中庸：致中和 The Doctrine of the Mean: Full Attainment of Equilibrium

对华人而言，学习一门艺术最重要的就是要参与传统，艺术家要在吸取丰厚的传统养分与同时真实地据为己有之间找到适当的平衡点。如果一个人走极端，就是说极端个人主义或者极端遵照传统，那就会影响到获取艺术情感、做人与增强技术中的好料。

从在不断临摹大师作品就是一个例子。

从一方面来看，单是模仿古代大师其实可能把我们拒绝在传统生活之外，而不能获取传统所能给予我们的养分。如果所学到的技巧只限于模仿，我们就不能探索到审美表情里的欢愉与失意感。

另一方面，极端个人主义忽略了艺术与继承传统的紧密关系。和过分的遵照传统一样，过分的个人主义限制了一个人对培养内心修养的成功。

所以，艺术家如果能避免极端，他的能力与修养就能得到无限增强。儒家经典《中庸》就有说，‘喜、怒、哀、乐之未发，谓之中。发而皆中节，谓之和。中也者，天下之大本也。和也者，天下之达道也。致中和，天地位焉，万物育焉。’

意思就是说，个人与传统之间的平衡对艺术家的成就很重要，它也提醒我们，艺术的本来就是人道主义的。

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For Chinese, one of the most important aspects of taking up art is participating in a tradition, and artist must strike an appropriate balance between simultaneously drawing upon the richness of the tradition and finding a way to appropriate it authentically. If one leans towards an extreme, whether extreme individualism or extreme conformity, then the goods of artistic expression, person-making, and increase of skill will be affected.

A case in point is the practice of repetitiously copy the work of past masters.

On the one hand, merely imitating the past master could mean actually keep one from living the tradition and actualising the goods that it offers. One will not discover the joys and frustrations of aesthetic expression if the skill involved is limited to that of mimicry.

On the other hand, extreme individualism ignores the relationships that are integral to the continuation of the tradition. As with excessive conformity, excessive individualism limits one’s success to a practice’s internal goods.

Hence, artistic ability and personal refinement are maximised by avoiding these extremes. The classical Confucian text ‘The Doctrine of the Mean’ states, ‘Before the feelings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy are established, there is equilibrium (zhong: the mean, the centre). The establishment of these feelings in proper measure of each and proper rhythm for all is called harmony (he). This equilibrium is the greatest source of the world; this harmony is the world's universal Way (Dao). With the full attainment of equilibrium and harmony comes the proper ordering of heaven and earth and the nourishment of all things.’

The claim is that striking a balance between individual and tradition is essential for flourishing artists and further reminds us that arts serve primarily humanitarian ends.