禪宗與《莊子》修證工夫的交涉與會通——以「象罔得珠」寓言為探究中心

Chan Buddhism and the Zhuangzi on Cultivational Practice: The Parable of“Xiangwang Obtaining the Pearl”

本文藉由分析「象罔得珠」寓言，釐清禪宗如何接受進而解構《莊子》思想以開顯自身的修證觀。《莊子》一書對漢傳佛教思想發展關係深遠，因應自身和時代環境的思想演變，而為「以莊解佛」乃至於「以佛解莊、以禪解莊」詮釋表現，反映佛教、道家甚至於三教之間的交涉與會通，在莊禪合流的歷史趨勢中，呼應「禪法中國化」之完成樣貌。然作為明確可稽且流被深遠的詮釋傳統，並不能涵蓋莊、禪交涉乃至於合流的各個面向。一方面固因禪宗「不立文字」的語言表現使然，另一方面則基於彼此修證工夫歷程的分際。禪宗並不視《莊子》為異端外道，實則認同其有作為「化城」的意義。本文將這種會通方式權稱之為「援莊證禪」，並通過「象罔得珠」寓言進一步發掘，分析其在《莊子》中所表達的寓意為何？如何揭示工夫進路？禪宗如何將其消化、運用進而解構以開顯修證歷程？寓意內涵隱含在情節之中，更基於文化意象而反映所隱喻的思想。而由詮釋「罔象無心」而抑揚互見，可見禪宗所揭「悟後起修」的「翫珠」手段。依次由「象罔得珠在《莊子》中的工夫論義涵」、「寓言之情節和隱喻意象中所見的修證歷程」以及「禪宗對象罔得珠的運用及發揮」三部份探討。

This article examines the parable of“Xiangwang Obtaining the Pearl”(象罔得珠) in order to clarify how Chan Buddhism appropriated and deconstructed ideas from the Zhuangzi to articulate its own understanding of religious practice and realization. The Zhuangzi exerted a lasting influence on the formation of Chinese Buddhist thought, giving rise to various interpretive strategies, including interpreting Buddhism through Zhuangzi as well as interpreting Zhuangzi through Buddhism or Chan. These strategies reflect sustained interactions between Buddhism and Daoism and contributed to the historical convergence of Zhuangzi and Chan, a process closely associated with the sinicization of Chan Buddhism. As an identifiable and influential hermeneutical tradition, however, such approaches do not fully account for the complexity of the interaction between Zhuangzi and Chan. This limitation is due not only to Chan Buddhism’s emphasis on non-discursive expression, but also to the distinct orientations of their respective paths of cultivation. Chan Buddhism did not regard the Zhuangzi as a heterodox teaching; rather, it acknowledged its provisional value as a skillful means, comparable to a“conjured city”. This article provisionally characterizes this mode of convergence as“supporting Zhuangzi to authenticate Chan”(援莊證禪), and further examines it through a close analysis of the parable of“Xiangwang Obtaining the Pearl.”It analyzes the meaning articulated by the parable within the Zhuangzi, the way in which it discloses a path of practice, and the manner in which Chan Buddhism assimilated, appropriated, and ultimately deconstructed the parable in order to illuminate its own process of cultivation and realization. The parable’s significance is embedded in its narrative structure and is further articulated through culturally grounded imagery that conveys its underlying philosophical implications. Through interpretive tensions and shifts surrounding the notion of“non-intentionality,”the analysis reveals Chan Buddhism’s articulation of a mode of post-awakening cultivation, exemplified by the metaphor of“playing with the pearl.”Accordingly, this study proceeds in three parts: (1) the implications of practice articulated in the parable of“Xiangwang Obtaining the Pearl”within the Zhuangzi; (2) the process of cultivation and realization as revealed through the parable’s narrative and symbolic imagery; and (3) Chan Buddhism’s appropriation and further development of the parable.