Wu Wei Wisdom | A New Yet Ancient Approach To Life
Wu Wei wisdom, an ancient Chinese philosophy reshapes the way we approach towards life. In this article delight, we’ll take a deeper look at this concept. And also try to explore how the Wu Wei mindset guides us, when an effort is appropriate and when it’s wasted !
What is Wu Wei Wisdom? | The Principles of Wu Wei
Wu wei means – in Chinese – non-doing or ‘doing nothing’. It sounds like a pleasant invitation to relax or worse, fall into laziness . Yet it doesn’t mean not acting, it means ‘effortless action’ or ‘action less action’. It means being at peace while engaged in the most frenetic tasks. For instance, we can capture wu wei 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 occurs when a person’s actions align with the Dao. Dao, a concept central to Chinese philosophy. The Dao is the natural structure of the world which applies to different realms and situations: there is a natural way of raining, there is a natural way in organizing a society, and there is a natural way of acting in a given circumstance.
Wu Wei teaches us to cultivate a sense of alignment with the rhythms of the elements within and outside of our bodies. Some people might call this “going with the flow”, a kind of effortless approach to life that helps us deal with situations naturally as they arise. 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. When we find ourselves struggling, often it’s because we have a fixed idea of how things are supposed to be. As we let go of our agenda to have it be a certain way, we open ourselves up to how it actually. And in that space of acceptance, we become available for flow to find us!
Later on you can look back and say, “Oh, now I understand. That had to happen so that those could happen, and those had to happen in order for this to happen…” Then you realise that even if you’d tried to make it all turn out perfectly, you couldn’t have done better, and if you’d really tried, you would have made a mess of the whole thing. – Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh
A Little History Behind Wu Wei Wisdom | Where did Wu Wei come from ?
Wu Wei is an ancient concept that was first articulated by Chinese thinkers around 600 BC, and developed throughout the following centuries. It is the central concept within the Tao Te Ching, a religious text written by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. That makes us understand that instead of trying to force things to happen, we should simply allow ourselves to be in tune with the universe. In ancient China and Hong Kong, Wu Wei became a dominant philosophy, supported by Daoist (or Taoist) thinkers and influential philosophers like Confucius. The eponymous Confucian ruler helped make Wu Wei an important construct within Chinese governance and culture. According to Daoism, which was built around concepts such as compassion, simplicity, and vital breath, it can help enrich our experiences with others and lead us to act with spontaneous virtue.
How Approach to Wu Wei Help Us In Daily Life | Applying Wu Wei in Your Life
Daoist philosophy views Wu Wei as a source of great serenity. Gaining a degree of separation from your experiences and from the world around you can be personally beneficial. Perhaps the best way to visualize Wu Wei is by thinking of it as an “action of non-action”. Essentially, the idea is that we should stop trying to force action and let ourselves become more comfortable with doing less. It might seem paradoxical, but bringing a sense of effortlessness into your life can actually help you achieve your goals and live more freely. This will allow the actions we do make to become more natural, energetic, and effective. Wu Wei, or ‘effortless action’, involves unlearning social expectations and pressures, channeling a sense of inner goodness, and engaging with this in our everyday actions until it becomes natural and effortless.
Final Takeaway
Practices like Zen Buddhism and Tonglen Meditation show us that there is plenty of wisdom to be extracted from ancient Asian techniques for enhancing calmness, kindness, and efficiency in life, even in the modern world. Wu Wei is no different. Wu Wei encourages people to relinquish the ego and our attachment to it. That is to act without a sense of self to feel a greater connection to the world. Concepts such as Non-Dual Awareness utilize a similar perspective. Similarities also exist between this concept and the mindfulness ideas that have become so popular in Western philosophy in recent years. Whatever our intent or outcome may be, and whatever our mind may be saying about how urgent or pressing things are, Wu Wei tells us that ultimately the most effective way of doing anything is to follow the way of nature.
For further studies, you may refer the study : https://global.oup.com/academic/product/effortless-action-9780195314878?cc=gb&lang=en&
Read also : 7 Simple Ways to Spread Happiness and Kindness Around You ( https://thebrightdelights.com/7-simple-ways-to-spread-happiness-and-kindness-around-you/ )
