When I was about 18 years old, one of my favourite past-times was rummaging through bookstores looking for interesting books to read. I tended to search for books that were a little esoteric and off the "radar range" for most people. The shop owner used to snub me because I often made a mess and seldom bought anything. He must have thought that I was using his bookshop like the local library!

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One day, I was in the shop as usual making a general nuisance of myself when I overheard a conversation the shop owner was having with a customer about a book titled the "Dao De Jing 道德经". The customer asked the shop owner what he thought of the book and judging from his response I could tell he sounded a bit vague.

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"Ah, it is a funny book - a bit hard to understand if you ask me, to be honest. It is like trying to say that crying is laughing and laughing is crying, so if you like that kind of stuff, then you should read it!" The shop owner replied.

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I was intrigued by his answer so I sneaked over to the corner and started searching for a copy of the book. I read the first two chapters and was completely mesmerised and intrigued at the same time. I immediately bought a copy and you should see the look on the shopkeeper's face. His jaw dropped and he was speechless! Great, I was sure then and there that he thought that not only was I a nuisance, I was weird as well!

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I remember staying up all night, reading the book from cover to cover, trying to comprehend what the book is all about. I have since bought several more English and Chinese versions of the book and there is always a copy by my bedside, as a constant companion and a reminder. To this day, I am still trying to unravel the mystery concealed within the pages of this brilliantly crafted work of "art". I guess I will never know because the answer is beyond words... strange, but true at the same time. 

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Later, when I was at university I continued my study of the Dao De Jing, albeit intermittently. Most of my friends laughed at me because they thought that I was mad. One day, while I was having a casual conversation with some friends at the entrance to the varsity's main library about my interest in the philosophy about the Dao, a senior student (let us call him, "Sam") overheard us and rather rudely butted in. He made a remark which I can still remember to this day,

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"Why are you reading these ancient Chinese texts for? They are useless and has no  practical value in today's modern world. The philosophy is garbage, so why the heck would you want to bother studying it? 老子老了了 ("Laozi Lao Liao Le" is a play on Chinese words which mean Laozi is old and archaic or out-of-date), just like you!"

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(The Chinese characters 老子 literally means "old person" if you want to be sarcastic; or it can be interpreted as the "Old Master" if you want to be respectful when referring to Laozi).

 

"Wake up man, we are living in the modern world. Just look at how far behind Chinese civilisation is compared with the west, all because of idiots like you and him! China is moving backwards, unlike the west which is moving forward." (Around this time, back in 1979, Deng Xiaoping 邓小平 was just opening up China to the world.)

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Indeed, China was looked down upon by all the other nations on earth throughout the 19th and 20th century, having suffered nearly two hundred years of ridicule and humiliation in the hands of all the European powers including UK, Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Russia, USA, and even Japan! (They were also known as the Eight Nation Alliance working to carve up China for themselves). Back then, China was backward and very poor. Being a communist country as well, hardly anyone wanted to be associated with China. If you wanted to learn the language back then, you would be stigmatised and labelled a communist sympathiser! It was not even offered as a language option at university back then. Most students studied Japanese as a second language instead because Japan was then seen as a progressive, economic powerhouse, even though her economy had gradually stagnated since.

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Fast forward twenty years, and we were at the dawn of the new millennium. China had opened her doors to foreign investments and her economy had grown a hundred-fold or more. Suddenly, the Chinese language was in demand and Sunzi's "Strategies in Warfare 孙子兵法", Laozi's "Dao De Jing 道德经 ", and Zhuangzi's "Inner Chapters 内篇" became best sellers and there were already hundreds of different translated versions of these books on offer. These texts were even being used by multinational corporations to train their staff, when formulating business strategies around the world. For the past twenty years at least, Sunzi's "Strategies in Warfare" (Sunzi Bing Fa 孙子兵法) has become a compulsory textbook at the famous U.S. Westpoint Military Academy in New York.

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One day, twenty years on since our last encounter at varsity, I bumped into Sam on the street in the hub of the central business district in the city. I was sure he remembered me even though we did not hang out together on campus much, apart from that one incident we had. He handed me his business card out of habit and told me that he was working for KPMG as a business management consultant even though he graduated as an engineer, and was on his way with a colleague, to give a presentation about Sunzi's "military strategies" adapted for business corporations. How ironic, I thought. I guess he got the job probably because he looked Chinese!

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Anyway, I dropped Sam a "cheeky" email the next day with the following story involving a conversation between Huizi 惠子 and Zhuangzi 庄子 about the Dao 道, which goes like this: 

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Huizi said to Zhuangzi, “All your teachings is centred around what has no use.”

