《近思錄》修己存養要義之探究

Exploring the Main Meaning of Self-Practicing and Keeping Accomplishments in Collected Essays of Meditation

《近思錄》是一本修己存養的好書，雖是好書，其中滋味仍須細細品量，如能把其中的滋味往自己身上推求，就能從孳孳語句中找到聖賢的關切與慧識。其實聖賢的教人都是從近處著眼，從近處推到遠處，或者順淺處推向深處，終極都在以「至善」作為理想的境界。從書的內容說，雖不出周、張、二程之話，偏重的仍是二程之說法，這因朱子推崇的仍是程顥、程頤二先生，明白地說，二程影響朱子最是深刻。而二程《易傳》所示的卦象，又常成各章各節段落的主體，因此，要瞭解《近思錄》，研讀《易傳》不失很好的方法；換句話說，如果能拿《易》的原書，配合二程《易傳》處，人生情境就會因此提昇。總之，《近思錄》所輯，雖然是語錄的掇拾，但諸篇裒集，都能顯見聖賢明德親民的旨要和梗概，順著旨要、梗概依章依節細細思量，並且參酌《論》、《孟》、《學》、《庸》所載遵行實踐，人的道德修養就能日日進步、日日沉篤。

Collected Essays of Meditation is a good book for self-practicing and keeping accomplishments. Although it is a good book, its contents still need to be tasted and digested slowly. If we can make requests from ourselves after tasting the contents of the book, we can find the concerns and wisdom of the sages from the words and sentences of the book. In fact the teachings of the sages are for the nearest places, from where the teachings extend to the farther places. Or, they are pushed from the simple part to the hard part. Ultimately, “perfection” is taken as the ideal realm.Although the contents of the book were merely the words of Zhou Dun-Yi, Zhang Zai, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, they mainly stressed the sayings of the two Cheng’s. This was because Zhu Xi still mainly praised the sayings of Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi. Frankly speaking, Zhu Xi was most deeply influenced by the two Cheng’s. The gua phenomenon shown in Yi Zhuan by the two Cheng’s had always become the main theme in the various chapters, sections and paragraphs. Therefore, to understand Collected Essays of Meditation, reading Yi Zhuan first is always a very good way. In other words, if we work hard to practice the principles in the original book of Yi and the reasons of Yi Zhuan by the two Cheng’s, the situations of our lives will be improved.After all, although the sayings collected in Collected Essays of Meditation are only part of the sayings of the sages, we can clearly see the objectives and summarized sayings of these sages, as well as their moral practices and kindness to people. After people have thought carefully the objectives and summarized sayings of these sages section by section and chapter by chapter, and practiced according to the contents written in Lun Yu, Mengzi, Da Xue and Zhong Yong, the moral accomplishments of people can be improved and rooted day after day.