My Way to Wu Wei

An integral part of the larger notion of Chinese Philosophy is the concept of Man as a part of nature, rather than man as the center of nature. Western artistic techniques of perspectivism, vanishing point and illusionism carve out a space to illuminate the human figure in lieu of the nature surrounding them. For all its vastness and beauty, this art reflects the larger contract that classical Western philosophy spells out- that nature is of use for man. Consider a Chinese painting; the whiteness of the canvas is not filled up in earnest respect of that elusive element called space… nature is not an ornamental space-filler lurking in the background. Man is not the center, but a very continuation of the forces of nature. Out of this grand tradition of philosophy is where Wu Wei takes birth. Unlike the popular notion that it was Taoism that engendered Wu Wei, the concept actually developed out of the Confucian tradition, the religion primarily of the ruling class, where it meant attaining, through practice, the perfectly virtuous disposition, that made one worthy of being part of the cosmos of a political kingdom - here everyone’s place is fixed, while the person of the king towers above all. Yet, Taoism, which was the philosophy of the radical, the natural-spiritual worldview of the peasant and artisans shifted Wu Wei to a practice of attaining oneness with the primordial nature; in fact, it is attaining through letting go. Lesser desires, lesser wants, breathing, easing out, aligning with spirit, and letting it guide us into a natural spontaneity and harmony, sans the weight of greed and more greed, fear, jealousy.

I give a sketch of its history for it reflects the pattern of many of our lives. Maybe one day we are tired enough of our lives and decide that we want all the positive energy the self-help books, selling by the roadside, or screaming across the internet, tells us we can have. And thus, we start with all the affirmations, and lists of gratitude, whether we feel it or not, hopeful of attracting what we want. It is not unlike the Confucian view of prim and propriety where you are required to fit into the world, not with your wholesomeness, but your veneer of “positivity”, in a bid to not disturb the order. But what about the monsters of our jealousy, rage, hurt, years of wounds, emotional triggers that creep in and thwart my sandcastle of positivity?

But it is the very nature of castles to get destroyed, no matter how high a wall we build. I had to find something like clay, something that allows me to mold, create, dissolve, and recreate, without the fear of it all falling apart. When a torrent of rainfall washes over an idol of clay, the clay mingles with the flood of water to become mud - the idol only changes form, it does not break. This constant creative energy for me is what Wu Wei has become over these months as I would wake up to bad dreams that would make my sleepy nights restless and my mornings numb, and heartbreaks that would keep my days filled with affirmations of something being wrong with me. To understand Wu Wei as a rough translation of “the art of doing nothing”, is to firstly understand Lao Tzu’s fundamental dictum that nature, and thus, we, in extension are already beautiful and all we really need to do is to return to our spirit, which will guide us into entering that state of nonchalant flow! How redeeming it sounded to me that one day I could find within myself the effervescence of a free-flowing waterfall, at once connected, dynamic, free and a force to reckon. What I learnt back then was, Wu Wei is about not being passive, but deciding to set some intentions, letting go off attachments but deepening connections, and doing your part and letting that space for the yet unknown to unfold in its own rhythm. 

The first thing I learnt was that, I need not crush any of my demons, because all of my greed, jealousy, came out of a fundamental, ancient wound- a fear of not being (loved) enough, that is at once personal and universal. Yes, certain things could awaken our demons but an integral part of the practice of Wu Wei is to create that deferment between the event and our response to it: to make space for our first, unfiltered reaction to just be felt inside our body. Slowly, the threatening tremor becomes a wave of physical sensation that passes away, without awakening the oft-repeated story of “Yes, I am not good enough”. And that is another part of my Wu Wei practice, to acknowledge and honor that inside of me is an ocean of space where my fears can float in safety and kindness without being brutally suppressed to look “nice” for the world. And it is allowing that space that becomes the sacred alchemy by which I am no longer deciding my actions motivated by fear, but also one that tells me, like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, I am fulfilled and beautiful even with my cracks and all. The imagery of beautiful golden lines suturing the broken parts of the ceramic always reminds me to not be disappointed if the bubble of my positivity feels thwarted at some point of the day. Wu Wei, and its belief in the eternal spirit tells me that I am inherently and perfectly valued no matter what. I am more than a bubble that can be burst with one negative thought, I am space, holes and all and I am indestructible. And this brings me to my last practice, that of forgiveness. I have been seeking beauty and love all my life, but the thread that connects them both is harmony- and what is harmony without calmly letting go that which does not serve us or proactively growing more metaphorical arms to cut off that which we know is harming us? That is exactly what forgiveness does: sets you free. Most of all, forgiveness is just about making space for an intention: that you are ready to not let another’s action keep hurting you, that you are ready to believe in the other person’s capacity for change, that being connected and moved by your eternal, radiant spirit is more important to you than to keep yourself tied to the familiar tentacles of suffering.

Wu Wei then became a continuous practice for me, to understand that I am blossoming in a network of interdependent relationships and not the egoic center of the world; that instead of constantly working to be positive, I have to only channelize and redirect my energy towards fostering connection to my ever-present essence, and let that guide my actions; that as only an element, and not the center of this energetic world, I am co-creating and not controlling, I have to let space for the unknown, let space to others; and most importantly, that arriving at my own harmony is more important than living up to others vision or expectations for me, and I will keep doing a thing or two to constantly arrive at that harmonious flow of energy.