The Wu Wei Way

My Wu Wei Tee Shirt.

 
Acceptance is not resignation.  Preparation does not need specific intent.  When things arise, skillfully apply yourself as is necessary.  Master the situation without attachment, it is only your skills in action.  This is a basic premise for several eastern spiritual and martial arts traditions.  In Taoism, this is part of wu wei.   An exact definition of wu wei differs among various Taoist perspectives.  But wu wei is generally thought of as “non-action.”  I find it useful to think of it as prepared non-action.

At its core, wu wei emphasizes the idea of going with the flow and not forcing or interfering with the natural order of things. It does not mean complete inaction or laziness.  Couch potatoes are not wu wei practitioners. Rather, it refers to action that is spontaneous, effortless, and relevant toward the Tao.

Wu wei suggests that instead of exerting excessive effort, one should cultivate a state of relaxed awareness, allowing actions to arise naturally and effortlessly. It involves acting without attachment, expectations, or resistance.  According to Taoism, by doing so one can avoid unnecessary struggles and find balance and peace in life.  Theoretically, anyway.  

If you never attempt anything, if you live a completely passive life, if you are a cave-dwelling meditator,  something will, nevertheless, happen to you.  Life will, quite naturally, happen to you.  Challenges and suffering will emerge in the happening of life.  It does not matter what you do or don't do, something will happen.  So you don't have to do anything other than be prepared when something happens.  When it happens you need to be ready.  Wu wei is about being ready (without anticipation) as much as non-action.  With wu wei you wait without anticipation.  You wait while learning your skills.

As I have mentioned before, Taoism is a rather unique religion/philosophy in that it is all about cultivating a life-practice consisting of a wide variety of skills.  While most religious skills are worship, prayer, and fasting, Taoism is about developing martial arts skills, meditation, longevity, divination, yin-yang, among others in addition to the worship of deities (in its religious context).  

Taoism developed as a philosophy first, largely for leaders, the wise and upper classes.  It became a religion centuries later as it spread through the masses in a few regions of China.  It is possible for a Taoist to practice the philosophy without any religious trappings at all, or you can practice it only through the worship of deities.  This makes Taoism one of the world's most flexible and useful metaphysical perspectives.
 
Such a person is left with a myriad of skills that are best pursued in great variety.  To highlight a few possibilities, you might practice Tai Chi, meditation, Kung Fu, cooking, sexuality, health, herbs, exercise, divination, Qigong, yin-yang, I-Ching, Feng Shui, and aimless wandering - in differing combinations (you don't have to do all of that).  Taoism encourages exploring a variety of skills that you can positively apply to your life.  This is the essence of the self-cultivation practice at the heart of Taoism.  Importantly, the wide variety of possible Taoist practices suggests that there is benefit to be derived from a variety of approaches, not just one or two.

By contrast, most religions rely on mere faith expressed through worship and prayer and scriptural knowledge.  Compared with Taoism, however, this is a very limited way of self-cultivation.  If you explore your own life you will discover that skills are more useful than faith.  With skills you can do all sorts of things.  This seems self-evident.  With faith you are limited by your belief system and you might cultivate no skills at all other than prayer and ritual.  Learning life skills is inherently more beneficial than faith-based living which basically says that belief knowledge is the only “skill” that matters.  

Wu wei is another Taoist skill.  It is a skill that says, practice all your skills and relevantly apply them to what happens to you in life.  You do not aggressively pursue any outcome.  But when events happen (karma always arises in your life) then you act skillfully and appropriately as the situation requires.  Afterwards you return to your way of being, non-action, unaffected other than applying to your self-cultivation what you have learned (if anything).  This is wu wei in a nutshell.

I have found that wu wei offers the best possible course for me to take now that I spend most of my time with my elderly mom with Alzheimer's and take care of the affairs of my dad who has suffered a debilitating stroke.  This is something that has happened to my life.  I did not choose (nor certainly desire) any of this.  I did not “deserve” this (which is a shallow but standard understanding of karma).  I have a set of skills that I have developed throughout life.  They are not all necessarily Taoist skills, but the concept of wu wei proves useful for me at this time.  I am going to use my experience for self-cultivation and to try to improve my skills as long as my parents remain in my care.  Wu wei is like a bolt of lightning in my brain.  It is so obviously the proper path for me to take.  And so I am now practicing it in my daily life.  This is the natural wisdom contained in what is happening.  I almost have no choice.

