남당 한원진의 『중용』관과 인성론적 근거

Abstract

In this paper the author observes Nam Dang Han Won Jin’s view of “Doctrine of the Mean” and basis of human nature theory. Han Won Jin states that the “Doctrine of the Mean” as a whole is a complete work without any logical inconsistence, and clarifies the importance of this work as a book showing the way to distinguish the Confucianism from heretical theories. Nam Dang finds the method for interpreting the “Doctrine of the Mean” in phrases written in the Preamble (of Zhu Xi): ‘each part is divided and each word is untangled (支分節解)’, ‘all contexts are colluded with each other (脈絡貫通)’, ‘the detailed and the simple originate from each other (詳略相因)’, ‘the large and the fine are both raised (巨細畢擧)’. He calls the first and second the method of ‘dividing to understand (分看)’, and the third and the fourth the method of ‘uniting to understand (合看)’. He uses the method of ‘dividing to understand’ to arrange in general the book in 5 parts namely ‘general thesis (head chapter)’ - explanation (chapter 2 to chapter 20) - returning thesis (chapter 21) - exposition (chapter 22 to chapter 33) - the last explanation (chapter 33). With the method of ‘uniting to understand’, he regards the work as being consistent with the Way, also called the Heaven’s principle. In Nam Dang’s viewpoint, since the Ether which produces the form (of things) is not similar and also the endowed Principle is different, the characters of human and other things are varied; the distinction between human and other things can be seen at their innate Ether – straight or partial, penetrative or blocked (正偏․通塞). Human receives the straight and penetrative Ether, and other things in the world receive the partial and blocked one. From this aspect, it can be said that Nam Dang’s theory of the difference between human and things, as well as his view on the right and state of human, are obviously asserted. Nam Dang thinks that in the pre-activation state, there is the consciousness whose empty and divine form is preserved, in that state the dark innate Ether which is confusing between clear and dirty, pure and impure characters is not revealed to be the good or the bad, and the good or the bad exists as the potentiality; in the activation state, that Ether starts to act and the good and the bad come into view. Thus in his opinion, the purely good, stainless and empty side and the side of the Ether which is confusing between the good and the bad inhere at the same time in the mind. Nam Dang thinks that if we consider only from the aspect of human mind, then the minds of the sages and ones of the ordinary people are the same, but from the aspect of innate Ether, we can see that due to it, the minds of the sages and ones of the ordinary people are different. He affirms that the difference between the minds of the sages and ones of the ordinary people is originated from the innate Ether.