What is Permanence in Taoism? 什么是常

It refers to the ultimate return to the origin and the fulfillment of one’s innate destiny amid the transformations of all things.

What is Permanence in Taoism?

The concept derives from Chapter 16 of the Dao De Jing: "Reach the utmost of emptiness, hold fast to the perfection of stillness. All things rise and flourish, and I watch their return. All things grow abundant, yet each returns to its root. Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called the fulfillment of destiny; fulfillment of destiny is called the Eternal Constant; knowing the Eternal Constant is called enlightenment. Not knowing the Eternal Constant leads to reckless actions and misfortune." All things are born of the The Dao and then undergo endless transformation. Though the myriad phenomena of the world are complex and diverse, all transformations move in an endless cycle and return to their primal origin. This universal phenomenon of all things cycling back to their root is what is meant by Chang.

To comprehend this truth, one must keep the mind pure, empty and still, and act in accordance with natural non-action—only then can one apprehend the Dao and become one with it. Otherwise, one will deviate from the Dao and fall into calamity. Laozi’s category of Chang highlights the essence of the Dao and the inevitability of acting in accordance with it, bearing profound philosophical significance as the universal law and the inherent measure of all things.