The purpose of this dissertation is to explicate the theory of “Heaven” in the Inner Chapters of Zhuangzi. After investigating the two methods which elaborate on the subjective and objective aspects of Zhuangzi’s “Heaven”, we arrive at the conclusion that only when we explain the concept of “Heaven” from the perspective of “interaction between heaven and human” can we understand the theory of “Heaven” properly.

In Chapter 2, we introduce the “Spirit of Heaven and Earth”——an “ideal” which is worth pursuing for in Zhuangzi’s philosophy. It is epitomized in the concepts of “Heaven and Earth” and “Mundane World”. The “Heaven and Earth” has three meanings: embracing (Fu Zai), oneness (Yi Ti) and mandate (Zheng Ming) while the “Mundane World” can have the meanings of “discipline”, “e...[ Read more ]

The purpose of this dissertation is to explicate the theory of “Heaven” in the Inner Chapters of Zhuangzi. After investigating the two methods which elaborate on the subjective and objective aspects of Zhuangzi’s “Heaven”, we arrive at the conclusion that only when we explain the concept of “Heaven” from the perspective of “interaction between heaven and human” can we understand the theory of “Heaven” properly.

In Chapter 2, we introduce the “Spirit of Heaven and Earth”——an “ideal” which is worth pursuing for in Zhuangzi’s philosophy. It is epitomized in the concepts of “Heaven and Earth” and “Mundane World”. The “Heaven and Earth” has three meanings: embracing (Fu Zai), oneness (Yi Ti) and mandate (Zheng Ming) while the “Mundane World” can have the meanings of “discipline”, “equality”, and “non-action”. Based on the above analysis, we can see that the concept of “Heaven” is put forward to throw light on the meaning of “Spirit of Heaven and Earth”, which is the guiding principle to comprehend the meaning of life and actions of human beings. For that matter, Zhuangzi connects human with the “Spirit of Heaven and Earth” to illustrate the significance and value of human existence. Furthermore, when we put the ideal into practice, we have to interact and communicate with all things and people, in the process of which the idea of “Heaven and Human Cannot Overcome Each Other” should be kept in mind. In fact, this idea of “Heaven and Human Cannot Overcome Each Other” could be found in all the elucidation of “Heaven” in the Inner Chapters of Zhuangzi:

In Chapter 3, we concentrate on “Qi Wu Lun” to explain “Tian Lai” and a group of related concepts of “Heaven”. It is clarified that the authentic person, conforming with the nature of all things through which the world could demonstrate itself as one, not only know the world from the view of “Dao” but also respect and comply with every “right and wrong” which is formed in people’s minds. In this chapter, we point out that Zhuangzi discovers the “Spirit of the Heaven and Earth”——things are one as viewed from the “Dao”; at the same time, he considers it is essential to face the world with the attitude of being intimate to people, that is, to be one of them.

Then we examine the concept of “Heaven” in the other six chapters of the Inner Chapters and divide the contents into the “development” (of embracing, oneness and mandate) and “extensions” (of destiny and spontaneity) which are originated from the main concepts of “Heaven and Earth” and the “Mundane World”. We make an analysis of these concepts. A perfect spiritual state can be implied from this analysis, that is, attaining the “Spirit of Heaven and Earth” while dealing with things and people skillfully:

Firstly, the authentic person can go with the “Spirit of Heaven and Earth” in his or her inner heart and be in harmony with people in his or her external behaviors. In the “oneness” of “Heaven”, he or she can view life and death as one while following the etiquettes of the mundane world. Secondly, the authentic person can be a companion not only to heaven but also to human at the same time. For example, Zhuangzi advocates that people should not only be content with their destinies, but also wander in their destinies freely in terms of undertaking their responsibilities by interacting with others. For “spontaneity”, it is important for us to have the virtue of “spontaneity” and “non-action” as well as to act according to the “laws” of “heaven”. Once we reach such a perfect state, a harmonious relationship with all things will be established. When we have the virtue of “spontaneity” and “non-action” of “heaven”, we will win the wholehearted support of the people.

Moreover, the attitude of “not adhering to people and heaven” also runs through the meaning of “mandate”. We should try to get rid of wrong sensation and biased mind. Instead, we should settle ourselves whatever the situation is and conform with Li in practice. What is worth mentioning is that “settling” and “conforming” should not be adhered to. The discussion above constitutes the practical approaches of “attaining the Spirit of Heaven and Earth while dealing with things and people skillfully.”

In the last Chapter, we point out that the reason why Zhuangzi puts forward the concept of “Heaven” is to reveal the “Spirit of Heaven and Earth” which is the foundation to understand the meaning of life and the principle of behavior. At the same time, the realization of the ideal has a close connection with practice and interaction with all things and people. The authentic person can always keep the balance between “Heaven” and “Human”. In a word, the keynote of Zhuangzi’s argument is to make “Heaven” and “Human” be mutually reinforcing as two sides of the same coin. The idea of “interaction between heaven and human” is well versed in Zhuangzi’s perception of the three relationships——between things and things, people and people as well as people and themselves.

To sum up, this dissertation emphasizes the “interaction between heaven and human” and elucidates the spirit of “wandering alone with the spirit of heaven and earth without looking down upon all things” against the background of “Heaven and Human Cannot Overcome Each Other”.