Research On Li Zhi’s Aesthetic Concept Of The Childlike Mind(Tong Xin;童心)

Li Zhi(1527-1602)is a famous thinker of the Ming Dynasty who in the process of reflecting on the cultural ills of the last stream of the Confucian school of the Song and Ming Dynasties,put forward the important philosophical and aesthetic concept of the "childlike mind".Li Zhi’s aesthetics of "childlike mind" is an important representative of the aesthetic thought of School of Mind in Ming Dynasty after Wang Yangming.On the level of promoting private desire and natural sensuality,Li Zhi’s thought goes farther.In the internal process of aesthetic ethos in the late Ming Dynasty,compared with the passive mentality of most literati such as Chen Jiru,Yuan Zongdao,Yuan Hongdao,Yuan Zhongdao,and Zhang Dai,Li Zhi was less likely to express his dissatisfaction with the established order through the extreme pleasure;instead,he explored the order of human morality through the daily routine of dressing and eating.In addition,Li Zhi’s reflection on individual sensuality has a more metaphysical connotation of philosophical aesthetics,and he is obsessed with exploring the ultimate question of life existence.All of this highlights the profundity of the aesthetic concept of the childlike mind in exploring issues such as sensuality and transcendence,pleasure and value,nature and humanity.The philosophical foundation of the concept of "childlike mind" is Li Zhi’s cosmology of the couple and Buddhist thought.By affirming the biological and physiological nature of the living world,Li Zhi’s cosmology points out that the love of a couple creates all things,and thus argues for the legitimacy of natural sensibility.At the same time,Li Zhi insists on exploring the true nature of human nature in natural sensuality through the Buddhist thought of the inseparability of colour and emptiness,and begins to think about the ultimate question of the root cause of life and death.With the Buddhist thinking of the inseparability of colour and emptiness,Li Zhi clarifies the two meanings of the childlike mind:the first is the natural mind,and the second is the mind of emptiness.Although each has its own focus,the two are linked to each other and together they explain the broad connotation of the true nature of humanity.On the level of aesthetic pursuit,the idea of childlike mind aesthetics reflects the aesthetic concept of "Zi Wen"(自文).The concept of "Zi Wen" refers to autonomous and spontaneous literary creation,requiring the author to express the "feelings" of a childlike mind in a sincere manner,and all literary works that conform to the "words of a childlike mind" can be called "Zi" Wen".The pleasure of "Zi Wen" points on the one hand to the pleasure of the senses and spiritual comfort,and on the other hand to the concern for reality in the "Youxi Sanmei"(游戏三昧),highlighting the childlike mind’s affirmation of natural sensuality.On the aesthetic origins,Li Zhi draws on Buddhist thought to explore the origins of the six arts of ritual and music,using the "Ju Yan"(具眼)as the eye of the childlike mind.Through the contemplation of the meaning of death,Li Zhi asks the ultimate question of the true nature of existence.The "Ju Yan" refers to the way of seeing with ultimate insight,that is,the view of the childlike mind,which is able to transcend the "good-looking" form and reach the true realm of the origin.In contrast to the traditional quiet view,the "Ju Yan",influenced by Study on the Mind and Zen Buddhism,is an intimate look at the world,revealing a lively and joyful way of the childlike mind’s viewing.On the issue of the origin of art,Li Zhi proposes that the Six Arts of the Zhou Dynasty were the skills of the ancient people for a better life,and people thus developed a "Le Xin"(乐心).Li Zhi eliminates the institutional and ritualistic elements of the Six Arts and emphasizes the natural sensuality of them.In the discussion of death,Li Zhi interprets the nobility of "a man who dies for the bosom friend".In terms of the spirit of the subject,the aesthetic concept of the childlike mind advocates"no indignation,no creating".The concept of "no indignation,no creating" refers to the process of conflicting encounters between the creative subject and the outside world,in which the will to live is suppressed and the original emotional power explodes,thus creating the "Zi Wen" of the childlike mind.The "no indignation,no creating" view of creation criticizes the monolithic emotional model of the aesthetics of the last stream of the Confucian school of the Song and Ming Dynasties,which is "not daring to complain",and emphasizes the majestic power of natural sensuality.Under the influence of the spirit of the "no indignation,no creating",the multi-dimensional emotions of "anger","rage","grievance" and "mourning",which overflowed from the traditional Confucian view of poetry,became typical themes in the late Ming literati’s exploration of the natural sincerity of writing.From the perspective of the ideal aesthetic realm,the aesthetic concept of the childlike mind pursues the realm of "Hua Gong"(化工).In the field of literary criticism,"Hua Gong"mainly refers to the natural way of conveying the true feelings of nature,while in the field of philosophical aesthetics,"Hua Gong" does not only refer to artistic expression or emotional expression,but also points to a natural spiritual realm.One cannot grasp this spiritual realm through language and logic,but can only suspend all worldly opinions through the sense of a childlike mind,thus achieving the spiritual realm of "Hua Gong".Li Zhi often uses natural imagery such as "Distant Seas" as a metaphor to describe the spiritual realm of "Hua Gong"reverting to simplicity;in contrast to the vast and far-reaching natural imagery,Li Zhi also often uses "nest" as a metaphor for the confinement of the childlike mind by culture.This aesthetic thought precisely exposes the false relationship between the culture of the last stream of the Confucian school of the Song and Ming Dynasties and nature,and at the same time expresses Li Zhi’s pursuit of the natural realm of "Hua Gong" outside the system of human culture.From the perspective of aesthetic criticism,Li Zhi’s operas,novels and historical criticism present childlike mind’s interest.By supporting to the love between a man and a woman in The Western Chamber,the "Thesis of the Childlike Mind" presents a new perspective that differs from the Longdong Shanong’s view of the childlike mind.Li Zhi appreciates the subtle expressions of private love in opera and reflects on the grand expressions of emotion under the ideology of the official school by drawing on the natural sensibility of the childlike mind.In the criticism of Water Margin,Li Zhi mostly uses the criticism of "like painting",stressing the quality of form and charm in the present natural state,linking the commonality of two different forms of art,literature and painting,in conveying the charm,presenting the "Zi Wen" aesthetic interest of the childlike mind.In the historical criticism,the aesthetic concept of the childlike mind is based on the principle of respecting individuality and the situation of the time,in order to criticize the rigid discourse of authority under the Confucian school of the Song and Ming Dynasties’ view of history.The aesthetic concept of the childlike mind has certain inspirational implications for contemporary aesthetic issues in China,mainly in the following five areas:the bodily dimension of the childlike mind and its theoretical inspiration for the aesthetics of the body,Li Zhi’s view of "everyone has the same mind" and its implications for contemporary aesthetic concept under multiple value judgments,the commonality between the spirit of"self-explanation" of the childlike mind and the aesthetics of contemporary hermeneutics,inspiration for contemporary aesthetic education research from an aesthetic educational view of childlike mind,the implications of the aesthetic concept of the childlike mind for the research on the aesthetics of creating life.By collating all of Li Zhi’s treatises,this paper attempts to explore the philosophical foundations,aesthetic pursuits,aesthetic origins,the spirit of the subject,the ideal realm,and cultural criticisms in the aesthetic thought of childlike mind,in an attempt to present the overall thinking and inner aesthetic logic of the aesthetic concept of the childlike mind,and to closely link the aesthetic concept of the childlike mind with the aesthetic problems and needs of contemporary China.