Wu Wei 無爲
The Wisdom of Wu Wei: Letting Good Things Happen
Why too much effort can be self-defeating
‘Strive for nonstriving’ Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching
Wu Wei means ‘non-doing’ or ‘doing nothing’. It could sound like a pleasant invitation to fall into laziness or apathy. Yet this concept is key to the noblest kind of action according to the philosophy of Daoism and is at the heart of what it means to follow Dao or The Way.
According to the central text of Daoism, the Dao De Jing: ‘The Way never acts yet nothing is left undone’.
This is the paradox of Wu Wei. It doesn’t mean not acting, it means ‘effortless action’ or ‘actionless action’. It means being at peace while engaged in tasks so that one can carry these out with maximum skill and efficiency. Something of the meaning of Wu Wei is captured when we talk of being ‘in the zone’ at one with what we are doing, in a state of profound concentration and flow.
Wu Wei is closely connected to the Daoist reverence for the natural world, for it means striving to make our behaviour as spontaneous and inevitable as certain natural processes, and to ensure that we are swimming with rather than against currents. We are to be like the bamboo that bends in the wind or the plant that adjusts itself to the shape of a tree. Wu Wei involves letting go of ideals that we may otherwise try to force too violently onto things; it invites us instead to respond to the true demands of situations, which tend only to be noticed when we put our own ego-driven plans aside. What can follow is a loss of self-consciousness, a new unity between the self and its environment, which releases an energy that is normally held back by an overly aggressive, wilful style of thinking. But none of this means we won’t be able to change or affect things if we strive for Wu Wei. The Dao De Jing points out that we should be like water, which is ‘gentle’ and yet can’t be surpassed for attacking what is hard and strong. Through gentle persistence and a compliance with the specific shape of a problem, an obstacle can be worked round and gradually eroded.
The idea of achieving the greatest effects by a wise strategic passivity is central to Wu Wei. A good life can not be attained by Wu Wei alone but this Daoist concept captures a distinctive wisdom we may at times be in desperate need of, when we are in danger of damaging ourselves through an overly stern and unyielding adherence to ideas which simply don’t fit the demands of the situation as it is.
Wu Wei is about knowing when effort is appropriate and when effort isn’t appropriate. Obviously, it doesn’t apply to tasks that you must exert effort to finish: reports don’t write themselves and garages don’t clean themselves. It applies to the most valuable things in life which cannot be achieved by simply expending effort and trying harder. What’s more, efforts can often be self-defeating e.g. too much effort devoted to being happy will likely make you miserable.
This may not be what people who are yearning for happiness or love want to hear, especially if they’ve been waiting for a long time with no success. Most people like to feel that they’re in control and doing something towards a worthy goal. Being proactive, feels better than doing nothing. But in many cases, as paradoxical as it sounds, doing nothing is doing something, and is likely the best way to find true happiness or true love, or both!
“The Tao does nothing, yet nothing is left undone.” Tao Te Ching
So much of our culture is rooted in the need to achieve, accomplish, acquire and attain. It’s little wonder stress is the great pandemic of modern life.
We are conditioned from a young age to feel a sense of lack and limitation; the feeling that whatever we have and are is never enough. This compels us to take action in the world; to close the gap between what we think we are and what we believe we should be.
Indeed, action is unavoidable in life. It’s impossible to do nothing. Even just to survive we have to constantly do; we have to eat and drink, move, sleep, and take care of our body. Just to maintain the simplest of lives takes effort, least of all the effort required to earn a basic income.
However, action doesn’t have to go hand in hand with stress.
It’s possible to live in the World with ease and freedom; to engage with life without being overcome by stress, anxiety and heartache.
Doing Without Doing
The Taoist notion of Wu Wei is often translated as ‘actionless action’ or ‘doing without doing.’ Like many things in the Tao Te Ching, it’s a delicious paradox.
To embody Wu Wei is to live in a state of alignment with the flow of life. It means to respond effortlessly to the needs of any situation without resorting to struggle and force.
The teaching of the Tao Te Ching is really very simple. Stop trying to control and grasp. Instead of moving against life, let life move through you but aligning and surrendering to the Tao (the natural flow of life).
The expression ‘going with the flow’ is Wu Wei in a nutshell!
Although you are taking action, there’s the recognition that you, the ‘doer’ that you take yourself to be, isn’t really the one calling the shots. You are but an instrument through which the breath of life moves. As Rumi once asked “The breath of the flute player; does it belong to the flute?”
This flow state is characterised by effortlessness, ease and allowing the right action to unfold at the right time in the right manner.
Everything in life has its own flow, its own pace and speed. If we can tune into and align ourselves with it, we can achieve without undue exertion and enjoy effortless ease in all that we do. We find that we instinctively know what to do and when to do it. This intelligence is the Tao at work within and around us. Relax into this flow and allow the Tao to direct your life.
When we act from this state of Wu Wei, things tend to flow perfectly.
