中国先秦时期的素食观

Vegetarianism in Pre-Qin Period of China

中国先秦时期形成了农业文明时代素食观的基本思想形态,其中有较为明确观点的主要有儒家、道家和墨家。儒家的素食观念不甚清晰,但也为维护社会秩序建立了因礼而设的素食制度,并开始把仁爱理念拓展到饮食文化中,总体上不反对肉食,但主张在特定时间范围内食素。道家通过提倡素食达到节性适欲的目的,以此调适统治阶级的奢侈生活。墨家和《吕氏春秋》都提出了论述系统、逻辑明晰的素食主张,其中墨家通过提倡素食来达到节财养俭的目的,以此反对和批判统治阶级的贪婪行为。先秦素食观是古代农业文明的产物,在当今生态文明时代,先秦素食观既可以也应该通过创造性转化而重获生机。事实上,健康、科学、合理、有文化品位的饮食观才是这个时代我们应提倡的。先秦素食传统中的优秀文化因子丰富了中华民族饮食观念里面的传统意蕴、民族底蕴和人文涵蕴,既可以也应该成为现代饮食观的有机成分。

The basic theoretical form of vegetarianism in the era of agricultural civilization was formed in the pre-Qin period of China. Among many schools, Mohist school,Taoist School and Confucianism have definite views. Both Mohist School and Lv s Commentaries of History put forward systematic and logical views of vegetarianism, in which Mohist School opposed and criticized the greedy behaviors of the ruling class by advocating vegetarianism to achieve thrift. Taoists promoted vegetarianism to achieve abstinence and to adjust the luxury life of the ruling class. In spite of the vague vegetarianism conception of Confucianism, the system of vegetarianism set up for rites has been established, and the concept of benevolence has been extended to the diet culture. Confucianism did not oppose eating meat totally, but it advocated vegetarianism during a certain period of time. The vegetarianism of pre-Qin was the product of agricultural civilization. In the era of ecological civilization, it can and should be revived through creative transformation. In fact, the healthy, scientific,reasonable diet concept with cultural taste is what we should advocate. The excellent cultural factors in the vegetarian tradition of the pre-Qin period can and should be the organic components of the modern diet culture, because they enrich the traditional, national and cultural connotations of the Chinese diet culture.