Chapter 42: The One Produces Two (第42章：道化)

道生一，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。
萬物負陰而抱陽，沖氣以為和。
人之所惡，唯孤、寡、不穀，而王公以為稱。
故物或損之而益，或益之而損。
人之所教，我亦教之。強梁者不得其死，吾將以為教父。
☸

Translation

The Dao produced the One. The One produced the Two.
The Two produced the Three. The Three produced the ten thousand things.

The ten thousand things carry Yin on their backs and embrace Yang.
Through the blending of Qi, they achieve harmony (He).

What people hate most is to be "lonely," "unworthy," or "poor,"
Yet rulers use these titles for themselves.

Therefore, a thing sometimes gains by losing, and loses by gaining.

What others teach, I also teach:
"The violent do not die a natural death."
I will make this the foundation of my teaching.

✦ ◆ ✦

📜 Liuren Perspective

This is the Cosmic Map of Liuren Fajiao. "The One, Two, and Three" correspond to the Wuji, the Taiji (Yin-Yang), and the Sancai (Heaven, Earth, Man). In our tradition, the "Three" also refers to the Three Pure Ones (三清) who govern the spiritual hierarchy.

"Carrying Yin and Embracing Yang" (負陰抱陽) is the fundamental state of all spiritual energy. Every ritual and every practitioner must "blend their Qi" (沖氣) to achieve Harmony (和). If a ritual is purely Yang (aggressive), it will be unstable. True magic requires the balance of both forces.

The warning that "The violent do not die a natural death" (強梁者不得其死) is a core ethical pillar of the Liuren path. We never use our magical skills for violence or aggression, as the recoil of such force is spiritually fatal. We choose the "loss" of humility to "gain" the protection of the Dao.

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