My present situation requires me to to take on financial responsibilities that are not my own.  I must care for and hopefully help thrive a person who cannot remember what she said two minutes ago.  I must emotionally support a man who has always done everything for himself, who loved to be outdoors, who can now do almost nothing because his legs are weak and often unresponsive.  I must try to maintain my relationship with my spouse, my dog, my daughter and the whole of my family as needed.  This is my life now.

But that is only part of what I must do.  Just as essentially I must find balance of all this with who I am.  I must continue to exercise, practice Tai Chi, read, write, contemplate, anticipate, be curious, minimize anxiety, continue to improve.  I must do all this with less time for myself.  I must become more flexible, more committed, more insightful.  I must trust the special synergy that comes from developing a wide variety of skills.

This is not easy.  At the moment, I am a fumbling wu wei practitioner.  I am plagued by anger and frustration, uncertainty and fatigue.  I take it out on Jennifer and Avery sometimes and I don't mean to do that.  We talk it through.  I will try to do better, I really will.  My nature is to be anxious and sometimes decisively brutal.  I have always been this way.  That is okay.  I am who I am.  But it is quite another thing to allow this situation with my parents to feed into my shortcomings.  Wu wei wants me to be more skillful than that.

It is far better to develop my skills.  Cultivate who I am through a variety of disciplines, some traditional, some original.  My life is to focus not on what is happening,  Rather, I direct my attention to what is  necessary to be relevant and skillful with what is happening.  My primary focus should be on developing my skills, applying them to myself and socially.  That is the only way to find the sense of flow that is so critical to wu wei.

The good news is I have plenty to work with.  I make plenty of mistakes.  The situation is a bit overwhelming at times and I have to cope.  This affords me many opportunities to learn through my successes and my failures.  I regret that my failures sometimes have karmic consequences toward others.  But that is the way things happen.  My successes have karmic consequences as well.  And I have no control over how my intentions are taken by others.  Therefore, it is best, not to be too attached to them.

The epitaph on Charles Bukowski's headstone reads “Don't try.”  I always thought that was an enigmatic yet cool fact.  But now I see it in a different light.  Wu wei is about not trying.  You attempt to develop your skills, of course, and to master them as much as you can, to keep learning.  But the application of your skills should be without trying.  If you are skillful enough you can address life and flow with life, mastering it effortlessly.  All you have to do is to be relevant at the moment of opportunity.  That involves wisdom, not trying.
 
In wu wei you wait instead of try.  As Yoda would say: “Do or do not, there is no try.”  You don't act so much as you apply yourself relevantly.  This is obvious with things like great sport athletes being “in the zone” as they compete.  They are competing but they are not putting forth any unnecessary effort.  They are relying upon their skills, doing what is necessary in their moment, effortlessly.

Of course, great athletes don't spend their lives in the zone,  They frequently attach themselves to their accomplishments and behave aggressively toward competitors.  This is as it should be.  But it is not wu wei.  Wu wei is to compete like an athlete as required and do it without attachment.  Your focus is on your skills, not whatever happens in your life.

This is much easier to type and write than it is to actually accomplish.  But I see what needs to be done in my life right now.  The question is can I learn to do it with multiple skills, all continually developing, being applied as life happens?  Seeing the need for it, seeing that my focus should not be upon life (life will always happen to me no matter my focus) but, rather, upon my skills and their application to other people and events as they happen.  This will give me the best opportunity to practice wu wei.

According to wu wei, by practicing non-action and focusing on developing my skills, I can cultivate a heightened sense of awareness and discernment, that maximizes my ability to perceive and navigate the complexities of life. In this way, I will know how to apply the skills of my self-cultivation practice appropriately.

Ziran (自然) is a Taoist term approximating appropriate response.  Ziran can be translated as "acting in accordance with nature" or "acting spontaneously."  It emphasizes the importance of aligning your actions with the inherent patterns and principles unfolding in life.  It involves being attuned to the flow of life and responding authentically and intuitively, without imposing personal desires or artificial constructs.  Ziran encourages individuals to act in a way that is in tune with the natural order, following the spontaneous course of events and responding in a manner that is in harmony with the needs of the situation.

