Wei Wu Wei / Awareness
Meaning Wu Wei and understanding of knowing when to act, and when not to act
The paradoxical concept of wei wu wei, 'do not do' or 'act by not acting', can be interpreted by 'not acting against the nature of things' or 'acting without attachment to the result'.
“Everything that happens, happens at the only possible time it could happen,
and it is always at exactly the right timing.”Practice Non Doing to cultivate Consciousness and Spiritual Growth
Anyone who has ever experienced a crisis in life has undoubtedly experienced that at a certain moment everything will regain again. Sometimes we will become aware that some sort of change starts or has taken place, even if we did not expect it at all. That moment usually is experienced as soon as you give up your resistance against all happenings. At that moment you could end up spontaneously in what the Sages call 'Non-doing' or doing without doing.
The paradox is that the meaning of one or more words (the word semantics) is changed within a sentence, a semantic paradox. The Dao De Jing is full of these kinds of paradoxes. Logically linguistically there is a contradiction, but after much thought one can find out the intention of the writer Lao Zi. It seems that Lao Zi has disguised a wisdom in a paradox in order to make the reader think.
In Daoism, Wu wei is often associated with water and the way water behaves. Although water flows and does not resist, it still has power in itself to erode granite. Water has no solid shape such as a stone or piece of wood, it flows everywhere and can fill the smallest spaces. It seems like water doesn't do anything and yet it does everything. It's about not resisting a current, choosing from the many directions in which the stream flows and accepting the consequences.
The practice of Non-doing
does not mean that you withdraw from any action, being lazy, but rather that you perform a higher type of action: Action according to the Dao, is an action that respects the nature of all things.
Dao emphasizes various themes, such as naturalness, spontaneity, simplicity, and detachment from desires.
'Wu' can be translated as not having or without, 'Wei' can be translated as doing, acting, serving as, governing or exerting.
The literal
meaning of Wu Wei
is without action, without effort or without control, and is often included in the paradox called "action without action" or "effortless action".
In practice it is aimed at through behaviour modification; cryptically referenced meditation and more purely physical breathing techniques, which includes just taking the right posture.
When your body is not aligned,
The inner power will not come.
When you are not tranquil within,
Your mind will not be well ordered.
Align your body, assist the inner power,
Then it will gradually come on its own.
Practice and efficacy are fundamental principles.
If you feel drawn to the
practice of Non-Doing
and
the
meaning of Wu Wei, we recommend our book 'Chi-Full Living' first, to gain understanding regarding balancing body-mind-spirit to be able to become and stay well balanced and harmonized.
Our books 'Wu Wei versus Awareness and 'Chi-full Living'
- Being Aware and Living supports your inquiries into the practice of 'Non-Doing' and simultaneously is building a bridge to metaphysics, cosmology.
We recommend starting a personal Journal to keep notes of your personal inquiries, it is a clarifying tool to bring your inner 'contemplation', 'ponderings' or 'issues' into the light to contemplate and reflect on your own insights.
Meaning Wu Wei in modern life
This is about adaptability to life circumstances for the individual person. Maybe you have a feeling that you are the do-er of things, but if you become silent and step into your stillness you will gradually start to discover something else.
The old Sages were living in a different time with different circumstances. Those circumstances made it possible to find out and map out the concept.
Nowadays we are living in a world full of people, we are on the brink of a global intermezzo where everything is connected through wireless contact at high speed. Exactly that is what can make it difficult for the individual person to take many steps back from the crowd to observe the unfolding of life.
Together we can make the concept easier, while shining a little extra light on the process.
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