论陶渊明的生命之思——以《形影神》为核心的分析

On Tao Yuanming’s Reflections on Life—An Analysis Centered on Form, Shadow and Spirit

摘要: 《形影神》是中国文学史上以诗的形式探讨生命哲思的文本。陶渊明通过“形”“影”“神”三个艺术形象的对话，分别代表了及时行乐、立善留名与“委运任化”的三种生存立场。在这三种生存立场的互动之中，陶渊明最终勘破了“形”“影”追求之虚幻，通达了“神”之“委运任化”的生命境界，将个体的有限性消融于宇宙的大化流行之中，以此克服了死亡的焦虑，获得了生命的从容与自主。陶渊明的生命之思并非一种玄思空谈，而是根植于他的生存实践，其可为现代人在虚无中寻求意义提供精神指引。

Abstract: Form, Shadow and Spirit is a text in the history of Chinese literature that explores the philosophy of life in the form of poetry. Through the dialogue among the three artistic figures of “form”, “shadow” and “spirit”, Tao Yuanming respectively represents the three survival stances of carpe diem, the pursuit of fame through virtue and yielding to the course of nature. In the interaction among these three survival stances, Tao Yuanming eventually discerned the illusory nature of the pursuits of “form” and “shadow”, and reached the life realm of yielding to the course of nature represented by “spirit”, dissolving the individual’s finiteness into the universal flow of nature, thereby overcoming the anxiety of death and attaining a state of composure and autonomy in life. Tao Yuanming’s contemplation on life is not an abstract and empty speculation, but is rooted in his own survival practice, which can provide spiritual guidance for modern people seeking meaning in the face of nihilism.