37. Nameless Simplicity
The Way is ever without action,
Yet nothing is left undone.
If princes and kings can abide by this,
All things will form themselves.
If they form themselves and desires arise,
I subdue them with nameless simplicity.
Nameless simplicity will indeed free them from desires.
Without desire there is stillness,
And the world settles by itself.
43. Non-Action
The softest in the world
Surpasses the hardest in the world.
What has no substance
Can penetrate what has no opening.
Thereby I know the value of non-action.
The value of teaching without words
And accomplishing without action
Is understood by few in the world.
by Donna Quesada: Both of these passages from the ancient Chinese classic, The Tao Te Ching, conveys the teaching of Wu Wei, which translates as “non-action.” But I like the idea of “gentle action” better. The idea is that, sometimes doing nothing might be the best choice, but if action is needed, then the gentlest way possible is best.
To understand better, consider the simple example of floating in the water… I remember the first time I saw someone float in a swimming pool. I was just a little girl and I was amazed. When I tried it, I flopped all around and the first thing that happened, was… I sank, butt first! The reason is simple: I was trying too hard. The Taoist teaching of Wu Wei would say I was expending too much energy.
And that’s the heart of this teaching, and of Taoism as a way of life…the conservation of life-force, or chi’, as the Chinese call it. Excess effort is a waste of precious time and energy and leaves us depleted. It applies to everything we do, whether it be settling a dispute with someone, playing an instrument or even sports.
Consider the way of running a marathon… the most effective runner knows how to manage her energy so as not to exhaust herself prematurely. She’ll pace herself, she’ll minimize excess arm movements that don’t serve the purpose of contributing to her momentum, and she’ll bring her breath into rhythm, all combining to economize her ch’i.
In everyday life, this wisdom can be thought of as a demonstration of non-resistance, since excess movement creates resistance and therefore wastes energy and only serves to make any endeavor less efficient.
This is why Wu Wei is the supreme Taoist teaching. It is non-resistance in action. It means choosing the course of action that is the least aggressive and forceful, so as to maximize our efficiency and effectiveness in anything we do, without excess movement.
As a fun exercise, can you think of a situation in your life where easy-does-it would have brought better results?
