The meaning of Upright Nature in Taoism 什么是正性

The meaning of Upright Nature in Taoism

(正性, "Zhen Xing") refers to the nature that all sentient beings are innately endowed with, that is, "dao-nature." Sui-Tang Taoist Chongxuan philosophy, influenced by Buddhist mind-nature theory, proposed that all sentient beings naturally possess a nature identical with the Dao-body, as the fundamental basis for their ability to cultivate the Dao and attain the Dao.

Benji Jing·Dao Xing Pin states that dao-nature and the nature of sentient beings are identical and not two. Daomen Jingfa Cixu states: "All sentient beings possess dao-nature." Daojiao Yishu·Dao Xing Yi, based on the view that dao-nature pervades all things, declared dao-nature as "the upright nature of all dharmas," holding that "the upright nature of all dharmas is neither existence nor non-existence, neither cause nor effect, neither form nor mind, neither attainment nor loss. One who can understand this nature attains the correct path. Natural true emptiness is precisely dao-nature."

The meaning of Upright Nature in Taoism

Wang Xuanlan's Xuanzhu Lu inherited previous dao-nature theories, proposing that dao-nature is the basis for sentient beings to cultivate the Dao and achieve the Dao. He believed that the nature of sentient beings and dao-nature are neither one nor different: "The upright nature of the human mind can respond to all dharmas, can generate all knowledge, can operate all functions, yet its nature has no increase or decrease." Also: "There are sentient beings within the Dao, and there is the Dao within sentient beings. Therefore sentient beings are not the Dao, but can cultivate and attain the Dao; therefore the Dao is not sentient beings, but can respond to sentient beings' cultivation." From this it can be known that "upright nature" is the innate nature endowed to sentient beings by the Dao and identical with the Dao-body.