Doing nothing, is the best thing you can ‘do’.
It’s easy. Light. No strings.
The Tao runs on non-doing, or Wu Wei. The Tao is Wu Wei.
Wu translates as “no” and wei translates as “do” or “accomplish”. Wu wei and doing nothing are synonymous.
This is not laziness. This is lightness of being.
When we cease doing, and we stop trying to do, we can simply be. Light, and empty, the flow of the Tao, the lifeforce, will flow freely through us, and live our lives for us, with no effort on our part.
It’s all about letting nature take it’s course. About dropping the belief that we are the “doer” in our lives. When we drop this doer, we become the liver of our life. We become, simply, life.
When it comes down to it, that is all we are. Another life form, sharing this life with all other life forms. When we act out of doership, we create separation. From life, from others, from our true nature.
When we drop all attempts at doership, and simply rest in the flow of being, we see, feel and recognise our connectedness with life, others, and our true nature.
Even this dropping can become a doership for the one who is addicted to doing. But it won’t work, unless you completely let go.
“Those who seek knowledge,
collect something every day.
Those who seek the Way,
let go of something every day.
They let go and let go,
until reaching no action.
When nothing is done,
nothing is left undone.”
— Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)
Letting go requires trust.
Without trust in life, we cling fearfully to doership. And in this clinging and fear, we create the worst possible conditions for our life to succeed. Whatever succeed means to you.
In letting go, in doing nothing, in becoming Wu Wei in our living of life, we lighten our load, we flow, we trust, we be. We simply are.
We can rest deeply in this.
There is no rest in doership.
No peace.
“Therefore the sage desires no desire,does not value rare treasures,
learns without learning,
recovers what people have left behind.
He wants all things to follow their own nature,
but dares not act.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)
Have you ever noticed, that no matter how hard you try, some things just don’t get done? On the other hand, have you noticed how some things flow smoothly, with such great ease, time passes, and you are so carried along by the flow, that you don’t even notice the passing of the time?
This is the doing nothing I speak of.
“The flower fills the space with perfume… the candle with light.
They do nothing, yet they change everything by their mere presence.”
— Nisargadatta Maharaj
Just like the candle and the flower, you too will fill boundless space with your perfume, if you let go of doing, and simply be.
Your form will still move through space. There will still be the appearance of doing. But there will be no doer. This is what creates the space, the lightness of being, the perfume.
“You are the solitary witness of all that is, forever free.
Your only bondage is not seeing this.
The thought: “I am the doer” is the bite of a poisonous snake.
To know: “I do nothing” is the wisdom of faith.
Be happy.”
— Ashtavakra Gita
Today, stop doing. Sit a while. Close your eyes. Be.
Rest in the beingness itself. Such peace is found here. Such joy.
To practice doing nothing is the easiest practice you could ever wish for, because it takes no effort, no time, and has no goal. You cannot fail.
Just let go of thoughts of where you should be, what you should be doing, and simply be.
You don’t just have to sit to do nothing. But it’s a nice way to begin. Enjoy it.
You can do nothing walking, working, cooking, loving, all of these and more are possible, without the presence of any doer. Who would think that we could improve our actions by taking charge of them? Our most beautiful actions are when we let go.
Let go.
Do nothing and be happy.
There is such lightness in simply being.
Do you really need more than this?
Thank you for reading,
love,
Bhagavati