Chapter 32: The Eternal Nameless (第32章：聖德)

道常無名，樸雖小，天下莫能臣也。
侯王若能守之，萬物將自賓。
天地相合，以降甘露，民莫之令而自均。
始制有名，名亦既有，夫亦將知止，知止可以不殆。
譬道之在天下，猶川谷之於江海。
☸

Translation

The Dao is eternally nameless.
Though the Uncarved Block (Pu) is small, no one in the world can master it.
If rulers could hold to it, the ten thousand things would submit on their own.

Heaven and Earth would unite to drop sweet dew.
The people would live in harmony without being ordered.

Once the Block is carved, names arise.
Once names exist, one must know when to stop.
Knowing when to stop, one avoids danger.

The Dao in the world is like the streams and valleys flowing into the great rivers and seas.

✦ ◆ ✦

📜 Liuren Perspective

In Liuren Fajiao, the "Uncarved Block" (樸) is the "small" point of focus in our internal cultivation. Though it seems insignificant, it is the master of all things. If a practitioner can "hold to it" (守), their energy (Qi) will naturally harmonize, like "sweet dew" (甘露) descending from Heaven.

"Once names exist, one must know when to stop" (知止) is a critical warning for practitioners of Wicha. When we start using specific "names" (rituals, titles, complex systems), we must be careful not to get lost in the labels. We must "know when to stop" and return to the nameless source to avoid Spiritual Danger (不殆).

Just as all streams flow into the sea, all specific magical techniques must eventually return to the vast "ocean" of the Dao. A master does not cling to their specific "stream" but remains connected to the "sea" of the Immortal Master's presence.

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