“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself”
Wu Wei is a Chinese concept central to Taoism and a core theme of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. Translated literally as ‘non-doing,’ Wu Wei is not so much about ‘doing nothing’ as it is about aligning our movement with the greater flow of life. Often referred to as ‘natural action,’ Wu Wei does not involve excessive effort or struggle, but a kind of ‘going with the flow’ where we are able to move with the energy of the moment and respond freely to whatever situation that arises.
‘noncontrivance’ or ‘nonforcing’. It means freedom from reflexive doing: acting when it is time to act, not acting when it is not time to act. Action is thus aligned with the natural movement of things, in service to that which wants to be born.
What Lao Tzu discovered is that we are already “in motion” as part of the flow of the Universe, and that when we resist the flow, we take unnecessary action. Not-doing is taking away the “unnecessary action” that clutters up our minds, our to-do lists, our sanity, and our lives.
In pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped. Less and less do you need to force things, until finally you arrive at non-action. When nothing is done, nothing is left undone. True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way. It can’t be gained by interfering
We each have moments in our life when we access flow. In these moments – through sheer focused intent or absolute letting go (or a combination of both) – we enter a state of connectedness to what we are doing, and our movements become simultaneously highly productive and effortlessly expressed.
What if, beyond the many details and mixed agendas of our daily life, we each had direct access to experience a sense of oneness and flow everyday, no matter what we were doing?
Many Taoist adepts chose to explore the essence of Wu Wei by withdrawing from society – wandering freely through the mountains, meditating for long periods in caves
According to Lao Tzu, the ultimate expression of Wu Wei is found not only in retreat from the world but in our experience of flow in the way that we live in it.
Wu Wei tells us that ultimately the most effective way of doing anything is to follow the way of nature. As we tune into the natural flow of any task, we may find that there are critical actions for us to take, but by aligning with the energy of what we are pursuing, we can often achieve way more by doing less.
How nature does its work reveals many perfect examples of Wu Wei. The cycles of the sun, the rotation of the earth, the orbit of the moon, the flow of rivers to create and feed valleys, the life of a tree to grow and give life to so many others… Each is highly productive, fit for the purpose to naturally deliver that which it was born to deliver. Each does its work without doing it.
If we are growing a plant and we have created the right conditions for growth with healthy soil, sun and water, there comes a time when the very best way to ensure the growth of the plant is simply to leave it alone. More water, more sun, more fertiliser won’t help, in fact, too much of any of these may stifle the growth of the plant. We remain attentive, connected to the plant’s needs but for the time being, doing nothing is just what is needed. Wu Wei teaches us to not force actions but to let them take their course of nature.
When we look around at the world today, it seems there is so much to do. Amidst our striving for progress, personal achievement, and in some cases, survival, the idea of ‘non-doing’ can feel out of reach. Fortunately, the essence of Wu Wei is simplicity and there are some small things we can do (and not do!) each day to help us align with the natural flow of life. Here are a few you could try for yourself:
This “Not-Doing” requires major conscious paradigm shifts in to-do lists and also to our life:
Redefine productivity from getting the most done to having the greatest impact with the least effort
Redefine “not-doing” from laziness to intelligent action
Redefine “perspective-taking” time from “wasted” to highly productive time (it’s Covey’s “sharpening the saw”)
Redefine the mark of a leader as someone who succeeds “by pushing hard” to someone who “wisely looks for flow”
Redefine our belief that if it’s to happen we’re going to have to do it, to trusting that we are well taken care of
Redefine our belief that life is meant to be a struggle to life is meant to be effortless. It is if we pursue inspired action.
Redefine success in our to-do list and in life from acquiring (things, accomplishments, control, self-importance) to letting go (non-attachment to things, accomplishments, control, self-importance)
When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives might be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. Wendell Berry, b. 1934
Finding Our Wu Wei
Spending time in nature – If our fundamental aim is to align with the natural flow of life, there is no better teacher and no better place to connect with this aspect of ourselves than in the natural world.
Giving without condition – As we come into alignment with the natural world, we are reminded of the generosity that comes when living systems are in harmony with themselves and each other. A single seed produces fruit which feeds many and gives forth a thousand more seeds. The sun gives everything that it has without being drained. A river gives life each step and turn of the way as it follows its calling from mountain to the sea. One of our most natural expressions of flow we experience in life is to give freely to each other. When we allow ourselves to follow our spontaneous callings to give – even in small ways – we bring ourselves into alignment with the generous nature of life and (without trying or looking for it) open ourselves to receive in ways that we could not have imagined.
