以心观心:中国传统道德教育思想的内在理路

中国“修身”的道德教育思想有注重外在规范与行为养成的传统,同时内在蕴含“修心”的思路。中国文化中的“心”概念与西方哲学对认知与理性的强调相对,表现出明显的情感取向,是人之为人的本质所在。心作为内在意义世界,标画出人的道德意义系统,该意义世界和意义系统具有在世品格与开放自主性。从这一心概念出发,中国传统道德教育思想的内在理路可以被概括为“以心观心”。“以心观心”的内在理路是:首先引导人从心的角度观照道心和他心,从而进入道德意义系统;以前者为前提,指引人从我心走向道心和他心,并在这一行动过程中进一步体认道德意义,如此循环往复,不断充实意义世界,共创和谐美善的人间。

Intuiting Xin with Xin:an Approach of the Chinese Traditional Moral Education Thought

There are two directions in Chinese traditional moral education.One is the“body-cultivation”,which focuses on the external behavior;the other is the“Xin-cultivation”,which cares about the humane inside conditions.The concept of“Xin”(Xin entails a holistic integration of mind,heart,and body in the Western sense)in Chinese ancient philosophy embodies the obvious emotional orientation as well as the cognition and reason.Contrasting to the western discourse,the emotion orientation is taken as the essence of human being.Actually,Xin refers to the whole intrinsic world of meaning including moral sense.Xin means the inside space of existing,dwelling in the world which is open and autonomous.Based on the concept of Chinese Xin,it argues that“Intuiting Xin with Xin”could be the good summary of Chinese traditional moral education.The Intrinsic Train of“Intuiting Xin with Xin”:the first step is to enter into the moral meaning space through intuiting both“Dao Xin”and“Ta’Xin”.On the premise of the former,the second step is to enrich the meaning world and to create a harmonious and good world with others together through continual actions accessing to“Dao Xin”and“Ta’Xin”.