Explanation of Tao Te Ching Part Twenty Five 

“Something mysteriously formed,
Born before heaven and Earth.
In the silence and the void,
Standing alone and unchanging,
Ever present and in motion.
Perhaps it is the mother of ten thousand things.
I do not know its name
Call it Tao.
For lack of a better word, I call it great.”

Trying to put what is infinite and immortal into words means that we have look it through many different ‘windows’ to give the reader a ‘glimpse’ of what it is or at least plant a flag at the destination so we realise where we are when we get there.

“Being great, it flows
It flows far away.
Having gone far, it returns. 

Therefore, “Tao is great;
Heaven is great;
Earth is great;
The king is also great.”
These are the four great powers of the universe,
And the king is one of them. 

Man follows Earth.
Earth follows heaven.
Heaven follows the Tao.
Tao follows what is natural.”

A breakdown of the ‘windows’ helps the readers of 2500 years ago to understand the role the Tao played in their lives and gives the chain of following nature with a firm root, to then aspire to that which is spiritually above their mortal life will allow them to understand the place of humanity in the universe and for them be at one with the Tao.