WU WEI : THE ART OF NOT FORCING
My introduction to Wu-Wei happened in a calligraphy session organized by my friend of Chinese descent, and once in his happy high state, he exulted “Wu-Wei!” Amused by my look, he roughly translated it as a state of doing nothing! It was quirky and intriguing enough as a subject to explore, and here is what I have learned.
Pronounced Ooo-way, Wu-Wei is a Taoist philosophy broadly interpreted as effortless action or actionless action. A feeling that captures this closest in English is being in the zone. My friend aptly summed this up for me with “you have to be prepared to accept what comes to you, and don’t resist”. While he demonstrated his skills; his wrist swinging freely, spitting ink onto the paper, creating rapturous images.
My exposure to this world came from my interest in painting. There are times I stare at the blank canvas both in awe and fear, for days and months. I have found the painting process to be one of struggle and resistance when I try to control it, and I have seen it flow when I lose myself.
This could be because the former has me at the heart of creation, and its absence characterizes the latter. Rigidity comes from all energy going towards upholding our importance, and when we are capable of losing some of that grandeur, it releases the energy to experience Wu Wei. The principle of least action, with no resistance.
Alan Watts, a British philosopher known for his interpretation of Eastern wisdom for a Western audience uses the example of a sailing boat to explain Wu Wei. He states, “Rowing is a rather thoughtless way of pushing a boat across the water. Rather than going against nature, sailing requires that you flow-through nature effortlessly.”
This became a subject of fascination for me. In the last couple of years, I have become an observer of the state I am in- when I am in a state of resistance, and when I am in a flow state. I also started studying individuals who are in a flow state — an exciting mixture of monks, artists, gardeners, teachers, drivers, and leaders in business organizations. The common feature among all of them is that they all loved what they were doing, and were accomplished in their own way.
Interestingly, accomplishments are not the most significant indicator of effortless action. It is the ENERGY spent to achieve the same. Equally, the difference was not in their DRIVE to chase opportunities, but in the preparedness to ACCEPT and unleash opportunities when they arrive. So what makes the path to Wu Wei possible?
Acceptance:
When a brushstroke goes out of control, you realize you can’t do much but you keep trying to rectify it and in the process, destroy the art. How many times have I experienced this!
Wu Wei starts with clarifying one’s inner state. A commitment to accept people, events, and situations as they occur. This surrender to the natural flow of things preserves a lot of energy. A belief that there is no other alternative than to accept, ensures that energy is not wasted in pondering, pitying, or blaming. Leaving the brushstroke gone awry untouched, becomes a signature element of the painting! Doing nothing in this situation is what creates something unique.
Action:
An inherent belief that the situation that has happened has a meaning and needs to be experienced for evolution. This lens filters every event as an opportunity. They view the event intuitively, not as an isolated incident but as part of a sequence, where they are spectators and players. Hence taking responsibility for the situation comes naturally, and energy is not squandered in pursuing why things have happened, and rather directed towards what can be done.
Their reflexes are tuned to isolate aspects that can be controlled, vs. acting on those that are not within their control. Here again, energy is preserved and sharply directed. The masterstroke is in aligning their inherent nature with forces outside, creating a path of least resistance. Anything else is viewed as interference with nature.
Like how a free-flowing arm can splash paint on the canvas, creating patterns, and you now follow that pattern to make the next stroke. Like how the sailor aligns to the wind or a cyclist’s body aligns to the cycle to gain maximum speed, or how a leader sits in active silence allowing the team to resolve the conflict, or help them by asking that one nudging question. It is the intuitive aspect of these actions that’s fascinating. Thoughts are seen as interferences!
Absence:
This is one aspect that I struggled the most to make sense of. No point of view to defend! Relinquishing that need allows you to preserve an enormous amount of energy. The primary block of resistance is removed, events can flow through you, and you are in the most prepared state to accept and act. To be present, to listen, to accept, and to appreciate that a map is not the territory. Maybe this is what being in the present means; maybe this is what being human means — to lose all self-importance and grandeur to witness and experience the grandeur of events unfolding around us.
My brush strokes still suffer from the rigidity of control. Wu Wei may be far away, but as they say, “You know it! Now you need to BE” :)
