Wuwei

Seeing as how the Chinese term wuwei (無為/wúwéi) plays such a pivotal role in much of what I practice and teach, the idea came up to try and write a short guide about it.

Taking the word wuwei somewhat literally, “wu” here means absence and “wei” means action. But using words to paint a picture of what wuwei inlcudes can be quite tricky.

Over the course of this guide the goal is to give many examples of wuwei, and several possible definitions of it. Hopefully this will help seed a growing cloud of possible meanings.

I am hoping that through this somewhat unorthodox approach some may then feel equipped and be drawn to explore wuwei directly.

Daoism?

To begin exploring wuwei we might start things off with a bit of context. Some early Daoist teachings that originate during the Warring States period in China (475–221 BCE) can help paint a picture of what wuwei might look like.

These early teachings that I refer to below are from a time characterized by the exploration of what might be termed “philosophical Daoism”, before the perception of what Daoism “is” really began to splinter into different factions (such as internal alchemy, divination, ritual, religious, etc.). If we travel further forward in history from this time period, ideas about what constitutes Daoism as well as what is prioritized and taught in it can diverge, in some cases quite radically, from these earlier teachings.

Wuwei in early Daoist texts

The two collections of writings that I will reference most in this guide are the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), and Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu).

The theme of wuwei appears in the Dao De Jing in several different places. Let’s look at some of them.

Without going outside, you may know the whole world.
Without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven.
The farther you go, the less you know.

Thus the sage knows without travelling;
He sees without looking;
He works without doing.
– Daodejing 47

In pursuit of knowledge,
every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao,
every day something is dropped.
Less and less do you need to force things,
until finally you arrive at non-action.
When nothing is done,
nothing is left undone.
True mastery can be gained
by letting things go their own way.
It can’t be gained by interfering.
– Daodejing 48

The softest things of the world
Override the hardest things of the world

That which has no substance
Enters into that which has no openings

From this I know the benefits of unattached actions
The teaching without words

The benefits of actions without attachment
Are rarely matched in the world
– Daodejing 43

Make the small big and the few many.
Return animosity with virtue.
Meet the difficult while it is easy.
Meet the big while it is small.

The most difficult in the world
Must be easy in its beginning.
The biggest in the world
Is small in its beginning.
So, the sage never strives for greatness,
And can therefore accomplish greatness.
– Daodejing 63

Wuwei also appears in the teachings of Zhuangzi.

How can it be that you were not harmed by the waterfall? Are there some special skills that you possess?”

“No, I have no special skills whatsoever,” the man replied. “I simply follow the nature of the water. That’s how I started with it, developed a habit out of it, and derived lifelong enjoyment from it.”

“This follow the nature of the water’ – can you describe it in greater detail? How exactly does one follow the nature of water?”

“Well… I don’t really think about it very much. If I had to describe it, I would say that when the powerful torrents twist around me, I turn with them. If a strong current drives me down, I dive alongside it. As I do so, I am fully aware that when we get to the riverbed, the current will reverse course and provide a strong lift upward. When this occurs, I am already anticipating it, so I rise together with it.”

“So you are working with the water and not just letting it have its way with you?”

“That’s right. Although the water is extremely forceful, it is also a friend that I have gotten to know over the years, so I can sense what it wants to do, and I leverage its flow without trying to manipulate it or impose my will on it.”
– Zhuangzi: The Waterfall

…’What I care about is the Dao, which goes beyond skill. When I first began cutting up oxen, all I could see was the ox itself. After three years I no longer saw the whole ox. And now, now I go at it by spirit and don’t look with my eyes. Perception and understanding have come to a stop and spirit moves where it wants. I go along with the natural makeup, strike in the big hollows, guide the knife through the big openings, and follow things as they are. So I never touch the smallest ligament or tendon, much less a main joint…

…’However, whenever I come to a complicated place, I size up the difficulties, tell myself to watch out and be careful, keep my eyes on what I’m doing, work very slowly, and move the knife with the greatest subtlety, until — flop! the whole thing comes apart like a clod of earth crumbling to the ground. I stand there holding the knife and look all around me, completely satisfied and reluctant to move on, and then I wipe off the knife and put it away.’…
– Zhuangzi: Cook Ding Cuts Up An Ox

To illuminate the crossover ties that wuwei has with Buddhism I would also like to include the following from a few different sources.

