《太极真人说二十四门戒经》

At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), a revered deity of Daoism, was born before Heaven and Earth. He dispersed primordial Qi (Yuanqi, the fundamental vital energy that constitutes the myriad things) throughout the ten directions and thereby brought the myriad phenomena of Heaven and Earth to completion. He is sovereign of the human world and the celestial realms, and ruler of mountains and rivers; the sun and moon move because of him, and the four seasons each display their own aspect in accordance with him.

He opened the path of cultivating the Dao (the Way), serving as a bridge by which one transcends birth and death. Passing in and out of being and non-being, he employs expedient means as the occasion requires, establishes teaching in response to causes and conditions, and thereby saves and delivers all beings. He manifests his Dharma-body throughout the world, perfects all wisdom, and arouses a boundless heart of compassion. He may appear as an emperor, an official, a clerk, a monastic, a master of the teaching, a dragon king, a man, a woman, a mendicant (a practitioner who begs for food), or a person of low station, transforming in accordance with worldly circumstances. Ordinary people cannot see me with the eyes of flesh; because they do not recognize me, they constantly give rise to inverted views and cling to distinctions of right and wrong, of self and other.

Greed and delusion arise together with craving and are provoked by attachment, so that people fall into hell and form enmities. From one life to the next, and from one kalpa (a vast cosmic cycle) to another, they never awaken to right mindfulness, nor do body and mind enter the source of meditative concentration. When thought strays from what is real, one sinks into the evil paths, drifting in the river of craving and driven by the wind of karma—how, then, can one abide in right concentration?

The three karmas of body, speech, and mind (bodily action, speech, and thought) are all sown by oneself, and from them the mind of the ten evils also arises. If, even within the true teaching, a person still discriminates and clings at every turn, that person will long remain sunk in the sea of suffering, with little chance of liberation. The afflictions of beings are endless; therefore I now transmit the precepts, so as to stop evil and guard against fault. If one can personally practice in accordance with the precepts, one will be able to accomplish the fruit of the Dao.

The Perfected of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) further said:

“Over the past five hundred lifetimes I resolved to cultivate the Dao (the Way). In all the things and principles I beheld, not one failed to be the true Dharma. Why? Because I did not look upon them with a false eye. Understand this, and one knows that all things can manifest the true. Why? Because they are known through true wisdom.

Therefore, cling to the false and one sees the false; keep the true in the mind and one can see the true. So long as one holds a sincere heart, true wisdom can arise. The true is not apart from the false, and can turn the false into the true; nor is the false apart from the true—if one willfully twists and misreads the true, the true likewise becomes false. If only one can abandon the illusory and return to the true, the precepts can be fulfilled. Practice as the precept texts prescribe and recite them day and night, and one will naturally be spared falling into hell and will in the end attain heaven.

Whenever one upholds and recites the precept texts, one may choose the following fasting days (days given to purifying body and mind with single-minded attention and to observing the fast in cultivation):

The first, eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth of each month; in a short month, the twenty-seventh is used instead. These are called the “Ten Upright Fasting Days.”

The eight days of the Beginning of Spring, the Spring Equinox, the Beginning of Summer, the Summer Solstice, the Beginning of Autumn, the Autumn Equinox, the Beginning of Winter, and the Winter Solstice are called the “Eight Nodes Fasting Days.”

The fifteenth of the first month, the fifteenth of the seventh month, and the fifteenth of the tenth month are called the “Three Primes Fasting Days.”

The first of the first month, the first of the fourth month, the first of the seventh month, and the first of the tenth month are called the “Four Beginnings Fasting Days.”

The seventh of the first month, the seventh of the seventh month, and the fifth of the tenth month are called the “Three Assemblies Fasting Days.”

On these days, fellow cultivators may practice the precepts together. However many they may be, they may gather in a chamber of stillness, observe the fast in purity, offer praise and chanting, recite with sincere hearts, and burn incense; the observance may also be held in a Daoist abbey. A Daoist abbey is called a Blessed Land; sweeping its courtyards and halls is like setting in order the Mysterious Altar (the altar ground on which Daoist rites are performed). One may also respectfully invite a ritual master to recite my subtle and wondrous precept text and to burn all manner of marvelous incense.

