The Great Way
The Tao is the silent, formless origin of all things — vast, self-sustaining, and beyond naming. All of nature and the sage align with its rhythm, revealing the greatness of following what follows nothing.
There is something
formless and perfect,
born before Heaven and Earth.
Still.
Silent.
Alone.
Unchanging.
It flows everywhere
and never runs dry.
It may be called
the mother of all things.
I do not know its name,
but I call it Tao.
If I must name it further,
I call it Great.
Great flows outward.
Flowing outward, it becomes distant.
Becoming distant, it returns.
Therefore,
Tao is great.
Heaven is great.
Earth is great.
And the sage is great.
In the universe,
there are four great powers —
Tao, Heaven, Earth,
and the sage.
Man follows the Earth.
Earth follows Heaven.
Heaven follows the Tao.
And the Tao follows only itself.
