Scriptures and Precepts of the Supreme Lord Lao
The original text does not specify an author. It was probably compiled around the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Daoist Canon, under the category of Precept Texts in the Dongshen Section (the Section of Cave Spirits).
This book is a compilation of precepts of early Celestial Master Taoism.
According to the table of contents at the beginning of the compilation, the original text contained five sets of precepts, namely Precepts of the Venerable Scripture of Dao and Virtue, The Lord Lao’s One Hundred and Eighty Precepts, Secret Precepts of the Great Clarity, Precepts of the Green Maiden, and Xiang’er Precepts of the Venerable Scripture of Dao and Virtue.
In the surviving version of the Daoist Canon, only the first two sets of precepts remain. Among them, Precepts of the Venerable Scripture of Dao and Virtue includes nine chapters and twenty-seven precepts, totaling thirty-six articles.
It requires Taoist priests to uphold the principles of non-action and gentleness, maintain inner purity and receptiveness, refrain from indulging in evil thoughts, avoid dissipating vital energy, and abstain from harming living beings or offering bloody sacrifices, among other injunctions.
The Lord Lao’s One Hundred and Eighty Precepts is purportedly transmitted by Lord Lao to Gan Jun (i.e., Gan Ji, the recipient of the Scripture of Great Peace). Comprising one hundred and eighty precepts, it mainly exhort Taoist priests not to indulge in greed, lust, killing or theft, not to bully others, not to show contempt for Taoist scriptures and teachings, and not to disrespect their teachers and elders.
From these precepts, one can discern the moral and ethical concepts of early Taoism. The content of this book also appears in Volumes 38 and 39 of Cloudy Satchel of Seven Lots (Yunji Qiqian).
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