The Middle Path means not to take extremes,
while it is often mistaken to mean
one should be moderate in everything,
including observation of moral guidelines (precepts).
But to be so is to be half good and half evil –
which is not very good at all.
E.g. there is no such thing as moderate killing,
stealing, lying… being part of the Middle Path.
Abstention from killing, stealing and lying… is the Middle Path.
(To break the precepts is to be extreme.)
However, following the spirit (instead of blindly sticking to the letter)
of the precepts is part of the Middle Path.
To compromise the spirit of the precepts is to veer to an extreme of laxity.
To stick blindly to the precepts while harming others is the other extreme.
E.g. Not lying to save a thousand people.
(Recall Oskar Schindler’s List)