Chapter 25: Image of the Primordial

Translation © 2023 by Stuart Alve Olson

These translations of the Scripture on Tao and Virtue by Lao Zi (道 德 經 著 老 子) include the rare commentary by Taoist Immortal Bai Yuchan (白 玉 蟾, 1194–1229 CE), more popularly called the Jade Toad Immortal. Bai Yuchan was the fifth patriarch of the Southern School of Internal Alchemy. Even though he only lived to age 33, he was one of Taoist history’s most prolific writers, and is most well known for his discourses on Thunder Rites (雷 禮, Lei Li).

The following texts present Bai’s insightful commentaries inserted within the Tao De Jing. Although there have been many excellent English translations published on the Tao De Jing, Bai’s commentaries give a fresh outlook on the inner meaning of this incredible work by Lao Zi, so it’s worthwhile to begin presenting Bai Yuchan interpretations to Taoist English readers.

Image of the Primordial

象元

Xiang Yuan

The Meaning of Chapter 25

Commentary by Stuart Alve Olson

This chapter deals with the Taoist theory of the origin of the universe and the fundamentals of its metaphysical connections. Lao Zi explains that the Tao corresponds to a four-stage cyclical movement—great, departing, distant, and returning—which Bai Yuchan states is “unceasing.”

These four stages correspond to the four seasons (spring, as great; summer, as departing; autumn, as distant; and winter, as returning). This process is deemed as the very mystical essence of nature, showing life and death as the very divine nature of the Tao.

All of this correlates with the premise of the Book of Changes (易經, I Ching or Yi Jing) of the Illimitable (無極, Wu Ji), producing the Supreme Ultimate (太極, Tai Ji), bringing about Yin and Yang (陰陽, the Two Powers), which then produces the Four Images (四象, Si Xiang), and from these, all creation in the universe comes into being.

Lao Zi follows this with the depiction of the “four greats”—Tao is great, Heaven is great, Earth is great, and the King is great. Now some texts state, “Humanity [人, Ren] is great” rather than the term ‘King [王, Wang].” However, in older texts, the King was deemed the ruler of humanity, and so it meant all of humanity as well.

Lao Zi then follows this by revealing how Humanity follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Tao, and from these four there is the self-becoming of the Naturally-Just-So [自然, Zi Ran], to become One with the Tao, or to Return to the Tao. This is likewise referred to in the very first sentence of this chapter, via the characters of Hun (混) and Cheng (成). Hun means to blend, chaos, and nebulous. Cheng indicated something formed and complete—so the first line of this chapter could as well be translated as “Something existed, a blending of formation and chaos.”

[Place image of Bai Yuchan text, #25]

Bai Yuchan Text

[1st Section]

[Lao Zi] Something nebulous existed [the Void] before Heaven and Earth were born.

有 物 混 成 〇 先 天 地 生.

Yǒu wù hún chéng ling xiān tiān dì shēng.

[Bai Yuchan] There exists something chaotic and yet defined.

有物混成

You Wu Hun Cheng

[Lao Zi] silent and empty,

寂 兮 寥 兮

Jì xī liáo xī

[Bai Yuchan] Before the birth of Heaven and Earth.

先天地生

Xian Tian Di Sheng

[Lao Zi] standing alone and unchanging.

獨 立 而不 改,

dú lì ér bù gǎi,

[Bai Yuchan] Existing solely in emptiness.

廓然獨存

Kuo Ran Du Cun

[Lao Zi] Moving cyclically, without end.

周 行 而 不 殆

zhōu xíng ér bù dài

[Bai Yuchan] Infinite and endless.

無窮無盡

wu  qiong wu jin

[Lao Zi] It may be called the Mother of All Under Heaven.

可 以 為 天 下 母.

kě yǐ wèi tiān xià mǔ.

[Bai Yuchan] Because it is able to give birth to Heaven and Earth.

能生天地

neng sheng tain di

[Lao Zi] I do not know its name,

吾 不 知 其 名,

Wú bù zhī qí míng,

[Bai Yuchan] This is the same for me [my name].

吾即我也

Wu Ji Wo Ye

[Lao Zi] Giving it an alias,Tao [the Void], but if forced to label it, I would call it “great.”

字 之 曰 道 〇 強 為 之名 曰 大

zì zhī yuē dào ling qiáng wèi zhī míng yuē dà

[Bai Yuchan] It is infinite.

無窮

Wu Ji

[Lao Zi] “Great,” is to say it is “departing.”

大 曰 逝

Dà yuē shì

[Bai Yuchan] It is unknown.

無著

Wu zhe

[Lao Zi] “Departing” is to say it is “distant.”

逝 曰 遠

shì yuē yuǎn,

[Bai Yuchan] Inexhaustible.

無盡

Wu jin

[Lao Zi] “Distant” is to say it is “returning.”

遠曰反

yuǎn yuē fǎn

[Bai Yuchan] Unceasing

無住

Wu zhu

[2nd Section]

[Lao Zi] Therefore, Tao is great [the Void]. Heaven is great,

故 道 大 〇 天 大

Gù dào dà ling tiān dà

[Bai Yuchan] Without origin they are the same.

同平無始

Tong ping wu shi

[Lao Zi] Earth is great

地 大

dì dà

[Bai Yuchan] There is no end.

同平無終

Tong ping wu zhong

[Lao Zi] and the King is also great.

王 亦 大

wáng yì dà

[Bai Yuchan]

The mind is the ruler.

心君也

xin jun ye

[Lao Zi] In the universe there are four great things,

域 中有 四 大

Yù zhōng yǒu sì dà,

[Bai Yuchan] None above can restore the vulgar, and none below can restore the profound.

上無復色下無復淵

shang wu fu se xia wu fu yuan

Spirit alone exists as a mystery and also is in the mysterious.

靈然獨存玄之又玄

ling ran du cun xuan zhi you xuan

[Lao Zi] and the King is one of them.

而 王 居 其 一 焉

ér wáng jū qí yī yān.

 [Bai Yuchan] This is the heart of the Tao.

即心是道

Ji Xin Shi Dao

[3rd Section]

[Lao Zi] Humanity models itself on the Earth.

人 法 地

Rén fǎ dì,

[Bai Yuchan] There is a basis for this.

有所據依

you suo ju yi

[Lao Zi] Earth models itself on Heaven.

地 法 天

dì fǎ tiān

[Bai Yuchan] Within the circle there is a model for the oneness of the profound immortal spirit.

一靈妙有法界圓通

yi ling miao you fa jie yuan tong

[Lao Zi] Heaven models itself on the Tao, [the Void] the Tao models itself on the “naturally-just-so.”

天法 道〇道 法 自 然

tiān fǎ dào ling dào fǎ zì rán.

 [Bai Yuchan] The Tao is just this and nothing more.

道如此而已

dao ru ci er yi