Chapter 25: The Great Mother (第25章：象元)

有物混成，先天地生。
寂兮寥兮，獨立而不改，周行而不殆，可以為天下母。
吾不知其名，字之曰道，強為之名曰大。
大曰逝，逝曰遠，遠曰反。
故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。
域中有四大，而人居其一焉。
人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。
☸

Translation

There was something formless and perfect, existing before Heaven and Earth.
Silent and empty! It stands alone and does not change.
It flows everywhere and never tires.
It can be considered the Mother of the world.

I do not know its name; I call it the Dao.
If forced to name it, I call it Great.

Being Great, it flows. Flowing, it becomes distant. Distant, it returns.

Therefore the Dao is great, Heaven is great, Earth is great, and Man is also great.
There are four greats in the universe, and Man is one of them.

Man follows Earth. Earth follows Heaven.
Heaven follows the Dao. The Dao follows Naturalness (Ziran).

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📜 Liuren Perspective

This chapter provides the Cosmological Foundation for Liuren Fajiao. The "formless and perfect" source is the primordial Wuji from which our lineage emerges. We recognize the "Four Greats," placing the human practitioner in a position of responsibility and power.

"Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven..." is the lineage of authority. In our rituals, we align ourselves with the Earth (physical form/altar), the Heaven (Spirits/Immortal Master), and the Dao. This alignment is what gives the practitioner the right to "stand as one of the four greats."

The ultimate law is Ziran (自然)—Naturalness. Magic in the Liuren path is not "supernatural" in the sense of breaking nature's laws, but rather "super-natural" in following the highest laws of nature. Authentic Fa is always Ziran.

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