Chapter 54: Well-Planted Roots (第54章：修觀)

善建者不拔，善抱者不脫，子孫以祭祀不輟。
修之於身，其德乃真；修之於家，其德乃餘；
修之於鄉，其德乃長；修之於國，其德乃豐；
修之於天下，其德乃普。
故以身觀身，以家觀家，以鄉觀鄉，以國觀國，以天下觀天下。
吾何以知天下然哉？以此。
☸

Translation

What is well-planted cannot be uprooted.
What is well-held cannot slip away.
Generation after generation, the ancestral rites will not cease.

Cultivate it in yourself, and your Virtue (De) will be real.
Cultivate it in your family, and your Virtue will overflow.
Cultivate it in your community, and your Virtue will endure.
Cultivate it in your nation, and your Virtue will be abundant.
Cultivate it in the world, and your Virtue will be universal.

Therefore, observe the self by the self; observe the family by the family;
Observe the community by the community; observe the nation by the nation;
Observe the world by the world.
How do I know this is true of the world? By this.

✦ ◆ ✦

📜 Liuren Perspective

In Liuren Fajiao, "What is well-planted" (善建) refers to the Lineage Root (法脈). When a practitioner is correctly initiated and maintains their daily cultivation, their connection to the Immortal Master becomes "un-uprootable." The power is "well-held" (善抱) and will not "slip away."

The "Ancestral rites" (祭祀) refer to the ongoing offerings and connection to the teachers and deities of the lineage. As long as the practice continues "generation after generation," the power of the lineage remains active in the world.

"Cultivating in the self" (修之於身) is the starting point. If the practitioner's internal Virtue is not "real" (真), their magic will have no foundation. We expand this cultivation outward—to family, community, and the world—ensuring that our magical work serves the greater good. We "observe" the effects of our magic at each level to ensure the De remains pure and abundant.

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