| 摘要: | 歐陽南野是明中葉的心學家，本文採取生命史的研究法，藉由認識南野的生命實踐，來釐清其心學思想的要旨。歐陽南野極年輕的時候就對生命產生真實的困惑，因為尋覓自家的生命意義，兩度不去考進士，並成為王陽明青睞與授記的弟子。後來考上進士在六安州任職，對心學體證與生命實踐間的落差產生具體的問題，通過與陽明四封書信的來往，而釐清四個觀念：其一，良知雖然不依賴著日常生活經驗，然而日常生活經驗產生的見聞，同樣能成為良知的發作；其二，良知並不是思慮，但良知發出的思慮，其內容莫不與天理相應，而有「自然，明白，簡易」的特點，這種良知發出的思慮稱作「體認」；其三，平治社會與心性涵養不能被當作兩件事情，人應該竭盡其能去面對無限複雜的應酬交際，不論肉體與心理如何痛苦，絕不間斷對良知的體證，這纔能稱作致良知；其四，致良知會產生對人情事理的預先警覺，然而做事情的過程裡並不需要特意揣測他人的機詐與失信，誠意自會使得良知擴充出明白，如同明鏡高懸般，世間萬物呈現其面前，都無法隱藏其善惡美醜。歐陽南野把握住這四個觀念從事生命實踐，在陽明過世後，他成為傳播心學的中堅。南野來到中央擔任公職，卻發現整個政治氛圍很不利於心學，他索性杜絕交際應酬，埋首在典籍的閱讀裡，使得他熟稔明朝的禮儀規章，並將心學的內涵放到禮學裡。這反而讓他幾度面對明世宗失禮的舉措能做出督責與制衡，並且獲得明世宗的信任，負責禮儀的相關工作、糾正各類背禮的情事，而逐漸改變心學受排擠的政治處境。因為他在兩京（北京與南京）都曾擔任中央教育工作，其門生遍布大半個中國，並與心學同志共同在北京的靈濟宮舉辦講會，參與者有五千人，使得北京討論良知的風潮大盛。在中央長年的實際歷練，使南野凝聚出自己的思想要旨，他主張「循良知」，其實質內涵就是強調「慎其獨知」，意指人應該對自身坦然地揭露，毫髮不能自欺；全部的動靜舉止，都只是在面對人自身的意識，人得在意識層面琢磨得清澈坦然，就能讓良知晶瑩光潔，行事無不順利，意即「事上磨鍊」最終只是「意上磨鍊」。歐陽南野覺得生命不能捨棄人間而獲得解脫，人對自家生命的淨化與拔高有著無可逃離的根本責任，這是他呈露的生命意義。
Ouyang Nan-ye was a philosopher of nouslogy during the mid-Ming dynasty. This paper uses a approach of life history, by looking at how Ouyang practiced his thought in life to analyze the essense of his nouslogy. Ouyang became genuinely perplexed with life at a very young age, twice choosing not to take the imperial examination in his search for the life meaning, and becoming one of Wang Yang-Ming’s favorite disciples. Later on he passed the imperial examination and served in Liuan, where he encountered substantial problems in the experience and practice of nouslogy; in four letters with Wang he clarified four main concepts: first, that one’s conscience is not fully dependent on what one experiences in life, but life experiences can nevertheless become an inspiration for one’s conscience; second, that conscience is not the same with contemplation, but all thoughts contemplated out of conscience correspond to Heaven’s truths, sharing the same characteristics of being “natural, clear, and simple”, and as such are called “realizations”; third, that life in society and one’s inner nurturing should not be treated separately, and one should face all the complexities of social life regardless of physical or mental discomfort to ceaselessly experience the unfolding of conscience, which is the only path to the realization of conscience; fourth, that the realization of conscience will summon advance premonitions in the dealings with others in daily life, yet one need not presuppose fraudulent or untruthful attitudes in conducting one’s actions, since sincerity will naturally bring out the innate good, which functions like a omniscient mirror beholding all the beauty and ugliness of the world.Ouyang Nan-ye practiced these four concepts in his life, and became a leading figure in nouslogy after Wang’s death. When Ouyang entered service in the central government, he found that the political environment was a hindrance to the development of nouslogy, and as a result renounced social activities to immerse himself in his books. Through his extensive reading, he became immensely acquainted with the official protocols and rites of the Ming court, and in infusing the essence of nouslogy into study of rituals, he countered the impropriety of the Jiajing Emperor on several occasions, thus gaining the trust of the emperor in taking on the protocols and rites of the court. By correcting what was improper at the court, Ouyang managed to reverse the rejection of nouslogy in his political environment. Since he was in charge of education in the central government at both Beijing and Nanjing, his disciples were spread across China, and a seminar held at Beijing’s Lingji Palace with other nouslogy comrades attracted five thousand participants, making the topic of conscience highly discussed in Beijing. In his many years serving in the central government, Ouyang brought his own realizations in thought into his principle of “following conscience”, the essence of which is to be completely truthful to oneself: one’s actions are merely how one faces his own consciousness, and as long as one has a clean and polished consciousness, conscience will also shine brightly to facilitate all actions in life; consequently, all training of matters are ultimately attributed to training of sciousness. Ouyang believed that one could not find salvation by renouncing the world, as everyone holds fundamental responsibility for the purification and elevation of his own life, in which lies his own life meaning. |
