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清气阳为天,杳杳而上冲乎阳;浊气阴为地,冥冥而下从其物。(太虚之先,升寂何有?至精感微,而真一生焉,真一运灵而元气自化,自化元气者,乃无中之有,有中之无,广不可量,微不可察,氤氲渐着,混漠无倪,万象之端,朕兆于此。于是有清通澄朗之气,化而为天;浊滞烦昧之气,积而为地。故清者自浊而澄,高者自下而上。天高而浮,地厚而沉。浮者有彰动之象,故为阳;沉者有寂没之理,故为阴。清者上腾,高而纯阳,故充满;浊者下沉,密而纯阴,故冥寂。而万物从化之,故冲于上者为阳,而生万物;沉于下者为阴,而成万物,然而实始于一者也。)
清浊交分,人物混成,造化始于无相,因而三生。(太朴之散乾坤之形,分体一定乎尊卑,有阴阳之相摩,有刚柔之相推,变动以行其道,经纬以成其事。凡垂象于天者,莫非文也,有高下之相倾,广轮之相推,动静之所生,形势之所持。凡其质于地者,莫非礼也,故万物生于其间者,亦且出机入机,出冥入冥,方生方死,方死方生,域于轮转之地,而机之动不能自已,故草木黄落而菊始华,仓庚呜而鹰以化。一根荄之细,不知谁与之扶持,一昆虫之微,不知谁与之生死。戢戢而动植,非物与之雕刻也;芸芸而归根,非物与之揫敛也。自消自息,自智自力,自形自色,曾不知有造化之者,是人物混然而立也。则其光为日月,其文为星辰,其泽为雨露,其威为雷霆,辰集于房,月湛而明,日遄而化,此天之道也。其高为山岳,其大为江湖,其文为草木,其富为百谷,载万物而不慑,生万物而无穷,此地之德也。高而为君父,贵而为王侯,大而为郡牧,下而为庶民,文于仁义忠信,富于财谷布帛,成而祀天地,灵而驱万物,此人之事也。莫大乎天,莫厚乎地,莫灵于人,是以因于天体,成于地仪,范围天地,之化三才,由一而生也。)
Holistic Interpretation
The clear and ascending energy belongs to Yang, rising to form the heavens 🌬, ethereal and upward, surging to the pinnacle of Yang; the turbid and heavy energy belongs to Yin, settling to form the earth ⛰, deep and downward,顺从ly receiving and nurturing all things. (Before the universe took form, what existed in the vast silence? Through the most refined and subtle resonance, the True One energy emerged 🌱; as the True One activated its spiritual mechanism, the primal energy naturally evolved. This self-transforming primal energy is the existence within non-existence and the non-existence within existence—vast beyond measure, subtle beyond perception, gradually manifesting as an indistinct haze, boundless and traceless, where the beginnings of all phenomena sprouted. Thus, the clear and luminous energy transformed into the heavens, while the turbid and obscure energy accumulated to form the earth. The clear ascended from the turbid, and the lofty rose from the low. The heavens are high and dynamic, while the earth is thick and tranquil. The dynamic embodies the principles of manifestation and change, hence it is Yang 🔥; the tranquil embodies the principles of stillness and concealment, hence it is Yin 💧. The clear ascends, lofty and purely Yang, thus boundless and unobstructed; the turbid descends, dense and purely Yin, thus deep and silent. All things follow this transformation—the ascending energy is Yang, giving birth to all things; the descending energy is Yin, completing all things. Yet, in essence, they originate from the same energy.)
The interaction of clear and turbid energies gives rise to the blended existence of all beings and things. Creation begins from a formless state, thus generating the Three Powers: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity 🌍. (As the primal chaos dispersed, the forms of heaven and earth separated, and the noble and humble natures were established. Yin and Yang rubbed against each other, hardness and softness pushed and transformed, change moved along its path, and order accomplished its tasks. All manifestations in the heavens are displays of pattern—high and low leaning against each other, breadth and rotation pushing one another, movement and stillness giving rise to each other, form and momentum holding each other in balance. All substances condensed on earth are carriers of order—thus, all things are born between heaven and earth, entering and exiting the obscure realm of chance, living and dying, dying and living, confined to the cycle of reincarnation, yet the movement of life cannot cease. For example, as plants wither and turn yellow, chrysanthemums begin to bloom; as the cuckoo sings, hawks transform and emerge. A tiny blade of grass does not know what supports it; a minuscule insect does not know what governs its life and death. The bustling activity of plants and animals is not carved by external forces; the myriad beings returning to their roots are not gathered by another. All things naturally wax and wane, possess their own wisdom and strength, take their own forms and colors, unaware of a creator governing them—this is the blended co-creation of all beings and things. Their radiance transforms into the sun and moon, their patterns spread as stars, their moisture descends as rain and dew, their power erupts as thunder—stars gather in constellations, the moon waxes and wanes, the sun moves and transforms, this is the Way of Heaven. Their loftiness accumulates as mountains, their vastness converges as rivers and lakes, their patterns sprout as plants, their abundance generates grains—bearing all things without fear, producing all things without end, this is the Virtue of Earth. The lofty become rulers and fathers, the noble become kings and lords, the broad become administrators, the lowly become common people—adorned with benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and trust, enriched with wealth, grains, and textiles, capable of worshipping heaven and earth, their spiritual nature able to驱使 all things, this is the Work of Humanity. Nothing is greater than heaven, nothing thicker than earth, nothing more spiritual than humanity—thus, the earthly order is modeled on the celestial, encompassing the transformative work of heaven and earth, and the Three Powers arise from a single energy.)
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