At that time the emissaries of the officers of the left and right, the perfected immortals and imperial lords of the thirty-two heavens, the numinous officials of the ten directions, the generals and clerks of the Five Marchmounts, the altar-commanders of the Nine Provinces, the Mengzhang of the mountains and forests, the numinous spirits of the Water Palaces, the Twelve Stream Maidens, the Flying Heaven Divine Kings, the celestial youths of the various heavens, and countless hosts of deities will all come together to the place where the precepts are recited, record merits, register those who have resolved to cultivate, and erase their karmic offenses.

If one can steadfastly copy, receive, and uphold the precept texts and recite them often, then through life after life and generation after generation one will not fall into hell.

After the Perfected has expounded these precept verses, all should arouse from deep within the heart a sense of shame, each receiving, upholding, and practicing them, and should pray that the preceptor will often expound the precept teachings for us.”

Note: The original text contains repeated sentences, and the date of the seventh month under the “Four Beginnings Fasting Days” is incomplete; here, following the commonly understood wording, it has been restored as “the first of the seventh month.”

The first precept requires sincere observance: one must not kill living beings, harm or slay other lives, or cook living creatures to satisfy the cravings of one’s own appetite. Whether one kills with one’s own hands, orders another to kill, rejoices at the sight of killing, or even consumes sentient beings, all of these count as violations of the precept. After death, the offender must suffer the torments of the scalding boiling-cauldron hell.

The second precept requires sincere observance: one must not steal or seek wealth gained by unjust means. Whether one slips into another’s home by night or, by day, peers into another’s garden and, taking advantage of a moment when no one is on guard, gives rise to a mind of theft, all of these count as violations. Stealing oneself, ordering another to steal, or rejoicing at the sight of theft all bring the sufferings of hell. At this point the scripture gives two accounts of the punishment: one says the offender suffers the penalty of the boiling-cauldron hell, while the other says the offender suffers the penalty of the mountain-of-knives and sword-trees hell.

The third precept requires sincere observance: one must not plot in secret to wrong and entrap good people. Seeing that another surpasses oneself and wishing to do that person harm; harboring grievance and seeking benefit only for oneself; shifting one’s own faults onto others and nursing resentment over the faults of others—all of these count as violations. After death, the offender must suffer the torments of the furnace-and-charcoal hell.

The fourth precept requires sincere observance: one must not say one thing while meaning another, must not sow discord among relatives and friends, and must not speak of or vilify the Three Treasures—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, here referring to the Three Treasures of Buddhism—or monastics. Wagging the tongue, mocking good people, slandering the sacred teaching, giving rise to doubt and wavering, speaking with bias, and urging people to suspect one another all count as violations. After death, the offender must suffer the torments of the hell in which an iron plow tills the tongue.

The fifth precept requires sincere observance: one must not go against the scriptures (Jing), slight the Great Dao (the Way), or deceive and entice others; nor may one damage the numinous altar—the altar ground where religious rites are performed—encroach upon the common property of Daoist temples, conceal merit, or trample blessed lands. After death, the offender must suffer the torments of the hell in which file and pestle grind the body.

The sixth precept requires sincere observance: one must not drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol throws mind and spirit (Shen) into confusion, makes conduct coarse, violent, and unrestrained, and leads one to disregard ritual propriety; it may also cause one to offend elders and kin, alarm the spirits, disturb the altar ground, damage the common property of Daoist temples, conceal merit, and trample blessed lands. After death, the offender must suffer the torments of the hell in which file and pestle grind the body.

The scripture then lists the sixth precept once more, saying that drinking alcohol throws a person’s mind and spirit into confusion and makes that person’s conduct fierce and overbearing, so that one loses ritual propriety, offends seniors and elders, alarms the spirits, and harms mind and spirit. After death, the offender must suffer the torments of the hell in which venomous snakes devour the heart.

The seventh precept states that one must not speak carelessly or utter frivolous and improper words, nor wound others with harsh speech or stir up discord behind their backs. One must not insult elders and kin, nor slander and humiliate one’s teachers; nor take well-intentioned words as ill-intended and answer them in kind, so that mutual enmity arises. Those who violate this precept will, after death, fall into the Hell of Molten Copper Poured into the Mouth, where they suffer the punishment of molten copper poured into the mouth.

The eighth precept states that one must not harbor crooked intentions or act in deviant ways, nor indulge in lust and cling to physical beauty until one is hopelessly deluded. One must not undermine another’s affections, seize a person whom another loves and cherishes, or sow division and break up another’s family. Those who violate this precept will, after death, fall into the Hell of Embracing the Copper Pillar, where they suffer the punishment of embracing a copper pillar.