The ultimate state of the mind is having no-thought and no-abidance and being empty of effort (無為 wúwéi); it is what the Diamond Sutra calls “abiding in nothing to give rise to the mind”. An ancient Chan master once said, “Where there is a Buddha, do not dwell. Where there is no Buddha, leave in haste.” Let the mind dwell, not in the past, nor in the present or future. “To dwell (or abide)” is to have thinking, craving and attachment.
– The Mind Seal Of Prajna Wisdom, Chan Master Weicheuh

Then, the Licchavi Vimalakirti asked those bodhisattvas, “Good sirs, please explain how the bodhisattvas enter the Dharma-door of nonduality!”

The bodhisattva Dharmavikurvana declared, “Noble sir, production and destruction are two, but what is not produced and does not occur cannot be destroyed. Thus the attainment of the tolerance of the birthlessness of things is the entrance into nonduality.”
– The Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra

“This is peace, this is exquisite – the stilling of all fabrications, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the ending of craving, dispassion, cessation, Unbinding.”
– Majjhima Nikaya 64

A common thread

Pulling primarily from these and (and a few other examples) of wuwei, as well as my own experiences exploring it, I put forward the following collection of descriptions for consideration.

An attitude of genuine non-action, motivated by a lack of desire to participate in human affairs that are not aligned with the natural way.
Non-interference. Minding one’s own business, letting others do what they choose to do in an accepting way, absent of judgement.
A state of personal harmony, characterized by free-flowing spontaneity and non-interference.
Non-production, not making or adding logical or discriminating thought or concepts to the experience of life.
Acting without being driven by desire.
Acting according to the natural structure of a situation with the least effort possible.
Inclining toward natural simplicity.
Going along with things.
The right action in any given situation. (Interesting overlap with the Buddhist practice of Bodhicitta)
When actions align with the Dao
When we vanish into the deed.

Initially this list may appear varied and perhaps a bit daunting to break down into commonalities. What if though, we recognize this simple underlying principle that seems to align with each of these.

Non-attachment

Let us consider wuwei as something like “absence of attachment”. Not too complex to understand, and quite descriptive as a root quality that can be present in each of the descriptions above.

Interplay between wuwei and other terms

Now that we have some idea of what wuwei could mean, we can look at the interplay of wuwei with a few other terms: ziran, Dao and weiwuwei.

Wuwei: absence of attachment
Ziran: unfolding spontaneously
Dao: the absolute principle underlying the universe
Weiwuwei: acting wisely, in alignment with the natural way of a given situation

In this snippet from Britannica.com we find this description of this interplay:

Chinese thinkers of the Warring States period (475–221 BCE) envisioned a dynamic universe that was constantly being generated. According to the Daoists, the entirety of the cosmos unfolds spontaneously (ziran) through the incessant fluctuations of the Way (Dao). All things in the universe—including all human beings—have in accord with this cosmic Way their own natural course, which, if unimpeded, leads to flourishing (weiwuwei). However, human beings—through logical thought, language, culture, and government—often interfere with this natural course, forsaking spontaneity for artifice.
– Matt Stefon, Britannica.com

Looking further into this description of the dynamic universe envisioned by Warring States period Daoism, it could be said that:

When practicing wuwei (absence of attachment),
Ziran (fate, resultant karma or spontaneous unfolding of the Dao) is allowed to unfold.
Observing and changing in harmony with ziran is then weiwuwei (acting in alignment with the natural way of the situation),
And this is could be said to be the way of the sage.

This interplay is also described using the imagery of water, as in these passages from the Dao De Jing.

Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.

The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice.

Therefore the Master remains
serene in the midst of sorrow.
Evil cannot enter his heart.
Because he has given up helping,
he is people’s greatest help.

True words seem paradoxical.
– Daodejing 78

The highest goodness resembles water
Water greatly benefits myriad things without contention
It stays in places that people dislike
Therefore it is similar to the Dao

Dwelling with the right location
Feeling with great depth
Giving with great kindness
Speaking with great integrity
Governing with great administration
Handling with great capability
Moving with great timing

Because it does not contend
It is therefore beyond reproach
– Daodejing 8

Finally, here in a quote from Guanzi we find an example of:

Taking wise action without attachment (wuwei),
Leading to spontaneous natural arising (ziran),
Which in turn leads to effortless acting in alignment with the natural way (weiwuwei).

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.
– Guanzi

I hope thus far this exploration of wuwei has been helpful. I will aspire to add to it as time permits.

Exploration and embodiment of wuwei can be quite rewarding. May this guide serve as a jumping-off point for deep and skillful realization.