JustARandomPanda Posted August 24, 2009 (edited) Can anyone explain what exactly is meant by "Wu Wei" state and what it feels like? What does the body feel like precisely when it's in this Wu Wei state. What do the mind, emotions or volition feel like in Wu Wei State? Edited August 24, 2009 by SereneBlue Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteTiger Posted August 25, 2009 (edited) Can anyone explain what exactly is meant by "Wu Wei" state and what it feels like? What does the body feel like precisely when it's in this Wu Wei state. What do the mind, emotions or volition feel like in Wu Wei State? Sounds to me you have some investigating to do and then to ask a few questions trying to get a better understanding of Wu Wei. Only thing "I" (whom is not a teacher and not qualified to answer) can only answer directly is Wu Wei translates to Non action Wu Wei = Non Action Peace, wt Edited August 25, 2009 by WhiteTiger Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JustARandomPanda Posted August 25, 2009 Wu Wei = Non Action Non action? That means the U.S. is chock full of Wu Wei-Realized people! We are the fattest nation on the planet due to non-action. I did not realize this was also the fruit of being Wu Wei. Interesting... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aetherous Posted August 25, 2009 It doesn't mean being lazy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sloppy Zhang Posted August 25, 2009 "non-action" as in "effortless effort" as in "doing without doing".... understand now? The closest way that I can describe it (as I have come to understand it, which may be dead wrong), is that you flow with tao. Think about driving down the road and just as you come to a red light it turns green, you don't even get a chance to slow down. You wake up go to eat breakfast when you neighbor comes over and says he's made too many pancakes, and asks if you want any. Your iPod just got broken, and right before you go to buy a new one you find that you have won a free iPod drawing. pretty awesome (of course I could be dead wrong and I used "mundane" examples, yeah yeah, didn't get any spiritual stuff) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Man Contradiction Posted August 25, 2009 (edited) I can explain what I believe Wu Wei is, but may be wrong, in terms of a fight. When you are in the state of mind where you don't think and you don't react unconsciously. You just see and act mindfully, as if the perception and action were one. You see the punch coming at you, you then mindfully go to block it with your left arm and then push the opponent away with your right arm. You see the kick coming, and you mindfully go to lift your leg to block it. The knife is coming towards your face but you can see that it is not in range to hurt you, you do nothing. The action never was a thought, and maybe not even a feeling, it just is happening in that moment. No thoughts, just natural action. Edited August 25, 2009 by Old Man Contradiction Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creation Posted August 25, 2009 This has been asked before (of course) http://www.thetaobums.com/Questions-about-Wu-Wei-t9067.html I posted this in that thread: "Some thoughts on wu wei from B. K. Frantzis: http://www.energyarts.com/Articles/Bruce-s...Non-Action.html " Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wayfarer64 Posted August 25, 2009 (edited) Us old hipsters just call it going with the flow... That may enclude some serious swimming action as well...Its not about lazy its about being in the moment so that action is appropriate without ones' mind needing to re-assess ones'activities -naturally in synch with yr activities and the wider world - but working up a sweat is part of that! Edited August 25, 2009 by Wayfarer64 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blume Posted August 25, 2009 Act BUT do not think Very easy to say Very Very hard to do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted August 25, 2009 (edited) Very nice comments so far. I'll add mine. Yes, wu wei = non-action. However, it does not mean doing nothing. Old Man gave an excellent example. In other sords, if nothing needs be done then do nothing. But, if something needs be done then 'just do it'. That would be wei wu wei - action without alterior motives. It is action without thought - natural action - instinctual. When we see a situation that we can do nothing to change we "wu wei". When we see a situation where we can do something that will be for the better of oneself or others we "wei wu wei". Happy Trails! Edited to add: This is the way I view my problems in life: I have only two types of problems in my life: Those I can do something about and those I can do nothing about. For those I can do something about I act to resolve the problem and when I have taken corrective action there is no longer a problem. For those I can do nothing about I let go of the concerns and they flow away and when they have gone from my mind they are no longer problems. Edited August 25, 2009 by Marblehead Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeform Posted August 25, 2009 Imagine yourself as a bag of stuff... lots of stuff.... tens of thousands of ideas, thoughts, identities, behavioural patterns... Your bag of stuff is all you know. When you reach out into the world, you compare everything that you come across with the stuff that's in your bag... what you have in the bag colours your perception of what is 'in the real world'. In terms of behaviour, you're limited in scope to what you have in the bag... This bag is very important for 'you' - it keeps 'you' stable and it keeps 'you' safe... because you know what you have in that bag, and you know that the behaviours in that bag have worked before, and so quite likely will work again... Someone in the state of wu wei has lost all the contents of the bag... in fact, even the bag itself is gone... the distinction between 'you' and 'not you' is gone. Instead of a bag of stuff bumping into reality, and filtering reality through the contents of the bag, a sage in wu wei finds that him and reality are re-born anew constantly... in fact there is no him and no reality - it's all one. In terms of behaviours, instead of picking reactions out of a bag of conditioned, 'safe' responses, the actions come straight from the divine... from Tao... not from a 'you'. You can think of it in terms of stimulus -> response... most of us live in this manner: - there is a stimulus from 'the real world' and we respond from our limited identity (our bag of stuff)... Someone in a state of wu wei is the stimulus. What it feels like... hmmm... the feeling is not a 'something' - rather it's an absence of all 'somethings'... and it's like everything is new, constantly... everything changing constantly, nothing is in a state of stability... like being in a constant state of rebirth... Try this right now - turn your head and eyes to the very left... then scan the entire room, turning all the way to the right... did you notice your eyes jumping from 'things' to 'things' (the chair, the light, the painting)? for someone in a state of wu wei no one thing is more important than another... the space between things is just as important... the brain doesn't latch onto 'things' - because everything and nothing is the same thing They would be able to scan the room with their eyes jumping onto everything and therefore nothing at the same time... And yes - it's a paradox - it's a constant paradox, never solved... because a solution would result in the state of wu wei being lost. