Chapter 16: Returning to the Root (第16章：歸根)

致虛極，守靜篤。
萬物並作，吾以觀復。
夫物芸芸，各復歸其根。
歸根曰靜，是謂復命。
復命曰常，知常曰明。
不知常，妄作凶。
知常容，容乃公，公乃王，王乃天，天乃道，道乃久，沒身不殆。
☸

Translation

Attain extreme emptiness; hold fast to stillness.
The ten thousand things arise together; I observe their return.

Flourishing as they do, each returns to its root.
Returning to the root is called Stillness; this is called returning to Life.

Returning to Life is called the Eternal; knowing the Eternal is called Enlightenment.
Not knowing the Eternal leads to reckless and disastrous actions.

Knowing the Eternal is to be all-embracing.
To be all-embracing is to be impartial.
To be impartial is to be kingly.
To be kingly is to be heavenly.
To be heavenly is to be one with the Dao.
One with the Dao, you endure; though the body dies, you are never in danger.

✦ ◆ ✦

📜 Liuren Perspective

"Attaining extreme emptiness" (致虛極) is the highest state of Liuren internal cultivation. It is in this void that the practitioner's Yuanqi (Original Qi) is replenished. "Returning to the root" (歸根) means returning to the primordial source of the lineage.

In our practice, "Not knowing the Eternal leads to disaster" (不知常，妄作凶) is a warning for those who attempt magic with a chaotic or ego-driven mind. Without the "stillness" of the root, the energy becomes "reckless" (妄作), which can harm the practitioner.

By "Knowing the Eternal" (知常), the practitioner becomes impartial and broad-minded. Their magic is no longer personal but "heavenly," aligned with the natural laws of the universe. This state ensures that the practitioner is "never in danger," even when dealing with powerful spiritual forces.

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