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Tao Te Ching · 25 of 81

Chapter 25

There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth. How still it was and formless, standing alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in no danger (of being exhausted)! It may be regarded as the Mother of all things.

I do not know its name, and I give it the designation of the Tao (the Way or Course). Making an effort (further) to give it a name I call it The Great.

Great, it passes on (in constant flow). Passing on, it becomes remote. Having become remote, it returns. Therefore the Tao is great; Heaven is great; Earth is great; and the (sage) king is also great. In the universe there are four that are great, and the (sage) king is one of them.

Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes its law from the Tao. The law of the Tao is its being what it is.

Asked of Guide

Why does Lao Tzu call the Tao 'the Mother of all things' and then list four great things?

Lao Tzu calls the Tao “the Mother of all things” to show it is the originating, formless source that precedes Heaven and Earth and gives rise to everything while itself remaining unchanged. He names it The Great because it flows, becomes remote, and returns, which sets the pattern for the other great powers in the cosmos.

The list of four great things — the Tao, Heaven, Earth, and the sage-king — places human rulership within a cosmic order: man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, and Heaven follows the Tao whose law is simply “being what it is.” This echoes Chuang Tzu’s emphasis on stillness and rootness as the basis for effective action.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.

Echoes elsewhere

Chuang Tzu · Taoism26. 1. Gravity is the root of lightness; stillness, the ruler of movement. 2. Therefore a wise prince, marching the whole day, does not go far from his baggage waggons. Although heThe Sayings of Lao Tzu · Taoisminjurious to himself. The heavy is the foundation of the light; repose is the ruler of unrest. The wise prince in his daily course never departs from gravity and repose. Though he