The ninth precept states that one must not be greedy and miserly, unwilling to part with wealth and concerned only with securing advantage for oneself; nor envy others, curse people, harbor mutual suspicion, and form deep and lasting resentment. Those who violate this precept will, after death, fall into the Iron Wheel Hell, where they suffer the punishment of the iron wheel.

The tenth precept states that one must not violate fasting observances and precepts, nor be unfilial or lacking in benevolence. One must not secretly take ritual food, or privately conceal food offered to the kitchen deities or provided for the assembly, so that the merit concerned cannot be brought to completion. Those who violate this precept will, after death, fall into the Hell of Hauling Stones to Heap Up Mountains, where they suffer the toil of carrying stones and piling them into mountains.

The eleventh precept states that one must not damage or dismantle sacred images of the deities, nor steal banners, streamers, fresh flowers, and other offerings in order to use them oneself or turn them into clothing and bedding. Those who violate this precept will, after death, fall into the Outer Iron Bed Hell, where they suffer the punishment of the iron bed.

The twelfth precept states that, upon seeing meritorious facilities damaged and buildings collapsed, one must not leave them neglected and refuse to repair and rebuild them, nor merely deal with the matter perfunctorily in one’s mind. Those who violate this precept will, after death, fall into the Hell of the Sword Forest That Cuts Body and Mind, where they suffer the punishment of body and mind being cut by the sword forest.

The thirteenth precept states that, when visiting another’s home, one must not, upon seeing that person’s property, seize the chance to borrow it and then contrive to delay repayment; nor use all manner of means to entrap the poor, or unreasonably coerce them and seize their belongings. Those who violate this precept will, after death, fall into the Cold Ice Hell, where they suffer the torment of cold ice.

The fourteenth precept states that one must not feel glad at seeing another’s sorrow, nor take pleasure in seeing another’s suffering; one must not constantly think of taking others’ property, nor feel aversion because another is kind-hearted. Those who violate this precept will, after death, fall into the Hell of Iron Nails Driven into the Body and Fierce Fire Arising upon the Body, where they suffer the punishment of iron nails driven into the body and fierce fire blazing upon it.

The Fifteenth Precept: Before entering a ritual precinct—the place where Zhaijiao (purification rituals), cultivation, and other ceremonies are performed—one must wash one’s hands and rinse one’s mouth, and only then may one enter. One must not profane or touch the scriptures (Jing) or the sacred images, nor soil the holy scriptural texts. A lack of inner reverence tends to breed laziness and negligence. Those who violate this will, after death, fall into hell and suffer the punishment of being beaten at random with iron staves.

The Sixteenth Precept: One must not reach into birds’ nests or break birds’ eggs, harm a fetus or cause a miscarriage, or inflict injury without cause and thereby cut off the means of life for other living beings. Those who violate this will, after death, fall into the hell in which the body is crushed beneath a great stone.

The Seventeenth Precept: One must not go naked beneath heaven and earth, beneath the sun, moon, and stars, or within the “Three Brilliances and Six Obscurities” (a term in Daoist cultivation for realms of the divinities, or a related technical term of practice). Those who violate this will, after death, fall into the hell in which the body is pierced by iron awls.

The Eighteenth Precept: One must not waste or encroach upon property held in common, pluck flowers and fruit or destroy gardens and groves, or soil the dwellings of temples and abbeys. To feel no shame is to make light of the blessings one has received. Those who violate this will, after death, fall into the hell of swallowing iron pellets.

The Nineteenth Precept: One must not indiscriminately consume animal foods together with pungent plants, including onion, garlic, Chinese chives, and xie (a pungent aromatic plant similar to the rakkyo). These foods make the body’s odor foul and turbid, so that divine spirits are unwilling to remain. To eat them while reciting scriptures and cultivating is to offend the divinities and holy perfected beings. Those who violate this will, after death, fall into the hell of swallowing fire and eating charcoal.

The Twentieth Precept: One must not regard oneself as in the right and ridicule the beliefs or practices of others; nor, among the various methods of the Dao (the Way), may one arbitrarily draw distinctions and cling to the self, so that obstinate attachment to one’s own views keeps one from seeing the true Way. Those who violate this will, after death, fall into the hell of being ground and pounded.

