the TAO of TATTOOING 14

Foreword

In this series of blog entries I will offer my fledgling, humble interpretations of Lao-Tsu's 81 chapters of the Tao te ching, as it applies to tattooing.  I am in no way attempting to represent myself as a master of Taoist philosophy, however Lao-Tsu's teachings have inspired me for several decades, and I often look to them for inspiration in dealing with the many challenges of my chosen profession.
   I intend to find my way through each of the chapters, and compile them here in my blog until they are complete, at which time I will publish them in book form for my friends and colleagues in tattooing. I hope that my interpretations might assist and inspire my peers, my clients, my friends, to better understand tattooing, and the meaningful impact it has on all of our lives.  And if perhaps these interpretations lead anyone back to the original teachings of Lao-Tsu, well then I will have truly done something to enrich the world.

the TAO of TATTOOING


14

The world of form and imagery
may overload an artists senses.
Seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling-
are enough to distract us from the mystery.
Seeking does not lead to finding.
clinging does not result in keeping.

There is no "secret" to be told.
There are no "tricks" to greatness.
Ones work is the result of the formless, and absolutely perfect
that has passed through the tattooer into the world of form.
One cannot make excuses for the way
this passage through self shapes the shapeless.

The mystery of tattooing cannot be unravelled
merely by learning about tattooing.
Know enough to know that you know nothing
and be at ease in your own career.
The beginning of wisdom in tattooing,
is to realize we must unravel ourselves.