Wu-Wei – a word about ‘doing nothing’

Wu-wei. It is not about absence of action. It is about spontaneity and noninterference. It is about letting things follow their own natural course. It means being ready to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done with as much effort as is needed and no more. For individuals, it means accomplishing what is necessary without ulterior motive. To Stoics, a similar concept meant spiritual potential.

In The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff explains the meaning of Wu Wei to be without doing, causing, or making. In other words, without being meddlesome, combative, or egotistical—not going against the nature of things. The symbol for wei shows a clawing hand and a monkey—Huff suggests that it means no monkeying around.

Chuang-Tze tells a story about Confucius walking along the Gorge of Lu where a great waterfall plunges for thousands of feet. The waters churn below. He and his students saw a man leap from the top into the foaming river below. They thought the man must be committing suicide, and Confucius’ students hurried to the river’s edge. When they arrived, the man was standing, shaking off the water, and beginning to sing. Confucius approached the man and asked him, “How did you manage to swim through such dangerous waters?”
The man answered, I have no particular method of swimming, except that when I am in the water, I do not fight the water’s superior power. I float with it and sink with it instead of trying to force my way through it. I started my learning with what was given to me at birth, continued with what was natural for me to do, and completed by trusting what was meant to be.”
Non-ado, no action, wu-wei. It means following the natural course of things and trusting what was meant to be. Wu-wei