As you may already know, this week’s teachings come from the book “The Tao of Pooh”. An adaptation of the original Winnie the Pooh that recognizes the Zen-like qualities of this yellow bear. Here is the next excerpt from the book –
Tigger is the bouncy one, always on the move! No time for a second’s rest, there’s too much to be done!
Living this way is exhausting though, and finally Tigger turns to Pooh for advice:
Tigger asked “Just How do you do it, Pooh?”
“Do What?” asked Pooh.
“Become so Effortless.”
“I don’t do much of anything,” he said.
“But all those things of yours get done.”
“They just sort of happen,” he said.
– The Tao of Pooh
Pooh bear didn’t study in order to be like this, this is just his way. But if he were a student of Lao Tzu, this is how he might describe his way of being:
“When we learn to work with our own Inner Nature, and with the natural laws operating around us, we reach the level of Wu Wei. Then we work with the natural order of things and operate on the principle of minimal effort. Since the natural world follows that principle, it does not make mistakes. Mistakes are made–or imagined–by man, the creature with the overloaded Brain who separates himself from the supporting network of natural laws by interfering and trying too hard.
When you work with Wu Wei, you put the round peg in the round hole and the square peg in the square hole. No stress, no struggle. Egotistical Desire tries to force the round peg into the square hole and the square peg into the round hole. Cleverness tries to devise craftier ways of making pegs fit where they don’t belong. Knowledge tries to figure out why round pegs fit into round holes, but not square holes. Wu Wei doesn’t try. It doesn’t think about it. It just does it. And when it does, it doesn’t appear to do much of anything. But Things Get Done.
When you work with Wu Wei, you have no real accidents. Things may get a little Odd at times, but they work out. You don’t have to try very hard to make them work out; you just let them. […] If you’re in tune with The Way Things Work, then they work the way they need to, no matter what you may think about it at the time. Later on you can look back and say, “Oh, now I understand. That had to happen so that those could happen, and those had to happen in order for this to happen…” Then you realize that even if you’d tried to make it all turn out perfectly, you couldn’t have done better, and if you’d really tried hard, you would have made a mess of the whole thing.
Using Wu Wei, you go by circumstances and listen to your own intuition. “This isn’t the best time to do this. I’d better go that way” – like that. When you do that sort of thing, people may say you have a Sixth Sense or something. All it really is, though, is being Sensitive to Circumstances. That’s just natural. It’s only strange when you don’t listen.”
– The Tao of Pooh
To be effective, we must change the things we can, and let go the things we can’t. But when “doing” is our default, and we act before we think, how will we know when to do and when to don’t?
Wu Wei is not about the absence of action, it’s about being in touch with the flow of things. But while we are unable to be at peace within discomfort, our own compulsions will always trick us into jumping the gun.
Today’s meditation is an exercise for our minds to wait and to watch and to see… see where to do and where to don’t.
Here are some questions for self-reflection:
- Am I forcing this situation? Is this action aligned with my true intentions and the natural flow of things?
- Does this situation require my action? Sometimes, the best action is no action at all. Observe the situation and trust that things will unfold as they should.
- Am I listening to my intuition? Often, a quiet voice within knows the best course of action. Take a deep breath and tune in.
By cultivating a sense of Wu Wei, we can navigate life’s complexities with greater ease and grace. Like Pooh Bear, we can accomplish much, seemingly effortlessly, by aligning ourselves with the natural rhythm of the universe.
So, the next time you feel the urge to jump into action, take a moment to breathe, observe, and listen to your inner voice. Perhaps the answer lies not in doing, but in allowing.
Have a beautiful day, and do join us for today’s meditation journey.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: I am the mountain.
(credit: https://www.benjaminhoffauthor.com/ )