mentioned human nature. Lu’s discourse provided a distinct viewpoint. His discourse on nature and sentiment was the main subject of debate among the Confucian scholars of the Mid-Tang Dynasty. Reviewing the context of Dao-der-zhen-jing-zhuan, we can find the theme of “back to nature” repeatedly. The derived theses included “sentiment that came from nature,” “the interdependence of nature and sentiment,” “the stillness of nature versus the motion of sentiment,” and “nature as the noumenon versus sentiment as the effect.” Lu advocated to invert sentiment back to nature and to correct sentiment by nature. All of these efforts aimed to deal with the bewildering sentiment. This article tries to define “nature and sentiment” as a word group and explores their interactive relation. This article also compares Lu’s Dao-der-zhen-jing-zhuan with The Book of Back to Nature authored by his contemporary scholar, Li Ao. By comparison between their explanations of nature, we can conclude the characterization of Lu’s theory on nature and sentiment.