본 논문은 장자 철학의 계기를 보다 정확하게 드러낼 목적으로, 「양생주」의 우화･논설을 고찰하고 그것이 갖는 함의를 새롭게 밝혔다. 일견 산만하게 보이는 「양생주」는 내적으로는 세심하게 배치된 6개장으로 구성되었으며, 외적으로는 『장자』 내편의 다른 장들과 긴밀히 조응하고 있다. 그리고 이러한 사실은 「양생주」에서의 ‘양생’이 ‘정신적 자유’ 즉 ‘소요유’의 경지에 이르기 위하여 인간사의 근원적인 우환들을 해결하는 것임을 함의한다.
「양생주」에서 ‘양생’이라는 용어 하에 포괄하고 있는 것은, 인간의 삶에서 보편적으로 등장하는 세 가지의 보편적이고 근원적인 우환 즉 ‘신체적 불완전에 대한 우환, 사회에서 쓰이지 못함에 대한 우환, 삶의 소멸로서의 죽음에 대한 우환’의 해결이다. 「양생주」의 ‘우사의 외발 우화, 새장 속의 꿩 우화, 노담의 장례 우화’가 각각 이를 다루고 있다.
「양생주」에서 제기한 이 세 가지 우환들은 바로 뒤의 세 편 즉 「덕충부」⋅「인간세」⋅「대종사」에서 각각 집중적으로 다루어진다. 여기서 장자는 ‘신체적 불완전, 쓰이지 못함 및 죽음’을 긍정적으로 그림으로써 인간들의 통념을 전복시키고 있다. 이는 결국 이러한 통념들이 얼마나 근거 없고 허약한 것인가를 통렬히 드러냄으로써 종국에는 ‘제물’적 인식과 무기(无己)를 유도하는 것이다. 제물(齊物)적 인식과 무기에 이른다면 슬픔과 기쁨이 깃들 수가 없다. 이것이 바로 현해(懸解)이고 ‘소요유’의 경지이다.
이렇게 본다면 『장자』 내편에서 핵심에 해당하는 「소요유」⋅「제물론」 뒤에 「양생주」를 둔 것은, 소요유의 경지에 이르기 위하여 해결되어야하는 인간사의 근본적인 문제들이 무엇인가를 총체적으로 제시하고, 이 문제들을 해결하는 것이 바로 진정한 양생임을 말하고자 한 것이라 할 수 있다. 「양생주」는 인간사 문제의 총론격이고 뒤의 「인간세」⋅「덕충부」⋅「대종사」는 이의 각론에 해당한다 하겠다.
This paper, to make clear Zuangzi’s philosophy, has investigated the fables in 'Chap. three: The Primacy of Nourishing Life養生主' in depth, discovered newly the implied meaning behind the fables in it. Although the fables seem discursive at first, this chapter is internally composed of 6 chapters meticulously arranged together, and externally corresponds intimately with other chapters in Zuangzi. Furthermore, this fact implies that Nourishing Life養生 in this chapter means to solve the fundamental anxieties of mankind to attain ‘freedom of mind’, in other words ‘Wandering Far and Unfettered逍遙遊’. In this chapter, the word ‘Nourishing Life’ embraces the meaning of solution for the three universal and fundamental anxieties that appear in our lives, namely, the solution for anxiety ‘from physical imperfection, from not being used in society, and from death as ceasing to exist.’ The fables of ‘Commander of the Right右師’s one leg, the pheasant in the cage, and Laodan老聃’s funeral’ deal with each of these issues. The three anxieties dealt with in this chapter are intensively examined respectively in the next three chapters[Chap. five: Makers of Full Virtuosity德充符, Chap. four: In the Human World人間世, and Chap. six: The Great Source as Teacher大宗師]. Here Zuangzi breaks away the social convention by depicting ‘physical imperfection, uselessness, and death’ as positive. This shows how groundless and weak these social conventions are and eventually induces Equalizing Assessment of Things齊物 and having no fixed identity无己. When one reaches these stage, sadness and joy cannot be dwelled upon. This is Liberation from the dangle縣解 and the stage of Wandering Far and Unfettered逍遙遊’. From this perspective, the reason for placing 'Chap. three: The Primacy of Nourishing Life' after 2 core chapters in Zuangzi, namely, Chap. one: Wandering Far and Unfettered逍遙遊 and Chap. two: Equalizing Assessment of Things齊物論, is to present the fundamental problems of mankind that must be solved to reach the stage of Wandering Far and Unfettered’, and to point out that solving these problems will bring true Nourishing Life. Chap. three: The Primacy of Nourishing Life is the introduction to the issues of mankind and the following 'Chap. four: In the Human World, Chap. five: Makers of Full Virtuosity and Chap. six: The Great Source as Teacher' are the details of these issues.
This paper, to make clear Zuangzi’s philosophy, has investigated the fables in 'Chap. three: The Primacy of Nourishing Life養生主' in depth, discovered newly the implied meaning behind the fables in it. Although the fables seem discursive at first, this chapter is internally composed of 6 chapters meticulously arranged together, and externally corresponds intimately with other chapters in Zuangzi. Furthermore, this fact implies that Nourishing Life養生 in this chapter means to solve the fundamental anxieties of mankind to attain ‘freedom of mind’, in other words ‘Wandering Far and Unfettered逍遙遊’. In this chapter, the word ‘Nourishing Life’ embraces the meaning of solution for the three universal and fundamental anxieties that appear in our lives, namely, the solution for anxiety ‘from physical imperfection, from not being used in society, and from death as ceasing to exist.’ The fables of ‘Commander of the Right右師’s one leg, the pheasant in the cage, and Laodan老聃’s funeral’ deal with each of these issues. The three anxieties dealt with in this chapter are intensively examined respectively in the next three chapters[Chap. five: Makers of Full Virtuosity德充符, Chap. four: In the Human World人間世, and Chap. six: The Great Source as Teacher大宗師]. Here Zuangzi breaks away the social convention by depicting ‘physical imperfection, uselessness, and death’ as positive. This shows how groundless and weak these social conventions are and eventually induces Equalizing Assessment of Things齊物 and having no fixed identity无己. When one reaches these stage, sadness and joy cannot be dwelled upon. This is Liberation from the dangle縣解 and the stage of Wandering Far and Unfettered逍遙遊’. From this perspective, the reason for placing 'Chap. three: The Primacy of Nourishing Life' after 2 core chapters in Zuangzi, namely, Chap. one: Wandering Far and Unfettered逍遙遊 and Chap. two: Equalizing Assessment of Things齊物論, is to present the fundamental problems of mankind that must be solved to reach the stage of Wandering Far and Unfettered’, and to point out that solving these problems will bring true Nourishing Life. Chap. three: The Primacy of Nourishing Life is the introduction to the issues of mankind and the following 'Chap. four: In the Human World, Chap. five: Makers of Full Virtuosity and Chap. six: The Great Source as Teacher' are the details of these issues.
