Wu wei (Chinese: 無爲; a variant and derivatives: traditional Chinese and Japanese: 無為; simplified Chinese: 无为; pinyin: wú wéi; Korean: 無爲(무위); Vietnamese: Vô vi; English, lit. non-doing) is an important concept in Taoism that literally means non-action or non-doing.
In the Tao te Ching, Lao Tzu explains that beings (or phenomena) that are wholly in harmony with the Tao behave in a completely natural, uncontrived way. The goal of spiritual practice for the human being is, according to Lao Tzu, the attainment of this purely natural way of behaving, as when the planets revolve around the sun. The planets effortlessly do this revolving without any sort of control, force, or attempt to revolve themselves, instead engaging in effortless and spontaneous movement.
I think many valuable lessons can be taught from Wu Wei. Don’t try to prove yourself as better than others. Don’t try to strive for means you don’t need. You are already encompassing enough through the beauty of your existence and the Universe. You have everything you need right in front of you.
I haven’t read the main spiritual texts. Just some Alan Watts. I am currently reading Tao a watercourse way by Alan Watts and I read another Tao book by him. I find Taoism to be very valuable lessons. Very ego-shattering. I like to try to believe I read it to better myself, my philosophies and way of life, rather than to gain knowledge to flaunt to others.
Quit using words in your mind and see what happens to you’re experience.
Ego is more than self perception. Its’ a feeling as well. Confidence and comfort. Ego is only a problem when an implication of superiority is involved.
In my novella I wrote about wu-wei, but I also included Yin and Yang in the same paragraph. It’s funny you say that. We need a balance to strive because it’s unrealistic to do nothing in our world we live in and still survive.
My friend got deeply offended when I said I wouldn’t mind living in a $300 a month homeless shelter, living off SSDI and separating from my parents completely. Although I doubt I’d do that any time soon.
Think about the environment we evolved out of though. Undoing the ego almost completely goes against the dominance of the fittest.
I think it should be done, most people jsut like being their natural chaotic selves though(and they fuck everything up in the process) That’s way to general… errr true in some cases I guess.
To me wu-wei is just going to my job, associating with friends and family, watching sports on TV because I love it. SLeeping, eating, etc…
And nothing more.
I don’t have to go crazy and meditate in the forest the rest of my life, but I don’t have to go crazy and go get a Post-doctorates degree or something like that even if I could.
I have enough to get by and I don’t need to prove anything to anyone else besides myself.
If there truly is no God, then I see no point in life whatsoever. To me life is about getting to heaven. Because if there’s not a God, I’m a 1/near infinity chance of being a human being…there are so many microorganisms, bugs, birds, reptiles, other primates, etc…
Chances are if there’s no God your life is less than a day long. Chances say. That’s such a depressing thought to me that I don’t get the point of going on. I think of all life forms as equal. Buddhism and Taoism teaches you that if you are a potato you are enlightened because you sure are damn happier being a potato than a human being. Yet we consider us so sophisticated, advanced and higher evolved. I think it’s all rubbish. If there’s re-incarnation then I sure as hell wouldn’t wanna be a damn human. That ■■■■ sucks! Animals dont have it easy either aside from a few but…i don’t know what I’m saying. I just think we humans don’t grasp life correctly. That’s why I believe in Wu-Wei…Because there must be a God to make this life not depressing. Otherwise I would have killed myself a long time ago. It was God showing himself to me that made me not kill myself. Because I take a look at a goose, and then I look at some stupid humans right next to the goose ignoring them, treating them like scum and acting holier than thou goose. When the Goose probably had to be more evolved to survive than us humans in many ways or another
I’m not dissing your beliefs, just stating mine. That I don’t get the point of life if there’s no God like being, because I could’ve been born a microorganism and lived for 20 minutes before I died. or been one of the eggs that didn’t get fertalized or an unborn fetus, or something else. There must be higher purpose I believe.
What would be the point in life if there was a God? To appease it?
What would be the point of life to a God who could do whatever he wanted and is truly immortal?
Is it a symbiosis? God creates things so things can both be fulfilled?
Or did man create gods so he could be fullfilled, so he could make sense out of the world, so he could feel secure in his existence?
There are some pretty well developed physical theories as to why the universe formed without influence.
You reference the chance of you being you… but it’s not a chance at all. it just is. Your parents are the ones to thank, and there parents, etc. That is WHY you are here. You should be more focused on what you are going to do with it.
I’m pretty sure that religious beliefs reflect brain structure, whether that is inborn or developed, I can’t appreciate the God concept. If it were a reality it would seem like the most backwards and archaic kind of universal establishments (Kingdom, rulership, subservience) Very human historically, doesn’t represent reality. Represents how deluded humanity is in its connection to reality.
I know you feel like a stand alone human. Different than everyone else. Always thought for yourself. I get that man. I know what it is like to know “God” in that perspective as well.
Straight up though man, if there is a god he does not interact with this place.
To me the real question is why do people (want to) believe?
Learn about quantum mechanics and you’ll start to see how this could all just be white noise and reflection of hypocritical nature of the concept of nothing.
Ultimate lesson. Things aint black and white. The universe settles perfectly between being something with a purpose and being nothing with no purpose, if anything would lead me to believe in some super-conscious God it would be that realization.