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Does anyone know where I can find the 180 Precepts of Lord Lao. I have tried an online search and have come empty. Any help would be appreciated. 
 

 

Edited by taocultivator
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I got a snippet of it from God of the Dao: Lord Lao in History and Myth by Livia Kohn 1998 - snippet view.

 

Lets see if I can post it- <boom baby, I'm good> Lord Lao, interesting guy, 10 feet tall and possessor of immortality formula.

Screen Shot 2020-06-11 at 11.38.55 AM.png

Edited by thelerner
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Original on ctext.org

Translation

Lots of interesting stuff here:

 

Precept #30
不得自習伎樂。
You should not perform as a musician.

Weird. Had Laozi secretly converted to Mohism, or is this the influence of the 7th precept from Buddhism?

 

Precepts #118–120
不得祠祀鬼神以求僥倖。
You should not make sacrifices to ghosts and spirits in order to seek good fortune.
不得為人多作忌諱。
You should not create too many taboos for other people.
不得自多忌諱。
You should not observe too many taboos yourself.

A bit secular. This could also have come from Buddhism.

 

Precept #149
當勤服氣斷穀,為不死道。
You should exert yourself to ingest qi and eliminate cereals from your diet practising the Dao of No Death.

These precepts were "aimed at both the clerical community and the general body of believers." How could you ever get rid of grains across a whole society in a Chinese context?

 

Precept #175

不知所從來,可食不可思美。
If you do not know where your food has come from, it is permissible to eat it. It is not permissible to think it delicious.

Why do you need to police my thoughts like that, Laozi?

 

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@whocoulditbe?,

 

I like the questions you are posing.  And I also like that your screen-name is itself a question.  Welcome to TheDaoBums.

 

Sincerely,

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