The Twenty-Seven Precepts of Laozi
Divided into the Upper Nine Precepts, Middle Nine Precepts, and Lower Nine Precepts.
The main content of the Upper Nine Precepts is:
Do not waste your spirit; do not consume blood-containing substances for their beauty; do not harm the royal energy; do not covet treasures; do not forget the Dao; do not act recklessly; do not branch out from the clear path; do not kill living beings; do not crave fame and fortune.
The main content of the Middle Nine Precepts is:
Do not be entertained by your senses; always be humble and deferential, evaluating everything with a calm heart; do not be easily swayed by fear; do not learn from heretical texts; do not indulge in fine clothing and exquisite food; do not seek fame and reputation; do not covet high honors; do not be impulsive; do not overflow with excess.
The main content of the Lower Nine Precepts is:
Do not engage in disputes with others about right and wrong, avoid gains and losses; do not commit various evils; do not despise poverty and lowliness while forcefully seeking wealth and status, avoid excessive taboos; do not invoke the names of saints casually; do not be overbearing; do not pray to ghosts or deities; do not be self-righteous; do not take pleasure in warfare.
The Twenty-Seven Precepts of Laozi are concise yet profound, containing rich spiritual connotations. These twenty-seven precepts inform practitioners that humans, like all other beings in the world, are born endowed with the Dao. From birth, they possess ‘Dao nature,’ but as they grow up, they become entangled and tempted by external matters, leading to the gradual emergence of various desires and cravings. This becomes the root cause of all suffering in life. To attain liberation, one must cultivate the Dao. Cultivating the Dao cannot be separated from precepts because precepts can restrain practitioners’ thoughts, words, and actions, helping them correct their wrongdoings and sever evil thoughts, thus returning to their true selves and escaping from suffering.