莊子身體觀──論逍遙的實踐基礎

Abstract

本文以身體為切入點，旨在探討人在世俗中而能出世俗的逍遙之道。以世俗逍遙為關懷，本文因此以關係性身體為討論重點。關係性身體，指的是「在關係中存在」之身。世俗逍遙，指的是人能遊刃有餘的與人互動，並透過與人互動而實踐自身的逍遙。本文按「身體」與「逍遙」這兩個主題，分成兩個部份來進行論述：第一部份循莊書中與身體相關的論述，彰顯身體活動所體現的創造性與適應性；接著，本文就有成心者與體道者的「活動幅度」進行比較，並透過應用心理學提出的「高能量姿勢」，來探究實踐逍遙之道的具體策略。在以「身體」為題的這部份，本文循莊子對於「成心」的批判來探討修身之道，旨在發掘莊子「應於化而解於物」的實踐方法。 承接第一部份所闡明的身體意義，第二部份主要循環境心理學所提出的人與環境的「互動意義」而言逍遙，即每一個人具體的透過與人互動而開發出來的逍遙之道。本文發現，體道者的身體意義，體現於與人互動之中。人無成心則能發揮己身的創造性與適應性，一方面得以與世俗處，另一方面得以創造意義：即在己身所處的世俗脈絡中實踐逍遙。

The purpose of this dissertation is to explain xiaoyao within a social context by inquiring into the meaning of the body in the Zhuangzi. In view of a social reading of xiaoyao, the focal point of my discussion will be the relational aspect of the body, that is, the body as existing in a framework of relations. I argue that the value of xiaoyao is attained upon smoothly interacting with others in a social context. I have organized my exploration into two major sections: Part 1 “Body” (chapters 2-4) and Part 2 “Xiaoyao” (chapters 5-6). Part 1 starts with an interpretation of the meaning of the body in the Zhuangzi, leading up to a demonstration of the creativity and adaptability of bodily movement. The final chapter of Part 1 draws on applied psychology to probe the bodily roots of attaining xiaoyao: the connection of ‘high power posture’ and the amplitudinal quality of a person who has attained Dao (vs. the amplitudinal quality of a person restricted by chengxin). Part 1 argues that the critique of chengxin is pivotal in the Zhuangzi, and explores the praxis of interacting smoothly with others. Part 2 introduces the idea of ‘affordance’—an idea from environmental psychology that emphasizes the importance of the relationship between a human being and the environment—to expound the social reading of xiaoyao. My conclusion is that a person without chengxin creatively embodies xiaoyao through his adaptive interaction with others in a social context.