Page 324 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

C H UZ H EN JI ELO

in not killing, not stealing, not lying, not engaging in licentious behavior, and
not taking intoxicants. They are akin to the five basic precepts of Buddhism
and derive from the Taishang Laojun jiejing :;tCt.15-;g:JtX; ~~ (Scripture on
Precepts of the Most High Lord Lao; CT 784, I4a- 15a). The text specifies that
each morning, those who receive these precepts should recite the Taishang
sanyuan cifo shezui jie' e xiaozai yansheng baoming miaojing *....t. - 5tJ!!iHi ~
j:fU~ffi~~~g~1*iP:9'» ~~ (Wondrous Scripture of the Most High Three
Primes that Confers Happiness, Liberates from Faults, Eliminates Dangers,
Dispels Disasters, Extends One's Life, and Preserves One's Destiny; CT 1442)
and the * Taishang ganying pian (Folios of the Most High on Retribution).
The third section (35a-36a) reproduces the Xuhuang tianzun chuzhen shijie
wen E1R ~ 7C. *JJ ~ +:JtX;)( (Ten Initial Precepts for Perfection According to
the Celestial Worthy, Sovereign of Emptiness; CT 180), and has the same tide.
It lists the five basic precepts for laymen in Buddhism as well as four of the
five Confucian classical virtues (only righteousness, yi ~ , is lacking).
The fourth section, "Xingchi zongshuo" f-T:t1f ~ ~ (General Principles on
the Practice; 36a- 37a), enumerates the positive effects that accumulate accord-
ing to the number of one's meritorious acts (one, ten, one hundred, or one
thousand) and the inauspicious effects of bad actions.
Post-ordination precepts. The second part of the Chuzhen jielu, "Rujie yaogui"
.A. ftt ~ m (Main Rules to be Observed after the Transmission of the Precepts;
38a- 46b), gives rules concerning collective life, individual practice, vestments,
and washing, and lists the days on which ordinations and hundred-day retreats
can take place. There follow thirty spells (zhou %) that are transmitted to the
disciple on the day of ordination and are to be recited during his daily activi-
ties. At the end there are drawings of vestments and ritual objects (a vase, a
bowl, and a stick) related to the three ordination degrees.
Precepts for monastic lift. In the third part, "Xuanmen chijie weiyi" ~ F~:t1f ffi:
mt f~ (Dignified Liturgies to be Observed when One Follows the Precepts of
the School of Mysteries), the initial pages (47a- 53b) describe the attitudes that
a disciple should observe in twelve circumstances of monastic life: 1. when
he comes in or goes out; 2. when he serves his master; 3. when he hears or
looks; 4. when he speaks; 5. when he combs his hair or washes his face; 6.
when he eats; 7. when he hears a religious teaching; 8. when he travels; 9·
when he stands up or remains standing; lO. when he is in a sitting or reclining
position; H . when he performs any activity; 12. when he washes himself. This
advice is similar to that found in the *Zhengyi weiyi jing (Scripture of Digni-
fied Liturgies of Orthodox Unity) and the Xuanmen shishi weiyi ~ r~ +. mt
f~ (Dignified Liturgies for Ten Circumstances According to the School of
Mysteries; CT 792).