My amateurish understanding is that, while ziran does not exclusively focus on appropriate response (it has a larger Taoist context – it also means “as it is”), it encompasses the idea of responding to the specific context and requirements of each situation (as it is). It reflects the Taoist belief that there is an inherent wisdom within the unfolding of events, and by aligning with this wisdom, one can respond skillfully and effectively.  In other words, what happens will reveal wisdom through how it happens.  You only have to be skillful enough to see it.  

A professional athlete, in the zone, is skillful and totally active.  But they are not thinking of themselves in that moment.  They are not thinking at all.  They are not attached to moments that the game or match or race or whatever it is demands of them.  They simply do.  They do perfectly because they have prepared but also because the moment itself is pregnant with the wisdom of their sport.  They arise to the moment not because they have planned it but because they master the wisdom of the moment and skillfully execute.

Support for this approach can be found in various Taoist texts.  For example, in Chapter 34 for the Tao Te Ching we find:  "The great Tao flows everywhere. It may go left or right. All things depend on it for life, and it does not turn away from them. It accomplishes its task, but does not claim credit for it. It clothes and feeds all things, but does not rule over them. Always without desires, it may be called small. All things come to it and it does not master them; it may be called great."
 
Appropriate response implies a keen observation and contextual understanding of your present situation.  The concept of patient observation, punctuated by skillful action, resonates with the Taoist understanding of wu wei.  Mindful awareness, non-attachment, and the ability to discern the appropriate response in any given situation are all part of Taoist teachings and obviously come into play with such skills as martial arts. By observing and understanding the natural patterns and rhythms of life, one can navigate the world with greater ease and effectiveness.

Effortless action and appropriate response are interconnected but distinct aspects of wu wei.  The former refers to acting in a way that is spontaneous, natural, and aligned with the flow of the Tao. It involves a state of non-forcing, where actions arise without excessive effort or resistance. Effortless action is characterized by a sense of ease, grace, and lack of self-consciousness. It is an action that arises effortlessly from a place of inner alignment, attuned with the present moment.

On the other hand, appropriate (active) response refers to responding to the circumstances or situations that arise through karma in a manner that is fitting, skillful, and harmonious. It involves discerning the most suitable course of action and engaging in deliberate and purposeful behavior based on that discernment. An appropriate response takes into account the specific context, needs, and dynamics of the situation.

In the practice of wu wei, both aspects are essential. Effortless action allows you to move in harmony with the Tao, without undue striving or interference, while appropriate response ensures that you act skillfully and effectively in alignment with the needs of the moment.  The key is to cultivate a balance between the two, allowing actions to arise spontaneously while also responding appropriately to the unique demands of each situation.

The relationship between effortless action and appropriate response is an excellent example of the yin-yang dynamic. Yin-yang represents the complementary and interconnected nature of seemingly opposing forces, and it can offer insights into the relationship between these two aspects of wu wei.

Effortless action is the yin aspect, representing receptivity, flow, and non-action. It embodies the qualities of yielding, softness, and adaptability, allowing one to harmonize with the natural rhythm of the Tao. Effortless action involves letting go of excessive effort, ego-driven desires, and the need for control, embracing instead a state of relaxed awareness and non-interference.

Appropriate response is the yang aspect, representing assertiveness, action, and engagement. It embodies qualities such as discernment, decisiveness, and skillful action. Appropriate response involves active engagement with the circumstances, drawing upon one's wisdom, intuition, and expertise to act effectively and purposefully.

Just as the yin and yang are interdependent and interpenetrating, both aspects of wu wei are seen to be essential and mutually supportive. Effortless action provides the foundation for appropriate response by cultivating a receptive and attuned state of being, while appropriate response gives practical expression to the insights gained through effortless action.

The yin-yang relationship reminds you that these aspects are not in opposition but rather work together in a harmonious dance. In the practice of wu wei, I seek to embody the balance between receptive observation and skillful action, allowing myself to flow seamlessly and harmoniously with the Tao.

