Item 5 in Daoist Five Precepts
Avoid intoxicating excess
Avoid intoxicants or consumption that undermines clarity, safety and self-control.
- Position
- 5
- Form
- Mixed formulation
- Obligation
- Context-dependent
- Wording status
- Translation
- Intended audience
- Daoist lay followers and initiates, with variation by lineage
- Last reviewed
- 28 June 2026
Names and terminology
Canonical name: Avoid intoxicating excess
Source wording
Avoid intoxicants or consumption that undermines clarity, safety and self-control.
Broader interpretation
Avoid intoxicants or consumption that undermines clarity, safety and self-control.
Practical meaning
Avoid intoxicants or consumption that undermines clarity, safety and self-control.
Ethical purpose
This principle is intended to guide conduct, character and relationships in accordance with the parent framework.
Variations across schools or traditions
Interpretation and application may vary across communities, translations and individual circumstances.
Criticism and difficult cases
This principle should be applied with attention to evidence, consent, equality, power, foreseeable harm and realistic alternatives.
Truth By Reason analysis
Avoid intoxicants or consumption that undermines clarity, safety and self-control. Its ethical force depends on whether its application reduces avoidable harm and respects equal human dignity.
Ethical themes
Sources
- Taoist Beliefs — Five Basic Taoist Precepts Mainstream secondary source