明代皇帝的修省与罪己

明朝皇帝的修省活动较以往历代更为频繁,成化以后表现尤其明显,已经发展成为一种常规化的政策反思手段.皇帝修省包括因自然灾害或天象异常而进行的消极的应对式修省,以及日常化的、为主动求过进行的积极式修省,修省范围只限于干天合之事,并不为人事而举.当修省不足以显示反思之诚意时,即颁布罪己诏书,这是皇帝反思活动的极致表现.明朝皇帝的修省和罪己行为反映了儒家圣王之责任担当的意义,具有弥祸、祈庥的宗教意味,也是安抚臣民、调整政策的承诺.明朝皇帝和士大夫对待修省行为的态度体现出帝制体系内君主与士大夫政治角色、理念之间的契合之处.修省与罪己作为一种内在的反省机制,对君德、君责的履行提出了要求和保障,使君主之行为具有极限,但这种对君权的限制仍相当朦胧.

The Critical Meditation and Self-blaming Decrees of the Ming Emperors

The Ming emperors conducted critical meditation and issued self-blaming decrees more frequently than the emperors of the previous dynasties.Especially after Chenghua(1465-1488) period,it had become a routine method of policy introspection and adjustment.The direct reasons for holding critical meditation might be natural calamity,abnormal astronomical phenomena such passive things,or,even simply for active self-cultivation.In most cases,critical meditations were held for natural or astronomical events,rarely...