"The Tao never does anything, yet through it all things are done." This quote from Chapter 37 of the Tao Te Ching reinforces the idea of appropriate action and non-action in the context of wu wei. It suggests that the Tao, the underlying principle of the universe, does not actively intervene or force things to happen. Yet, through its inherent nature and natural flow, everything unfolds and is accomplished.

This quote highlights the paradoxical nature of wu wei, where action arises spontaneously and effortlessly from a state of non-action. It implies that when one aligns with the flow of the Tao, there is a natural unfolding of events, and things are accomplished without the need for excessive effort or interference.

Makes for a great spiritual brochure doesn't it?

This is all well and good.  Like most philosophies or religions, wu wei and all that it entails can seem rarified by those professing or teaching it.  What I am experiencing in my life today seems to require something slightly less sublime.  In my case, the “flow” of life is, in fact, a maximum interruption of life to which I must adjust.  My challenge is to exhibit skillful action in circumstances I did not choose and do not wish to be a part of.  Since March, my life has seemed anything but effortless.

Ah, but that's the key.  Here's a central challenge (and hope) of wu wei. The “flow” of life is sometimes like swimming through white rapids and going over a waterfall.  It is difficult and even dangerous.  It takes you somewhere you never wanted to go.  Wu wei, as I experience it, is not “happy go lucky” or even “take it as it comes.”  It requires discipline to find the “effortless” part of action or non-action.  I find the initial shock of my circumstances disorienting and difficult.

But this very challenge is, in fact, my opportunity to discover wu wei.  What happens reveals wisdom in how it happens.  The happening of life reveals wisdom.  This fact is made obvious to me by the overwhelming nature of my situation.  It is a transforming revelation without fully mastering the knowledge it contains.

I had to find a way to reduce the stress on myself and on others and, in doing so, I accidentally discovered that wu wei was the best solution to my difficulties.  I found that the more flexible I became, the less I held on to wanting things to be a certain way, the easier my life became.  In turn, by focusing on developing my skills (definitely a work in progress), I discovered a renewed motivation to master them, to acquire new skills and apply them to my immediate life, which, in turn, also made life easier.  There is a long way to go but I can clearly identify why wu wei is a useful approach to my problematic life and, ultimately, to the rest of my life whenever I get to the other side of this present challenge.

Beyond wu wei's usefulness to me at the moment, however, I have to question its application to the broader context of life.  Is wu wei the appropriate response to global warming?  How would wu wei fare in the war in Ukraine?  Where is the “inherent wisdom” is these and other such crises?  Of what use is the wisdom of non-action to a sales person with a quota?  What is the relationship between human innovation and non-action?  Would Oppenhiemer have invented the atomic bomb if he practiced non-action?  What is wu wei in a world of deepfaked AI or virtual reality?  Taoism in general and wu wei in particular seeks to discover the wisdom inherent in the natural world.  Does this mean that humanity's overwhelming disregard and abuse of the natural world somehow affects wisdom itself?

These are questions I ponder.  For, as sure as I can see the utility of wu wei in my present life, I cannot yet see its utility in the Anthropocene, an epoch that Taoism, it seems to me, never saw coming.  Or, perhaps the denaturalization of the world, the disenchantment of the world, the reduction of the world to consumption and convenience reveals a deeper understanding of the Tao.  Maybe that is a topic for some future post.  I have to noodle more on it.  I find that hard to believe, but I am willing to consider the possibilities even as I know beyond a doubt that my present circumstances would be far worse if I had never discovered and applied myself to wu wei to begin with.

Everything that happens, happens only when it can happen.  All happenings contain wisdom.  The sage skillfully discerns the wisdom as it arises.  You cannot learn anything before it is taught.  That is a hopeful perspective.  I'm not sure whether or not I agree with it.  Perhaps wisdom often does not come from a better world.  Perhaps wisdom often emerges out of the suffering and misguided paths we all seem to take.  Maybe our future will be the only future possible, our troubles are the lessons we must study and reckon with along the way.  After that, wisdom is finally revealed as the threshold out of everything that happens.  Out of Tao.  That seems to be where I stand now...and possibly where I have always stood.