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted August 25, 2009 Hi Freeform, Nice post! Happy Trails! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarsonZi Posted August 25, 2009 I think Wu Wei in AYP-speak is translated as "Stillness in Action" or "Silence in Action".....all actions flowing from the inner silent core without conditioning/biases/ego being a deciding factor in reactions/responses. Love, Carson Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted August 25, 2009 I think Wu Wei in AYP-speak is translated as "Stillness in Action" or "Silence in Action".....all actions flowing from the inner silent core without conditioning/biases/ego being a deciding factor in reactions/responses. Love, Carson That is a good descriptor as well, I think. Happy Trails! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Man Contradiction Posted August 25, 2009 I think Wu Wei in AYP-speak is translated as "Stillness in Action" or "Silence in Action".....all actions flowing from the inner silent core without conditioning/biases/ego being a deciding factor in reactions/responses. Love, Carson That is a good descriptor as well, I think. Happy Trails! and zhan zhuang standing practice's notion of "stillness in movement, movement in stillness". I can only speculate this relates to Professor Yu's book "Zhan Zhuang and the Search Of Wu". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JustARandomPanda Posted August 25, 2009 Try this right now - turn your head and eyes to the very left... then scan the entire room, turning all the way to the right... did you notice your eyes jumping from 'things' to 'things' (the chair, the light, the painting)? for someone in a state of wu wei no one thing is more important than another... the space between things is just as important... the brain doesn't latch onto 'things' - because everything and nothing is the same thing They would be able to scan the room with their eyes jumping onto everything and therefore nothing at the same time... And yes - it's a paradox - it's a constant paradox, never solved... because a solution would result in the state of wu wei being lost. Fascinating. This is similar to something I spontaneously hit on one day about 2 years ago when I first started doing Qi Gong. It hit me one day that I was beginning to get a somewhat recognizable feel of chi moving in my body. Well really it was the impedance to chi I was feeling as I later learned rather than chi itself but whatever. Anyhoo I wondered if there was a way to focus or feel the 'space between all chi'. I tried doing that for several days in a row and finally realized it just wasn't gonna happen. I don't know if anyone is able to ever feel or focus on the space between chi. Maybe awareness of non-chi is a better way to put it? But that doesn't seem quite right. I'm kind of struggling to put into words what I'm referring to. But if so it must be a much more advanced accomplishment than I'm able to do even now. I still can't really 'feel', 'perceive' or 'focus' on the absence or space between all chi or be aware of the arising and passing away or interplay between them. But for some reason your exercise reminded me of that experiment I cooked up 2 years ago. I don't know why but it did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted August 26, 2009 Consider this statement if you will. Wu wei is the state of awareness of every thing and non-thing without concentrating on any thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeform Posted August 26, 2009 I still can't really 'feel', 'perceive' or 'focus' on the absence or space between all chi or be aware of the arising and passing away or interplay between them. You're going for 'divide and conquer'! Try 'unify and lose'! all you'll lose is everything... and all you'll gain is nothing... nothing is a metaphor for everything, and everything is a metaphor for nothing... The reason I talk in riddles is because words are not equipped for this level of depth... but there are parts of you that know all this already. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wudangspirit Posted August 26, 2009 Doing nothing and leaving nothing undone. Wu Wei Er Wu Bu Wei. Wu Wei is a concept. We use this concept to go back to our original spirit. Returning is the motion of the Tao. Use the concept then give up the need for concepts. Tao Bless Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted August 26, 2009 Doing nothing and leaving nothing undone. Wu Wei Er Wu Bu Wei. Wu Wei is a concept. We use this concept to go back to our original spirit. Returning is the motion of the Tao. Use the concept then give up the need for concepts. Tao Bless Based only on this post I will say that I think you don't post nearly enough here. I like your words. Happy Trails! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wudangspirit Posted August 26, 2009 Thanks for the kind words Tao Bless Based only on this post I will say that I think you don't post nearly enough here. I like your words. Happy Trails! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigweard Posted August 26, 2009 To add to the excellent posts above, Wu Wei 無爲 (Effortless Action) is to do nothing outside of one's true nature ... one's De/Teh 德 (virtue). When one's consciousness is 'lined up' with the Tao in any given moment all of one's actions will be natural and spontaneous; they will be empty of contrivance and artifice. With one's actions imbued with inner 'inspiration' one's actions will be Wu Wei. I have explored the link between De/Teh 德 and inspiration over here: http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?s=&...st&p=129003 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted August 27, 2009 Hi Stigweard, Nicely done. Thanks for sharing. Happy Trails! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
