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| "Spring comes and the grass grows by itself... sitting silently... doing nothing." Basho |
Wu wei (Chinese: 無爲; a variant and derivatives: traditional Chinese: 無為; simplified Chinese:无为; pinyin: wú wéi; Japanese: 無為; Korean: 무위; Vietnamese: Vô vi; English, lit. non-doing) is an important concept in Taoism that literally means non-action or non-doing. In the Tao te Ching, Laozi explains that beings (or phenomena) that are wholly in harmony with the Taobehave in a completely natural, uncontrived way. As the planets revolve around the sun, they "do" this revolving, but without "doing" it. As trees grow, they simply grow without trying to grow. Thus knowing how and when to act is not knowledge in the sense that one would think, "now I should do this," but rather just doing it, doing the natural thing. The goal of spiritual practice for the human being is, according to Laozi, the attainment of this natural way of behaving.
Related translation from the Tao Tê Ching by Priya Hemenway, Chapter II:
- The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
- and acts without effort.
- Teaching without verbosity,
- producing without possessing,
- creating without regard to result,
- claiming nothing,
- the Sage has nothing to lose.
The above excerpt is taken from Wikipedia .To explore more go HERE
If Tai Chi means ridge pole on which all leans or hangs, which relies on nothingness Tao for sustenance. What does nothing rely on for its station?
ReplyDeleteOh Gerard that question give me headache! too mind clever for me ...i know nothing!... hope you're well
ReplyDeleteThe old artist, I believe it was Leonardo da Vinci, who proclaimed that in order to bring forth a great work of art from a stone, we need just chip the "unpolished" pieces away, until the "smooth" work appears. Isn't wu wei really the same? We penetrate beyond the pretense and into the world that is, and in doing so find ourselves free from old obstructions so that our innate life force shines through so ever radiant and true. If one seeks to hit hard, one must first learn to relax the muscles. When you tighten them, at the right instant, after them being truly relaxed, - then you can hit very hard. It is the mysterious and mystical thing about power. True power is rooted in gentleness. If we seek mastery, we must attain the mind of the pupil. If we want to be heard, we need just listen! - How beautiful is this not, but to some who doesn't realize the truth beyond the words, it seems counter-intuitive. How can weakness be every so powerful? But when you then look to the world, just look to hydrogen, look to water, - the smallest molecule have in it the greatest innate force and latent capability. In taichi, some say that the old master, could move a thousand pounds by asserting just the force of an ounce.
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