Chapter 51: Virtue Nourishes (第51章：養德)

道生之，德畜之，物形之，勢成之。
是以萬物莫不尊道而貴德。
道之尊，德之貴，夫莫之命而常自然。
故道生之，德畜之；長之育之；亭之毒之；養之覆之。
生而弗有，為而弗恃，長而弗宰。是謂玄德。
☸

Translation

The Dao gives them birth; Virtue (De) nourishes them.
Matter gives them form; Circumstances bring them to completion.

Therefore, all things honor the Dao and value Virtue.
The Dao is honored and Virtue is valued
Not because they command it, but because it is always natural (Ziran).

Thus, the Dao gives birth, and Virtue nourishes.
They grow and develop them; they shelter and protect them;
They support and shelter them.

Birth them but do not possess them;
Act but do not expect;
Lead but do not dominate.
This is called Mysterious Virtue (Xuande).

✦ ◆ ✦

📜 Liuren Perspective

In Liuren Fajiao, we see the Dao as the Source of power and Virtue (De) as the Carrier or "Spiritual Qi" that makes the magic effective. A ritual is "born" from the Dao, but it is "nourished" and brought to completion by the practitioner's accumulated De.

"Sheltering and protecting" (養之覆之) is what we do when we cast talismans or perform protection rituals. We are acting as agents of the Dao's nourishing function. But like the Dao, we must "Lead but not dominate." We help the recipient, but we do not seek to control their life.

Mysterious Virtue (玄德) is the power that comes from this selfless action. When a practitioner performs magic without attachment to the result or the "ownership" of the power, their De becomes "Mysterious"—infinite and connected to the primordial void.

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