In
Taoism
Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...
, the five precepts () constitute the basic code of
ethics
Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...
undertaken mainly by lay practitioners. For monks and nuns, there are more advanced and stricter precepts. The Five Precepts are nearly the same as the
Five Precepts of
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
; however, there are minor differences to fit in with Chinese society.
According to the , the five basic precepts are:
* The first precept: No Killing;
* The second precept: No Stealing;
* The third precept: No Sexual Misconduct;
* The fourth precept: No False Speech;
* The fifth precept: No Taking of Intoxicants.
Their definitions can be found in an excerpt of :
Laozi
Laozi (), also romanized as Lao Tzu #Name, among other ways, was a semi-legendary Chinese philosophy, Chinese philosopher and author of the ''Tao Te Ching'' (''Laozi''), one of the foundational texts of Taoism alongside the ''Zhuangzi (book) ...
said: "The precept against killing is: All living beings, including all kinds of animals, and those as small as insects, worms, and so forth, are containers of the uncreated energy, thus one should not kill any of them."
Laozi said: "The precept against stealing is: One should not take anything that he does not own and is not given to him, whether it belongs to someone or not."
Laozi said: "The precept against sexual misconduct is: If a sexual conduct happens, but it is not with your married spouse, it is a Sexual Misconduct. As for a monk or nun, he or she should never marry or practice sexual intercourse with anyone."
Laozi said: "The precept against false speech is: If one did not witness what happened himself but telling something to others, or if one lies with knowing it's a lie, this constitutes False Speech."
Laozi said: "The precept against taking of intoxicants is: One should not take any alcoholic drinks, unless he has to take some to cure his illness, to regale the guests with a feast, or to conduct religious ceremonies."
Laozi had said: "These five precepts are the fundamentals for keeping one's body in purity, and are the roots of the upholding of the holy teachings. For those virtuous men and virtuous women who enjoy the virtuous teachings, if they can accept and keep these precepts, and never violate any of them till the end of their lifetimes, they are recognized as those with pure faith, they will gain the Way to Tao, will gain the holy principles, and will forever achieve Tao — the Reality."
See also
*
Ten precepts (Taoism)
The Ten Precepts of Taoism were outlined in a short text that appears in Dunhuang manuscripts (DH31, 32), the ''Scripture of the Ten Precepts'' (''Shíjiè jīng'' 十戒經). The precepts are the classical rules of medieval Taoism as applied to p ...
*
Five precepts (Buddhism)
Notes
References
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* /B.054
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