the TAO of TATTOOING 22

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


22


The tattooer who has few desires,
may very well achieve them.
The tattooer with many desires,
may very well have none of them.

Do we praise those who seek praise?
Or those who do not?
Do we think well of those who boast?
Or of those who do not?

When a tattooer does not compete,
others cannot compete with him.
Only in forgetting everything else,
can you remember yourself.
It is in being yourself,
that you will succeed.