Wu-wei

By now you know that I value Asian wisdom, believing from personal experience that it helps us live as good a life as possible. Wu-wei is a fundamental Taoist principle, and is translated variously as “non-doing” or “non-action,” or my favorite, “effortless effort.” Wu-wei is a simple concept, but very difficult to explain. I will make the effort, with my own interpretation.

The first two definitions seem to the Westerner to imply doing nothing, but not so in Taoist thought. That is why I like “effortless effort,” which is more direct. Even this is problematic for some because it seems contradictory or paradoxical, and thus cannot be true or real. But like much in Eastern thought, appearances can be deceiving, and paradoxes are often quite real.

Wu-wei is action in accord with the order and flow of things, and is thus effortless (not necessarily easy) because it is not bucking reality. Although the concept sounds esoteric, most people understand flow and the best path of action. Suppose your chain saw is jammed in a tree trunk. Going with the flow entails careful movements to gradually free the device. Angrily pulling or pushing it, forcing it, does not work, and could lead to a dangerous outcome. Or, when you are hurried and find yourself in traffic, you may become angry or frustrated. This can lead at best to agitating yourself about the world’s unfairness, and at the worst to unwise and dangerous driving choices, trying to force an outcome.

These two examples demonstrate the potential for off-balance actions arising from being attached to something, to insisting the world be different than it is. Attachments are large emotional commitments to MUST HAVE results, and Wu-wei cannot be achieved even in small measure with them.

There are two ways we can look at Wu-wei, one internal and one external. Imagine a woman who wants to be a world-class skater. She puts in huge amounts of time and energy to achieve her goal. How does that accord with effortless effort? Effort is certainly expended, often substantial and over a long period. And while she has goals for progress in pace, quality, and endurance, she is without the emotional commitments to those, which can obstruct progress. She is not attached, understanding that progress cannot be forced, coming as it does and when it will.

If set-backs occur, such as a pulled muscle, she has no resentment or frustration, recognizing bumps as part of the flow of development. Allowing frustration to intrude means she wants the world to be different than it is, not a Wu-wei condition. For her it is wasted energy.

Once the skater reaches world-class status (and part of Wu-wei is that she may not), observers   see an ease and grace in her movements, each of which is defined, clear, purposeful, and appropriate, even when spontaneous. Her movements appear effortless. She is all focus. She is one with her skating program. In those moments she epitomizes Wu-wei.

It is not only athletes who can achieve a state of Wu-wei. Anyone can. A plumber, software programmer, gardener, lawyer, nurse, etc. Usually Wu-wei is achieved in areas of work or avocation. But it is a desirable state for any aspect of our lives. Like many things in life, we may achieve effortless effort in some areas, and to some degree, while not much in others.

Activity is not required for Wu-wei. It could mean “quieting the mind.” I have struggled in meditation as my “monkey mind” (jumping from one thought to another) intrudes into the inner silence I want. If I allow that mental movement to affect me, my meditation is disrupted and Wu-wei is not achieved. Forcing the mind to behave produces nothing but more agitation. But if I accept that mental agitation is part of the human condition, whether it involves meditation or not, I can move toward Wu-wei.

Whether we accept that there is a Taoist natural flow to the world is irrelevant to achieving balance, calm, and flow in all things. We arrive at effortless effort not by having the right belief system, but by having the right understanding and attitude toward how the world really works---not how we must have it work. When insisting on things going as we wish, we expend physical and emotional energy trying to force an outcome that will not be achieved, or if it is, will be at tremendous cost.

A common Wu-wei depiction in Taoism is water, which gets where it needs to go effortlessly. Nothing can stop it, yet it expends no energy getting there. It takes the “best” path without planning. It does not fuss about there being a “better” path, or about the current path being too difficult.

How shall we become like water?