THE TAO TE CHING - VERSE 9

This week I’m using Stephen Mitchell’s interpretation of the 9th Verse of the Tao Te Ching as the basis of my blog.

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.

I interpret this verse to mean that if I live in the Tao I know when to stop.  First of all if I am connected to Source I am satisfied no matter how much I have or don’t have.  But even if I’m an expert manifester...which I believe I am...if I stay tuned to my higher Source I know when enough is enough.  I know when to step back and enjoy the serenity of my manifestations.  This concept has always been true for me, whether it be eating, drinking, working, shopping, whatever it is that is going on with me, if I stay aware and connected at the time of the actions I know what is best for me.  A perfect example was last night as I was sitting on my lanai and decided to have a glass of one of my favorite liqueurs.  As I watched the lights and the water below me, I moved into an unintentional meditation, really feeling a strong sense of the Now and a magnificent connection to Source.  All of a sudden I realized I really didn’t want any more liquor, that enough was enough.  So I stopped drinking long before the glass was finished and felt satisfied with where I was at that moment. 

Byron Katie writes about this verse in terms of how “...nothing outside us can give us what we’re really looking for....everything comes and goes.”  I identified with those words because that’s exactly what is going on when I over eat or drink, or I push myself to make more money or buy more things, I’m looking for something outside of me to make me feel better.  Yet nothing outside of me will ever satisfy me nor can everything outside of me be used all at once.  And everything will be gone someday because it will either disintegrate or I’ll die and can’t take it with me. 

I’ve had cravings for food, like ice cream—or anything fried--that when I finally ate it, I realized it really wasn’t as good as my craving for it convinced me it would be.  That is why my most successful attempts to lose weight are always when I stay aware of what I’m eating and how hungry I am.  Then when I get a craving, I ask myself why I want this food, versus mindlessly eating whatever is in front of me.

I have learned over time that it is the ego that wants more and more, not the Tao that is inside me.  So this is a good lesson for me to utilize this week as I have houseguests arriving today, which means we’ll be eating out more, drinking more and imbibing treats I don’t normally eat.  If I stay in awareness and listen to what the Tao wants for me, I can still enjoy the meals, alcohol and treats but will also be aware of when enough is enough.

References:

Mitchell, Stephen (2009-10-13). Tao Te Ching (p. 6). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

The Laozi (2009-10-04). The Tao Teh King, or the Tao and its Characteristics (Kindle Locations 29-30). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.

Mitchell, Stephen; Katie, Byron (2007-02-06). A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are (p. 13). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Dyer, Wayne Dr. 1 Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life, Audio Version, (Disc 2)