It also feels incredibly good! Wu Wei is characterised by a relaxed sense of wakefulness, a peaceful alert attention that feels highly invigorating and joyful.
The art of Wu Wei is the art of alchemy. Even seemingly intractable situations can be resolved with minimal effort by adopting this mode of being.
Wu Wei: Allowing action to arise spontaneously
Overcoming the Mind’s Need to Control
This is not something that may come easily to you, however. It will likely feel counterintuitive and even threatening. The mind likes to think it’s in control of situations and is hesitant to let go of that illusion of control. In fact, the mind will fight tooth and nail to stay ‘in control’.
That’s why it’s unlikely that you’ll master Wu Wei all at once. Instead, you should see this as an experiment; both a skill and an art form that will take time to master.
It’s will take many years to have any great success at cultivating Wu Wei. But as time is going to pass anyway we may as well put it to good use.
Sometimes it comes easily, and other times the mind begins to contract and try to reassert control. The key is to relax the mind as much as possible.
It’s best to practice Wu Wei when things are going reasonably smoothly in life. Whenever things get on top of us, there’s the danger of slipping into stress mode. ‘I have so much to do, I don’t have TIME for ‘actionless action!’
We have an unconscious assumption that responding to stressful situations with stress is the only appropriate and productive response.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. Stress helps nothing. It clouds and distorts our thinking, making it harder to view situations with objectivity and to, therefore, respond appropriately.
By embodying Wu Wei, however, you begin to dance with life.
You never get completely pulled in by stressful thoughts and the mind’s projections. You remain grounded in the simplicity of present moment and align with the creative intelligence of life.
Solutions often appear as if by magic. Insights happen. You feel prompted to move in a certain direction and to try things you’d perhaps never considered before. By allowing action to happen as it wants to happen, you surrender to the flow of life as it gently moves through you and around you.
Here are some tips on living from this state of effortless ease. It might take a leap of faith to be able to step back a bit and be willing to loosen up the reins…but experiment with it. Be brave. You might be amazed at what happens.
Cultivating Wu Wei
1. RELAX!
Tension constricts not just the body but also the mind and emotions. It’s not a healthy way to exist, especially when it’s consistently sustained and becomes our normal mode of functioning. I’m sure you’ve noticed that when you’re feeling light and at ease, the World, situations and people seem so much easier to deal with.
A state of relaxed alertness enables us to deal with situations simply and with ease, and it’s also contagious. When we’re stressed out, tense and frustrated, no one wants to be around us and we tend to get other people’s backs up.
But when we’re relaxed, peaceful and at ease, people are more likely going to want to hang around us and work with us rather than against us. Meditation and Yoga really help in this respect. In fact, in this stressful society of ours, some form of Yoga, meditation, or relaxation practice is pretty much essential to our wellbeing. It should actually be prescribed by doctors!
2. Know When And How To Respond Appropriately
When you’re feeling peaceful and balanced, your mind is relatively clear and you can more accurately see, gauge and respond to situations.
The answers are usually there, or will present themselves when you step out of the way and stop creating obstructions to the flow. In this state of effortless effort, all you need to do is look, listen and respond in the most appropriate way using all the knowledge, experience and resources available to you.
Another essential component of Wu Wei is knowing when not to act.
Sometimes holding back is the most appropriate response until we feel truly moved to take action.
Life is all about the yin-yang balance of action and inaction.
3. Alternate Work And Rest.
Observe the ebb and flow of life. It’s a perfect balance. Don’t work on something until you’re absolutely exhausted. Take regular breaks to recharge and refresh. It’s been shown that we work best when short, intense bursts of activity are followed by periods of rest. When you come back to whatever you’re doing, your mind will be fresher leading to greater insights, productivity, ease and enjoyment.
Also, whatever it is you’re doing try to keep the enjoyment alive. Find some aspect of it that you enjoy (however tiny) and focus on that. The mode of enjoyment is energising and invigorating, whereas the feeling of drudgery and boredom constricts and dampens. If there’s nothing you particularly enjoy about what you’re doing, then at least maintain an attitude of acceptance. That’s also helpful for neutralising bad feelings and keeping the flow alive.
4. Let Go Of The Results.
Do your best and let go of the results. We are responsible for our actions but not for the results of our actions. Why? Because every result in life is dependent not on a single cause, but on a multiplicity of causes that are outside of our control.
It doesn’t make sense to worry about what we don’t and can’t control. That’s a recipe for a life of misery. Just accept that there’s a greater whole in life; a field of potentiality that ultimately takes care of everything anyway, even if the immediate results are not what we might have wanted. Whatever happens in life happens because it couldn’t have been any other way.
This single understanding, if fully realised, is almost all you need to live a stress-free life. It’s the essence of Yoga. Do your best, and let life take care of the rest.
There’s a natural order to life, and when we come back into balance with that, life becomes simpler, more peaceful and harmonious.
Let go, let it happen, keep it simple, be kind, and enjoy life.
Have fun experimenting with the art of actionless action.