柳宗元的墨学观

唐代思想解放,诸子学说重兴,沉寂多年的墨学亦受到重视,唐中期韩愈、柳宗元等都对墨学做过研究。柳宗元曾辩墨、佛之优劣,提出“墨不如佛”,又曾就墨学流传加以研究。柳宗元“儒佛同道”、“墨不如佛”诸论的出现,既受孟子以来“尊儒辟墨”的儒家学术传统的影响,又与彼时儒释道三教合一的学术背景相关联。

Liu Zongyuan and Mohism

Tang dynasty saw ideological emancipation and resuscitation of the various schools of thought put forward by the exponents during the period from pre-Qin times to the early years of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Mohism, which had long been neglected, began to regain attention. In the mid-Tang dynasty, Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and some other scholars did some research in Mohism. Liu Zongyuan attempted to identify the advantages and disadvantages of Mohism and Buddhism, and pointed out that ‘Mohism is inferior to Buddhism’. He also did some research in the spreading and development of Mohism. The appearance of Liu Zongyuan's ideas that ‘Confucianism is in conformity with Buddhism’ and that ‘Mohism is inferior to Buddhism’ is influenced by the Confucian academic traditions that proposed ‘respecting Confucianism and refuting Mohism’ and is closely associated with the academic background characterized by the trinity of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.