On the Tao, Wu Wei and surfing.
I had been introduced to Taoism by reading and listening to Alan Watts, who was an English philosopher and author in the 50’s and 60’s. Watts had an uncommon charm and way with words that allowed him to make accessible very nuanced eastern philosophy.
My burgeoning spiritual practice of Yoga and meditation has served as an experimental proving ground for the ideas put forward by Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching and further elucidated by Watts in his lectures and writings. The ideas around polarity, Wu Wei (effortless effort), the transitory nature of physical reality and the absence of an unchanging self struck a deep chord with me. I intend to come back to each of these in turn over future pieces but for today I’ll be looking at the Tao and Wu Wei.
The Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao. - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
The Tao is an elusive idea to explain, it can be said to be the way of nature and the universe, much the same way that water flows over pebbles and rocks in a mountain stream. It is the natural course and flow of things, the unfolding of phenomena, experiences, perceptions and our reactions or responses to them. Its difficult to conceptualise but I wager you have felt it in the changing seasons and seen it the shape shifting clouds, the way long grass undulates beneath a summer breeze and the flowing of water in a stream.
Wu Wei
Wu-wei is thus the life-style of one who follows the Tao, and must be understood primarily as a form of intelligence—that is, of knowing the principles, structures, and trends of human and natural affairs so well that one uses the least amount of energy in dealing with them.
Watts, Alan. Tao: The Watercourse Way (p. 99). Profile. Kindle Edition.
When I contemplate the passages of the Tao Te Ching that deal with the nature of Wu Wei there is a visceral resonance that comes over me, it feels like truth. This idea of Wu Wei can be easily misunderstood to mean laziness or inertia, in my humble view it’s neither of those. It is a doing but with a relaxed mind, like surfing a wave. If you watch a really good surfer ride a wave there is an effortless flow with the wave, nothing is forced, they go with the contour, suck and surge of the wave. A good example of this Gerry Lopez, check out his surfing to see what I mean.
The Tao does nothing, and yet nothing is left undone - Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching.
This passage speaks to a relinquishment of striving and clinging through effortless effort, this is counter to all the “somebody training” we are subjected to our whole lives. “Effort is equal to results” was a great saying I used to spout in leadership meetings, its true, to a point. Taken in the context of modern society where infinite growth is the expectation constant effort leads only to burn out. There is a letting go that needs to happen in order to tune into the flow of the river of life, attachment as the Buddhists say leads only to Dhukka - dissatisfaction or suffering.
This came home to roost for me in what I feel was a dark night of the soul, it was a trip back down a familiar dank vortex of deep depression and perceived unworthiness. Sadness was profound, suicidal ideation came out to play and I wanted out of this illusion. Nothing was seeming to move in my journey, I was not getting results and was beating myself up for not hustling hard enough. All my somebody training was screaming at me to give up and “get a real job”.
Then came the news that a good friend had left his body and it hit me hard, harder than I expected. I wasn’t grieving for his passing, but was sucked into a strange jealousy for his passing, his release from the Samsaric wheel of perpetual hurry up to get somewhere.
I was so caught up in trying to make things happen and like the watched kettle that never boils, I have to learn to let go of my attachment to striving and trust the process.
This sounds easier than it is, modern life demands outcomes and productivity. Toxic hustle culture has us running around doing more and more and losing sight of the eternal now in deference to achieving a goal in the future, a future that never comes and is always elusive. This is the sickness of the modern world, produce to consume and consume to produce, it’s an ouroboros eating itself and ultimately leading to Dhukka.
The truth is you are already more than enough, you are the universe instantiated in a “separate” consciousness. In the Chandogya Upanishad it is written: “Tat Tvam Asi”. You are it! All you have to do is remember…
There is no mistake in being incarnate at this time with ecological disaster, forever wars and the panopticon of the corporate government industrial complex all around us. This is the crucible, the fire that purifies, this is where we can alchemise our suffering with love, let go of attachment and remember who we really are. In so doing perhaps we can learn to love more deeply, act kindly and tread softly on the earth to the benefit of all beings.
I’m inspired to share these ideas through the curation of deep somatic experiences in Yoga/meditation and through my writing. If you have read this far thank you. If you are not a subscriber please consider becoming one. If you are already a subscriber thank you, I appreciate you all, I recognise your time and attention is precious and I’m grateful you decided to spend some of it here with me.