Letting go of how we think it’s supposed to look – There may always be elements of our life that we consciously plan for, but every step along the way will invariably reveal passageways and possibilities that we could not have predicted. Sometimes our efforts to fulfill the plan and gain a predictable outcome shuts us off from seeing what other possibilities may be waiting to reveal.
Staying open to spontaneous emergence – One of the fundamental principles of Wu Wei is that the essence of flow is not premeditated, but arises spontaneously.
Discern between “inspired doing” vs. “industrious doing”
The hardest thing about this is the tension it creates with others. When you shift away from moving towards things, progressing towards extrinsic goals, or doing things in exchange for something else, it can raise alarms.
Sacred Text
The Way is ever without action, yet nothing is left undone. Tao Te Ching Ch 37
The highest virtue does nothing. Yet, nothing needs to be done. The lowest virtue does everything. Yet, much remains to be done. Tao Te Chin Ch 38
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone. Tao Te Ching Ch 48
“Practice Not-Doing And Everything Will Fall Into Place.”
Poem: All things return to their root by Charles Eisenstein
Returning to the root, there is stillness.
In stillness, true purpose returns.
This is what is real.
Knowing the real, there is clarity.
Not knowing the real, foolish action brings disaster.
From knowing the real comes spaciousness,
From spaciousness comes impartiality,
From impartiality comes sovereignty,
From sovereignty comes what is natural.
What comes naturally, is the Tao.
From the Tao comes what is lasting,
Persisting beyond one’s self’”.
Story
One of my best examples of practicing “not doing” occurred 20 years ago after I had just finished reading the Stephen Mitchell version of the Tao te Ching, which contains many paradoxical statements about “doing nothing”, for example:
“Do nothing and nothing remains undone.”
“Practice not-doing and everything will fall into place.”
“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving until the right action happens by itself?”
I remember feeling at the time that the Tao te Ching’s writing and concepts were lofty and beautiful, but that they could never apply to the nitty-gritty realities of daily life in Los Angeles. That evening after finishing the book, I walked into a Halloween party in another unit in my building dressed as a monk (which seemed an appropriate costume given my frame of mind).
After walking into the party, I noticed a stunningly beautiful woman sitting on the couch across the room. I immediately wanted to ask her out but knew she was way out of my league. She was sitting with a girlfriend and was already surrounded by a group of guys trying to hit on her. Therefore I resolved to put what seemed like a ridiculous concept in the Taoist philosophy to a seemingly impossible empirical “acid test”.
I decided that if the Universe wanted me to meet this woman it would somehow have to happen without my lifting a finger and by my doing as close to “nothing” as possible. I sat down in an isolated chair across the room and let my mind clear and proceeded to do exactly nothing to the best of my ability. I did not eat or drink or talk to anyone or make eye contact or even think about anything. I simply resolved to do nothing and let life unfold naturally with as little interference from me as possible, no matter how embarrassing it might be to sit all alone at a party full of other people laughing and drinking and talking in groups.
After about 5 or 10 minutes, the woman in whom I was interested walked over to me and started a conversation, asking me about my costume. I was extremely surprised she was now standing right in front of me, but without really thinking I stood up and responded. After talking to her for a bit, I asked her if she had a boyfriend. Said “Aha! Now comes the direct approach”, commenting on my sudden reversal in social tactics. She answered that she was not dating anyone seriously. I then asked her for her phone number. After we finished talking, I went straight back to my condo where I promptly wrote down her phone number before I forgot it. I called her the next day and asked her out. We have been together ever since.
Fast-forward 20 years to July 2020, she and I have two wonderful children and will soon be celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary! Such is the surprising power of “not-doing”! As the Tao te Ching says:
Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
William F. Stubbeman
Rumination
The moon stays bright when it doesn’t avoid the night.
Rumi
Benediction
Blessings of a kind heart upon you;
Blessings of the eyes of compassion upon you;
Blessings of giving to the earth upon you;
Blessings of the wisdom of the seasons upon you;
Blessings of breathing freely upon you;
Blessings of this moment upon you.
Jack Kornfield
Science of Mind Reading
Song: In my love by Coby James