| The "Explanations and Annotations on Laozi" is an important document by Wang Pang on the study of Laozi’s philosophy and a crucial component of Song dynasty’s Laozi’s academic research.In this work,Wang Pang analyses Laozi and his writings from a unique perspective.He strives to elucidate Laozi’s original intent and synthesizes Confucian,Yi Zhuan,Zhuangzi,and Buddhist thoughts to form his commentary.This article delves into the text of the "Explanations and Annotations on Laozi" and analyzes and discusses Wang Pang’s interpretation of Laozi’s thoughts on Dao,theory of renaturation,the concept of non-self,and views on life and death.Chapter One discusses Wang Pang’s life,works and ideological tendency.It begins with an anecdote from Wang Pang’s childhood and explores his rich life experiences in the context of the reforms under Wang Anshi,and describes people’s evaluation of Wang Pang after his death.Chapter Two analyzes the "Explanations and Annotations on Laozi" from the perspective of interpreting Laozi through Confucianism.He proposes the idea of "Confucius and Laozi as the beginning and end," and transforms Laozi’s concept of non-action into a non-action doctrine with action.Chapter Three analyzes Wang Pang’s interpretation of Laozi through the lens of Yi Zhuan.Wang Pang used the thought of "One Yin and one Yang is called Tao" in the Confucian classic Yi Zhuan to reform Laozi’s Tao theory,and also used the thought of "expending reason to the point of death" to reform Laozi’s revenge theory.Chapter Four analyzes the interpretive characteristics of Wang Pang’s "Explanations and Annotations on Laozi" using a "Zhuangzi" approach to interpreting Laozi.Wang Pang used concepts and language from Zhuangzi’s text to mutually validate and explain Laozi’s ideas,and referenced texts like "De Chongfu" and "Yangsheng Zhu" to explain Laozi’s views on the body and death.Chapter Five analyzes Wang Pang’s interpretive approach of "Explanations and Annotations on Laozi".Wang Pang used Buddhist theories on emptiness to explain Laozi’s concepts of "being" and "non-being".He also drew on Buddhist theories of mind and nature to explain Laozi’s ideas on the nature of the self.In conclusion,Wang Pang’s based on the goal of restoring Confucianism by Confucians in Song Dynasty,he penetrates with Buddhist thoughts,and cross-references with Zhuang Zi,which comes from the same lineage of Taoism.He successfully integrated the thoughts of Confucianism,Taoism and Buddhism,which provided a new perspective for later generations to annotate Lao Zi and enriched the ideological connotation of Lao Zi’s philosophy. |