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Zhuangzi replied, “If you have no appreciation for what has no use, then you cannot even begin to talk about what can be used. The earth for example, is broad and vast, but out of all this vast expanse a person uses only a few inches upon which he happens to be standing on. Now, suppose you suddenly take away all that he actually is not using, so that all around his feet a chasm yawns, and he is standing inside the void with nowhere else solid to stand on except beneath each foot. How long will he be able to use what he is using?”

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“It would cease to be useful (because all the 'useless or unused' space had been removed which means he cannot move at all!),” Huizi replied.

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Zhuangzi then concluded, “Precisely. This confirms the absolute necessity of what has 'no use’.” (This is a classic extension on the the theory of Yin and Yang!)

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I never got a reply back so I can only assume that he was either eating humble pie or simply ignoring my little poke at him. Anyway, the good news is he never lambasted me like the last time! I can but only chuckle when I recall this little episode in my life.

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It must be at least thirty years since I last bought another book about the Dao De Jing. My favourite English version of the book is still the one by Giafu Feng and Jane English titled, " Tao Te Ching". This is also the first copy of the book I ever bought over forty years ago! I would recommend it as a primer to everyone. [Note: There is no correct translation of the Dao De Jing available; or indeed, any word that can be used to describe the Dao because it would only place a limit on what the Dao encompasses.]

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After so many years of studying the Dao, you may ask what have I learnt? First and foremost, the Dao is always in the present that is why I am always learning. Indeed, Buddhism, including Zen, is based on this exact, same fundamental precept.

 

Secondly, the Dao is about doing what is natural, or Wuwei 无为. Contrary to what most people think, Wuwei does not mean "doing nothing". Hence, whilst most people interpret Wuwei in a negative way, I see it as a positive because it simply means not interfering with the flow of the Dao! Living according to the Dao is simply following the laws of nature (think about issues concerning conservation, pollution, climate change, etc., that are almost entirely man-made), which in general, are also the natural laws of physics, except that the Dao is organic while science principles are rigid. For example, the law of gravity make certain that we do not float away and wander off into outer space by ourselves. But as for something as organic as the Dao, you can be in a dream that can take you anywhere in the universe (think about the movie, "Avatar" and the world of Pandora); much like Zhuangzi dreaming that he was a butterfly. We are limited only by our imagination! Even Einstein agreed when he said, "Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere!"

 

Yes, we can design airplanes to temporarily circumvent the laws of physics so that we can travel round the globe, into outer space, and beyond. But then, circumventing the laws of physics have risks and consequences, like air pollution, spread of contagions from outer space or even amongst countries such as the global spread of the corona virus; or perhaps when planes and spaceships crash and burn because of mechanical failure or human error. So, always remember, where there are benefits there will also be risks; just like the two sides of a coin, the equivalent of which, is Yin and Yang.

 

Thirdly, enjoy your life and try not to be angry, no matter what happens! Not only can anger bring you sorrow and pain, it can affect your wellbeing and shorten your lifespan as well! But note that there is a distinct difference between anger and stress. Anger is what emanates from you, whereas stress is the perceived pressure bearing down upon you. Please do not mix up the two, although one can lead to the other. This reminds me of a funny Zen story:

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A Zen monk has a temper problem so he went to see his teacher, Master Bankei (盤珪永琢 1622 - 1693) about it: “Master, I have an uncontrollable temper. How can I get rid of it?”

“That is very strange indeed,” replied Bankei. “I have never seen it before, show me.”

“Right now I don't have it so I cannot show it to you,” replied the monk.

“Why can't you not show it to me?” asked Bankei.

“It arises unexpectedly,” replied the student.

“Then, it cannot be a part of your own true nature. If it is, you would be able to show it to me at any time. When you were born you did not have it, so your parents did not give it to you. Therefore, how can this anger be a part of you?” Bankei concluded.

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Following is a classical Chinese poem, handed down by word of mouth over the past several centuries within the Buddhist community for the benefit of the common people but it likely did not appear in a written form until as recent as the early 1900's titled, "Don't be angry 莫生气". It is about a typical couple lovingly, hand in hand, tended to each as they grow old together. I even know it by heart. So, keep this close to your heart because you never know, you may lose your temper for one momentary second and live to regret it for the rest of your life. Filled with remorse, you will have plenty of time to reflect, is it worth it?  Confucius was wise when he once said, "Words once spoken cannot be retrieved even by a team of four horses" or, "一言既出驷马难追 Yi Yan Ji Chu, Si Ma Nan Zhui".

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