The Twenty-First Precept: One must not scheme with poisons of every kind to harm people and injure their lives; to do so only forges enmity and resentment. Those who violate this will, after death, fall into the hell in which body and mind are steeped and boiled in a hundred kinds of poisonous juices.

The twenty-second precept: One must not scheme against the Three Treasures—Dao (the Way), Jing (scripture), and the Master—sow discord among the six relations (parents, brothers, husbands and wives, and other kin), refuse to give alms and charity, or care only for one’s own wealth. In speech and action one must not be at odds in heart and mouth, nor fail to keep faith from beginning to end. Those who violate this will, after death, suffer the punishment of the hell in which the tongue is pulled out.

The twenty-third precept: One must not eat the food of the fast mixed together with meat and rank fare, pungent and spicy things, or wine and flesh, nor fail to respect the rules of fasting and abstinence; otherwise one will incur the punishment of the various heavens. Those who violate this will, after death, suffer the hellish punishment of being bound in iron chains and unable to be reborn.

The twenty-fourth precept: One must not rely on power and influence to bully and entice the poor and lowly, must not break apart the marriages of men and women, and must not fail to believe in the Celestial True (the true deities of the heavenly realm). One must not harbor two kinds of views, cling to the distinction between others and oneself, and of one’s own accord commit deviant and perverse deeds, yet fail to understand whence the offense comes. Those who violate this will, after death, suffer the hellish punishment of having body and mind sawn apart.

The Perfected of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) further says: These twenty-four precepts are all great afflictions that concern one’s own person. Those who break the precepts will pass through the sufferings of blades and warfare across ten thousand kalpas, and the living soul (the soul of a person’s life) will constantly be interrogated under torture. If an ordinary person feels pain throughout the body, or the body turns bluish or red, and the heart is weighed down by sorrow, it may be that the living soul is being interrogated in the underworld bureau (the place of judgment in the netherworld). Each should, according to his or her own ability, burn incense, keep the fast, practice the Dao, and perform ritual repentance (performing rites and repenting), sincerely receive and uphold the precepts, chant the name of the Unsurpassed Celestial Worthy, give alms, light lamps, and widely practice good deeds, and not offend again; in this way the offenses can be eliminated.

The Perfected One went on to say: Anyone who wishes to cultivate and study the methods of the Dao (the Way) must first observe purification and the precepts, cleanse the mind within, and guard against faults. The merit of upholding the precepts is greater even than the fine motes of dust. Though the motes are many, they can still be seen and counted; the merit of purification and the precepts, however, is without end.

If a person upholds the precepts, the text says, nine generations of ancestors may ascend to heaven, the whole household receives grace, and even in danger and hardship one may obtain deliverance. Even if one gives the entire family estate away in charity, one should still uphold this precept Jing (scripture/classic). Those who study the Dao yet do not keep these precepts will in the end find it hard to attain realization; those who can keep the precepts have the emperors of the various heavens, the great sages of celestial perfection, the immortals and jade maidens, and the hosts of spirit officials and divine functionaries throughout the limitless world burn incense and light lamps to bear witness for them, so that they obtain immeasurable blessings and De (Virtue/Power). After they have realized the truth of the Dao, the various heavens will further welcome them with incense and flowers and arrange the place of their rebirth according to their own wishes.

When good men and good women hear this precept Jing, if joy arises in their hearts, evil karma can be cleared away. If they can abandon stinginess and greedy craving, use pure possessions to obtain the scriptures and precepts so that they may circulate, and dedicate the merit to others, they should uphold them with concentrated diligence. If someone in the household has died, the kin may, during the rites of sending off the deceased, or from the first seventh day through the final seventh day, recite and uphold this precept Jing; the Jing says that in this way the hun-soul and Shen (spirit) of the deceased may soar to the pure realm and be reborn in the heavenly halls.

A pregnant woman who hears this precept Jing may give birth smoothly; if one prays on one’s own behalf for calamities to be removed, hardships can also be resolved, and the whole family obtain immeasurable blessings. The precepts can restrain afflictions and shut out demonic thoughts; one should cultivate them with diligent effort and seek liberation without delay. The various heavens together offer praise, saying:

All who cultivate and study the methods of the Dao

vow to accomplish the true Dao.

With compassionate hearts they recite the precept text,

and with the sound and breath of recitation, afflictions are extinguished.

Forever freed from the suffering of birth and death,

they accomplish the supreme and unsurpassed Dao.

With one mind they turn toward the correct Dao and the truth,

and their youthful countenance never grows old.