| As the highest category of Taoism, the primitive entities and natural inaction of righteousness of "Tao" is later explained repeatedly. Through the political and history situation of the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, combined with the culture background of conflict and integration of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, we can see a thought line of the development from Metaphysics to the Duplicate Metaphysics in Chuang studies. Metaphysics in the Wei and Jin Dynasties is a philosophy of ontology. In the book Ben-xuan Theory, Xia HouXuan said:"The world runs naturally, and the Sage do things naturally. Nature is Tao."(Lieh Tzu-Zhong Ni) ’Tao" since then has contained the meaning of ontology. He Yan and Wang Bi clearly pointed out thereafter that, the Universe is originated from non-existence. They created the cosmic ontology, which became the general program of metaphysics. With Gui-wu School and Chong-you School identifying and debating the essence of "being" and "non-being", metaphysics experienced a complex logic evolution, there were no conclusion until Kuo Hsiang’s Individualization Theory appeared to make the theoretical integration between "being" and "non-being", also between "nature" and "the Confucian ethics". To the late development of metaphysics, Cheng Xuanying, who was deeply influenced by Taoism and Buddhism, further explained the Lao Tzu’s "Something Abstruse and Mysterious" and the realm of "xuan-ming", which had not been explicated by Kuo Hsiang. In Sub-commentary on Chuang Tzu, Cheng Xuanying constructed the theory of duplicate metaphysics, deepened and developed the Taoist philosophy as well.Kuo Hsiang’s Individualization Theory redefined the relationship of "being" and "non-being". In his opinion, "non-being" is not the basis of "being", but these two concepts are related. He believes that the universe is "self generate", which means everything comes very naturally with their uniqueness; the reason why things showing vastly different is that they were in relationship with other things and are instantly affecting each other and get themselves to change. Therefore "being" is not born from "non-being", and all things’ growth is natural. Cheng Xuanying’s ontological thinking reflected in Commentary on Tao Te Ching and Sub-commentary on Chuang Tzu. He used "Tao of chong-xuan" and "Law of Nature" to refer to the universe’s highest ontology "Tao"; used the realm of "chong-xuan" to describe the ideal mind state of the Void. Cheng believes that "Tao" is non substantiality, as he put it:"utmost emptiness" and "comprehensively overwhelming"; "Tao" is non-action, so it let all things be without intervention; "Tao" is independent, so that everything can be self-contained and grows naturally. Altogether, "Tao" is able to link up with all things, because it is both "being" and "non-being", but at the same time it is neither "being" nor "non-being". Only by completely expelling the bias of two and not falling on both sides, can people experience the harmony between nature and human beings, and finally attain the essence of "Tao".Kuo Hsiang’s theory is based on the disagreement between Wang Bi’s ontology of non-existence and Pei Wei’s ontology of existence. He mentioned "shuang-qian"-an important method of knowing the world, which means that in order to know real things, people should first of all expel "being" and "non-being", and then forget about the process. We could achieve the real understanding of the cognition object only by admitting the similarities between ourselves and other things. In Cheng Xuanying’s perspective, the objective facts have nothing about "being" or "non-being", just like "Tao" itself. There are so many different understandings of things because people have different angles of view. Both the ontology of non-existence and the ontology of existence are partial opinion and the Sage will not holding each of the ends. Cheng Xuanying went one step further to present the thinking method "san-jue", which is also called "chong-xuan". The paper has expounded the details of this method.Both Kuo Hsiang and Cheng Xuanying have inherited the thought of Taoist inaction. Kuo Hsiang considered the universe to emerge, grow and change naturally; the human mind can be independent and identical just like all kinds of things in the world. People will enter the realm of nature and freedom as long as they don’t force or control the nonego anymore both inside and outside their mind. Compared to Chuang Tzu’s Free and Unfettered Mental State, Kuo’s realm of "xuan-ming" has less meaning of detached from the world, because he aimed at achieving the pursuit of "internal saints and external kings". As for Cheng Xuanying’s "chong-xuan", it is both a cognitive method and an ultimate state of mind. He thought the essence of "Tao" is so limpid and complete that cannot be comprehended by intellectual activities. In his point of view, when people overlook "being" and "non-being" as well as the ego and nonego, and let everything happened in accordance with its natural tendency, meanwhile accepting frankly their position in life, they become the sage who enters the realm of "chong-xuan". |
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