弘明集 1.5

1.5

牟子既修經傳諸子。書無大小靡不好之。雖不樂兵法。然猶讀焉。雖讀神仙不死之書。抑而不信。以為虛誕。是時靈帝崩後。天下擾亂。獨交州差安。北方異人咸來在焉。多為神仙辟穀長生之術。時人多有學者。牟子常以五經難之。道家術士莫敢對焉。比之於孟軻距楊朱墨翟。先是時牟子將母避世交趾。年二十六歸蒼梧娶妻。太守聞其守學。謁請署吏。時年方盛。志精於學。又見世亂。無仕𮃻意。竟遂不就。是時諸州郡相疑隔塞不通。太守以其博學多識。使致敬荊州。牟子以為榮爵易讓。使命難辭。遂嚴當行。會被州牧優文處士辟之。復稱疾不起。牧弟為豫章太守。為中郎將笮融所殺。時牧遣騎都尉劉彥。將兵赴之。恐外界相疑兵不得進。牧乃請牟子曰。弟為逆賊所害。骨肉之痛憤發肝心。當遣劉都尉行。恐外界疑難行人不通。君文武兼備有專對才。今欲相屈之。零陵桂陽假塗於通路何如。牟子曰。被秣服櫪見遇日久。列士忘身期必騁效。遂嚴當發。會其母卒亡遂不果行。久之退念。以辯達之故輒見使命。方世擾攘非顯己之秋也。乃歎曰。老子絕聖棄智。修身保真。萬物不干其志。天下不易其樂。天子不得臣。諸侯不得友。故可貴也。於是銳志於佛道。兼研老子五千文。含玄妙為酒漿。翫五經為琴簧。世俗之徒。多非之者。以為背五經而向異道。欲爭則非道。欲默則不能。遂以筆墨之間。略引聖賢之言證解之。名曰牟子理惑云。

Mouzi had already studied the Classics, the commentaries, and the various philosophers; among books, large or small, there were none he did not enjoy. Although he took no delight in the art of war, he still read it. Although he read books on divine immortals and deathlessness, he restrained himself and did not believe in them, regarding them as empty and fabricated. At that time, after Emperor Ling passed away, the realm was in turbulence and disorder. Only Jiaozhou was relatively peaceful, so extraordinary men from the north all came to reside there. Many practiced the techniques of divine immortals, grain-avoidance, and longevity. Many people of the time studied these, but Mouzi constantly used the Five Classics to refute them; none of the Daoist masters and sorcerers dared to respond to him. This was comparable to Meng Ke rebuffing Yang Zhu and Mo Di. Before this, Mouzi had taken his mother to escape the troubles of the world in Jiaozhi; at the age of twenty-six, he returned to Cangwu and took a wife. The grand administrator heard of his devotion to learning and came to visit, requesting to appoint him as an official. At that time he was in the prime of his years, his mind was devoted to learning, and seeing the world in chaos, he had no intention of entering officialdom; ultimately he did not take up the post. At that time, the various commanderies and provinces were suspicious of one another and cut off from communication. The grand administrator, on account of his broad learning and vast knowledge, dispatched him to pay respects in Jingzhou. Mouzi believed that while glory and noble rank were easy to decline, a diplomatic mission was difficult to refuse. Thereupon he prepared to set out. Just then, he received a commendatory summons from the provincial governor inviting him as a retired scholar; he again pleaded illness and did not rise [to the post]. The governor's younger brother was the Grand Administrator of Yuzhang and was killed by General of the Household Ze Rong. At that time, the governor sent Cavalry Commandant Liu Yan to lead troops to his aid, but he feared that the adjacent regions would be suspicious and the troops would not be able to advance. The governor then petitioned Mouzi, saying: 'My younger brother has been harmed by a rebellious traitor; the pain of blood relations stirs indignation in my heart. I must send Commandant Liu to go, but I fear that the adjacent regions will have doubts and travelers will not be permitted passage. You, sir, are equipped with both civil and military talents, and possess the ability to respond autonomously [to diplomatic challenges]. Now I wish to trouble you to borrow a passage through Lingling and Guiyang to open the way; what do you think?' Mouzi said: 'I have received feed at your stable and have been treated well for a long time. When an honorable officer forgets himself, he will certainly strive to exert his utmost effort.' Thereupon he prepared to depart. Just then, his mother passed away, so in the end he did not go. After a long while, reflecting in retirement, [he realized] that because of his eloquence he was constantly being called upon for official missions; in a world filled with chaos, it was not the time to distinguish oneself. He then sighed and said: 'Laozi abandoned sageliness and discarded wisdom, cultivating his person and preserving his genuineness. The ten thousand things did not perturb his mind, and the realm could not alter his joy. The Son of Heaven could not make him a minister, and the feudal lords could not make him a friend; thus he was to be valued.' Thereupon he set his will firmly on the Buddhist Dao, and concurrently investigated Laozi's five thousand words. Imbibing the dark and marvelous as wine and savoring the Five Classics as musical pipes, many worldly people criticized him, believing that he had turned his back on the Five Classics and turned toward a deviant path. If he wished to dispute, it would not be the Dao; if he wished to remain silent, he could not. Thereupon, through pen and ink, he briefly cited the words of sages and worthies to verify and explain it, entitling it Mouzi lihuo lun.