Wu-wei
“In
studying, there is a daily increase,
While
in learning of way-making, there's a daily decrease:
One
loses and again loses
To
the point that one does everything non-coercively (wu-wei)
One
does things non-coercively,
And
yet nothing goes undone.
“In
wanting to rule the world
Be
always non-interfering in going about its business,
For
in being interfering
You
make yourself unworthy of ruling the world.”
Dao
De Jing (#48)
This
is the reading from the Dao that we discussed on Sunday in the
spirituality group. The concept of wu-wei is a difficult one for
Westerners to wrap their heads around because it sounds to our ears
like it is saying “do nothing.” But non-coercion is not equal to
doing nothing. It is simple efficiency in doing whatever it is you
are doing. It is akin to the Christian notion of emptying oneself in
order to be filled with Spirit.
I
grew up in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina where there
are many rocky rivers. Some you are no doubt familiar with, like
Nantahala and Ocoee, where people come from far and wide to raft the
white water. But everywhere there are other, smaller streams where
the water rushes down from the mountains above. The rocks in these
streams are mostly granite, hard and dense. They sometimes stand
above the water in clusters and formations, and sometimes they are
just under the surface and difficult to see. The water does not push
the rocks ahead of it, it simply finds its way around or over. It is
efficient in its way-making, flowing without regard to the barriers
in its path, and yet not in the least impeded. That is wu-wei.
Here
is a description from Thomas Merton: “Wu-wei is not mere inactivity
but perfect action—because it is act without activity. ..It is not
mere passivity, but it is action that seems both effortless and
spontaneous...It is completely free because there is in it no force
and no violence...It is not 'conditioned' or limited by our
individual needs and desires, or even by our own theories and ideas.”
Wu-wei
does not involve forcefully shaping the world as we see fit. It working with the
world as it is, and in so doing, changing it.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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