卓吾 李贄의 求道精神과 實踐工夫

Abstract

Thus far there have been two major tendencies of philosophical analysis and approaching methods to Lizhi’s study: the one is that Lizhi was a treacher who attacked Confucianism; the other is that Lizhi was an independent figure with unbound spirits who set free himself from the Neo-Confucianism formalities and restrictions. In this paper I will fathom the meanings of Lizhi’s spirit of seeking the truth and practical efforts to put his knowledge and faith in daily use being based on the above mentioned second tendency. The analysis will be focused on three elements: first, the germination of critical self-consciousness; second, seeking the real truth; third, self-awareness and practical effort. To achieve the goal, I will research Lizhi’s Fenshu first and then XuFenshu edited by one of his disciples whose name is Wang Ben-A, other related major academic materials including Chutanji, Zangshu, Lizhi Wenji. By doing this how Lizhi constructed his own world of seeking the truth will be revealed while he was threatened for his life and suffered from the contemporary harsh criticisms. This research will include how Lizhi strived for living up to his own knowledge and faith in practice. I hope that this paper will shed lights on the fact that Lizhi’s spirit of seeking the truth, on the one hand, is nothing but efforts to enhance every single human being’s personality and subjectivity, freedom and equality transcending pre-existed concepts, moral rights and wrongs, Neo-Confucianism restrictions and formalities. This paper will prove that his desperate practical efforts, on the other hand, were unprecedented, critical and something pursues humanness.