Wu Wei is a central concept of the Tao Te Ching, the most sacred text in Taoism, which is an ancient Chinese spiritual practice. In the West, the most visible aspect of Taoism may be the familiar practice of tai chi.
In the first century CE Buddhism migrated into China and soon merged with Taoism, which had been in China for over 600 years. Chinese Buddhism and Taoism appear similar in many ways.
The Chinese term “Wu Wei” literally means non-doing. in English, this might imply physical or mental idleness or laziness, but that’s a far cry from the true meaning of the word.
In the Taoist context, “non-doing” means non-efforting; which means allowing one’s life and one’s actions to unfold naturally. To practice Wu Wei does not mean that you must cease to live an active life in the world or eschew your life responsibilities.
To understand Wu Wei it’s helpful to be acquainted with the concept of Tao. Tao literally means “The Way.” This term means several things, all of which are difficult to articulate in English.
The Tao Te Ching is the sacred text of Taoism. It begins with these enigmatic words: “The Tao that can be named is not the Tao.”
The Tao has both universal and personal dimensions. It can be referenced as “The Way of the Universe” or “The way that we should live our lives.” These two dimensions are very much interrelated. Wu Wei applies to both.
We cannot describe Wu Wei, but we can use words to point to it. It may be likened to the term, “flow” or the “zone.” Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defines “being in the zone” as “flow” — a state of heightened focus and blissful immersion. In his Ted Talk (Oct 23, 2008) he describes the experience like this:
There’s this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other... Sense of time disappears. You forget yourself. You feel part of something larger.
Many of us have experienced this. Athletes, dancers, painters, and musicians often describe times when they are at one with the dance, the music, or the art…and this can happen with any activity.
Wu Wei is living in the creative flow of Life. It is living in the Tao. The term Tao (The Way) may be likened to the Buddhist term Dharma, which also has many levels of meaning; among which is the Way, the teaching, or the practice.
Wu Wei can also be likened to the experience of no-self or anatta. No-self doesn’t mean that you don’t exist, and it doesn’t mean that you cannot function in the world. No-self (anatta) simply means that you do not identify with a being that is separate from the rest of the world. It means that you do not identify with a being that attempts to make things happen or tries to control the events in your life. Your life has a life of its own; and this life is part of a much larger Life.
The Tao of heaven does not strive, and yet it overcomes.
It does not speak and yet it is answered.
It does not ask, yet it is supplied with all its needs.
It seems at ease, and yet it follows a plan. [1]
This is more than poetry or an abstract spiritual principle. It is very real, and very practical. Derrah Brustein, a business strategist and a life coach, interviewed Deepak Chopra (2/06/2019). Here is an excerpt of that interview.
DB: You seem to have a really packed schedule. How do you keep your energy abundant?
DC: Well, I don't identify with experience. It's just the way I am or have been for many decades. I'm in the habit of observing the experience and letting it rise and fall in my awareness, knowing that the real me is not bound by experience……. The formula is do less, accomplish more, and ultimately do nothing and accomplish everything.
I feel I do nothing. Everything happens.
How can one cultivate Wu Wei? To answer that question let’s look at the Tao Te Ching itself.
Pursue knowledge, daily gain
Pursue Tao, daily loss
Loss and more loss
Until one reaches unattached action
With unattached action, there is nothing one cannot do.[i]
Let go. Let go. Let go.
And then open up and step into the flow of the Universe.
[1] Lao Tsu. (New York: Random House, 1972), Translated by Gia-Fu Eng and Jane English, #73
[i] Ibid #48