This article was written by Owen Waters, author of "Freedom of
the Spirit: Four Powerful Steps to Spiritual Freedom."
Doing by Not Doing
by Owen Waters
This week, we'll explore another aspect of Taoist philosophy.
It's an even bigger brain teaser called Wu Wei (pronounced
"Woo-Way"), which is about "doing by not doing." And, strangely
enough, it's the secret to getting things done!
This philosophy says that, when nothing is done, nothing is
left undone. When I first encountered this stark contradiction
I became seriously worried about my brain cells short-
circuiting and melting. In fact, the more I thought about
it, the more convinced I became that I was starting to smell
smoke coming out of my ears.
Later, at an older and riper age, I began to see the idea
behind the apparent contradiction. The alternative translation
of "action without effort" instead of "doing by not doing"
helped to clarify the original idea. I came to realize that if,
instead of trying to make something happen by the usual efforts
of planning, willpower and determination, you go within and see
the action accomplished, then something very different happens.
The action doesn't mysteriously become accomplished by magic or
by non-effort, but you experience a state of flow which enables
you to move through the task with ease, grace and incredible
efficiency.
A leading light in positive psychology today is Hungarian-
American professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. (In case
you're wondering, his last name is pronounced,
"Cheek-sent-me-high-ee.") His focus on happiness and creativity
led to the concept of FLOW, which is a state of concentration
or complete absorption in an activity. He points out that
developing a state of flow leads to higher skill development
and the ability to meet higher challenges within a chosen
field.
The message of the Tao is to develop exactly such a state of
flow and to do it by developing deeper states of inner
awareness. The easiest way to invoke a state of flow,
therefore, is to go within, attune with your inner being and
the intended task, then come out into the world of action and
carry out your intuitive guidance every step of the way until
the task is completed.
In a state of flow, the action is guided from within and the
doer virtually vanishes into the deed.
The key to creating the desired state of flow is that, because
your inner being is fully attuned with the universe, you can
then act in a manner which is perfectly aligned with all other
circumstances related to your work. This is how synchronicity
happens and coincidences become commonplace in your life.
People, ideas and materials all come together at the exact
right time and in the right place because flow is an
orchestration of the many, not just the one.
You can be the main person conducting the work, but the
universe responds to your inner connection and brings to you
everything that you need with effortless coincidence.
The message of Wu Wei is that there is a time and a place for
everything to come together for effortless achievement. By
intending a goal and connecting with your inner being, you
start the creation of that perfect time and place by attracting
all the resources you need to achieve the goal. Then, by acting
exactly when the energy feels right, you express the flow of
ideas and energy which pour forth from your inner being.
Achievement becomes effortless, and the realm of being has
become manifest in the world of action. You will have achieved
success by alignment with the inner realm of 'not doing.'
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This article was written by Owen Waters, author of "Freedom of
the Spirit: Four Powerful Steps to Spiritual Freedom." This
deeply insightful e-book combines some of today's most proven
and time-tested spiritual practices into one powerful and
effective package.
Available for immediate download at:
http://www.infinitebeing.com/ebooks/freedom.htm
The Infinite Being newsletter brings you spiritual insights
for the New Awareness each Sunday at your request from
Infinite Being Publishing LLC, Delaware, USA.
