To practice the Daoist principle of Wu wei is to?

Answer 1

This one is tough for me to answer...practice through practicing not practicing? Wu wei comes effortlessly...without thought, and in a way without action. Is like this... If I was fishing on the bank of a lake made of large boulders, and wanted to move further down the bank along the rocks... The way I would travel across the rocks is like Wu wei. If I am to think of each step before and as I make it, or think of each rock before and as I step on it...I am going to slow myself up, trip myself up...maybe even get wet. The rocks are already there, my feet are already there, the motions are already there...the path is already there. Without an effort to make, I can bounce along the rocks quite swiftly and precisely. What good is it to think of the path, how to move along the path...when the path is already laid before you? Anything you could think of this path, any effort you could make can only be there because the path already is. Thinking of the path, trying to walk the path...as soon as these things happen you have taken away from the journey. Wu wei of traversing the path, has now become the silly Wu wei of thoughts of traversing the path. Let go thoughts of the path and any metaphorical clinging to the path, and Wu wei is always there. Is like a stream of water, running downhill. It will always travel the best path, for it does not have to find it. It flows as it does, in imperfect perfection. Practice practicing things without things like thought, effort, clinging... I've found things like running along boulders, logs, etc. to be good practice for myself. But it could be anything at all. Meditation, of course, can be invaluabe for the sort of thing. I guess that's what I think about that. What won't you think? Hope this is of some use to you...take care friend, and good luck letting go.