Wuwei (nonaction)
Wuwei (C. 無爲 / 无为). A polysemous, ancient Chinese concept expressing an ideal practice of "inaction," "inexertion" or "effortless action."[1][2] It is a harmonious state of free flowing and unforced activity. In a political context, it also refers to an ideal form or principle of governance or government.[3]
This state of "nonaction" is a central concept in Daoism. For example, the Daodejing states:
The Dao abides in non-action but there is nothing it does not do.[4]
In Chan sources, the term wuwei is also used in its native Chinese sense of "nonaction" and "without intent."
In Chinese Buddhist texts that are translated from Indian Sanskrit sources, this term is also used as a translation for the Sanskrit term asaṃskṛta (T. 'dus ma byas; "unconditioned").
Notes
- ↑ Slingerland 2007, p. 7.
- ↑ Tierney, John (2014-12-15). "A Meditation on the Art of Not Trying". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ↑ Slingerland 2007, p. 6.
- ↑ Tao Te Ching, chapter 37, Wikisource
Sources
- Slingerland, Edward (2007), Effortless Action: Wu-wei As Conceptual Metaphor and Spiritual Ideal in Early China, Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press Abstract (Oxford Academic)
Further reading
Wu wei, Wikipedia
無爲, Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (to sign in, see DDB sign-in)
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