the short of it:
We can’t know what we don’t know.
25. Imagining the Abyss.
There was something chaotic in nature which existed before heaven and earth. It was still. It was void. It stood alone and was not changed. It pervaded everywhere and was not endangered. It may be regarded as the Mother of the Universe. I know not its name; but give it the title of Tau. If I am forced to make a name for it, I say it is Great; being Great, I say that it passes away; passing away, I say that it is far off; being far off, I say that it returns.
Now Tau is great; Heaven is great; Earth is great; a [sovereign] is great. In the Universe there are four greatnesses, and a [sovereign] is one of them. [People take their] law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes its law from Tau; and Tau takes its law from what it is in itself.
25. ’Representations of the Mystery.’
25.1 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.
25.2 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.
25.3 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) [sovereign] is also great. In the universe there are four that are great, and the (sage) [sovereign] is one of them.
25.4 [People take their] 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.
25. (Untitled).
There is something, chaotic yet complete, which existed before Heaven and Earth. Oh, how still it is, and formless, standing alone without changing, reaching everywhere without suffering harm! It must be regarded as the Mother of the Universe. Its name I know not. To designate it, I call it Tao. Endeavouring to describe it, I call it Great. Being great, it passes on; passing on, it becomes remote; having become remote, it returns.
Therefore Tao is great; Heaven is great; Earth is great; and the Sovereign also is great. In the Universe there are four powers, of which the Sovereign is one. [People take their] law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes its law from Tao; but the law of Tao is its own spontaneity.
Lao Tzu. Lionel Giles. The Sayings of Lao Tzŭ. United Kingdom: Orient Press, 1904.
The Long of it:
The paradox of Chapter 25 lies between what Chalmers and Giles translate here as chaos and stillness. This is where Tao gave (and gives) rise to everything we know.
However, we exist in a hierarchy that prevents us from comprehending the whole. To drill down one step further, we, as humans, relate to the best of us (the sovereign), the sovereign relates to the Earth, the Earth to the Universe, and the Universe to Tao.
The higher we go, the less we can subdivide it. This is not only a truism, but logical. We understand best what we experience first-hand.
-TB
