E- Dao

Interpretations of Chinese thought is difficult for one who does not speak or read Chinese. Most works important to ABT's are old, written in ancient dialects no longer spoken or taught in China or Chinese language classes.

Luckily, I can glean a reasonable understanding of various works from scholars like Cleary, Wilhelm and Dreher. TCM methods are derived from centuries of Chinese thought and research, some of which can be gleaned by reading the works of great Chinese Masters. Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching also known as: The book of meaning and life is a great book to read. Not only for it's relation to Asian bodywork but also because it offers good advice to modern day situations.

I just discovered that many of the thing I've purchased in the past could have been bought on Ebay saving me lots of money and time that I could have used elsewhere. Once I found a new word processor for a fraction of it's original cost. The next day I bought the same thing because it was much cheaper than the first one I bought. A big problem for me is that I'm often outbidded. So, I try to create strategies on bidding. One day it had become evident that bidding had become quite an obsession that keep me at my computer long hours. I had been on Ebay nearly all day watching or checking on my bids. One of which was a copy of the Tao de Ching.

My modest bid for the Tao was beaten by another bidder. It all seemed wrong to compete for the Tao so I stopped altogether but not with my other bids. I justified my behavior as the thrill of bidding and allowed an aggressive and anxious spirit to take over me. I reasoned that it was worth it when when I won. In later reflections on that day I pondered why didn't I try a little harder to win the Tao book? Was I observing some taboo that prevents the sale or barter of the Tao? The answer was more simple than that. I already owned two different translations of it. Why would I need another when I don't make use of the ones I have? I hadn't stopped bidding out of respect for the book, the other bidder or anything else. It was out of respect for myself.

My copy of the Dao is a translation by Wilhelm. Randomly I selected a passage to read. The line from passage #44:

Whosoever amasses things inevitabley loses the important things.

Stuck a chord with me. Ebaying, as I had been was a major source of negative expressions. Not only does ebaying bring up an agressive spirit in me but it also comes with anxiety. I could hardly wait to get in the fray and make my bids. Then I check and recheck to make sure I'm the highest bidder. I didn't need the stuff I bidded on that badly.

That passage was a reminder that I needed to make changes if I was to remain an Ebayer. As I said before I was obsessed. For the chance of acquiring merchandise on Ebay I was giving up my peace of mind in exchange for chaos. Now, I think about strategies to allow me to use restraint, and bid conscientiously. One way is to first reconsider the value and utility of what I'm bidding on and then decide the maximun price I'm willing to pay, make it and walk away. I accept that if I am outbidded maybe I didn't need the item as much as I thought and let it go. This way I conserve my power for more important things like finding a use for the Tao in my everyday life.