Sand will settle out of water in time if the water is left undisturbed.
The Czech philosopher Comenius said: "Let all things spontaneously flow; let there be no violence to things".
The Taoists would agree.
Taoists believe we should cultivate "a state of being in which our actions are quite effortlessly in alignment with the ebb and flow of the elemental cycles of the natural world.
"It is a kind of 'going with the flow' that is characterized by great ease and awake-ness, in which - without even trying - we're able to respond perfectly to whatever situations arise."
"This does not mean letting go of our free will… far from it.
"It means acknowledging that our free will is part of the universal will - the Oneness.
"For us to play our part all we need do is listen inside to the still, small voice inside that tells us what we need to know (if we are ever quiet enough to let it)."
Taoist 'wu wei', intuition and free will | nick jankel
'The Tao' is a mysterious something which is the source of all things.
Taoist 'wu wei', intuition and free will | nick jankel
'The Tao' is a mysterious something which is the source of all things.
The Tao cannot be described in words.
The Tao's substance is 'un-selfish'.
The Tao is 'formless'; it is not 'a being'.
The Tao is some kind of divine presence that individuals can find within themselves.
The highest virtue is to act without a sense of self
The highest kindness is to give without a condition
The highest justice is to see without a preference
Lao Tzu writes:
The Tao abides in non-action,
Yet nothing is left undone.
If kings and lords observed this,
The ten thousand things would develop naturally.
If they still desired to act,
They would return to the simplicity of formless substance.
Without form there is no desire.
Without desire there is tranquillity.
In this way all things would be at peace.
"Both ... the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead, and ... the Tao Te Ching, have similar things to say about the world and the humans who occupy it...
The Tao is 'formless'; it is not 'a being'.
Laozi tells us:
The highest virtue is to act without a sense of self
The highest kindness is to give without a condition
The highest justice is to see without a preference
Wu Wei: the Action of Non-Action - Taoism
"As we find our alignment with the Tao - with the rhythms of the elements within and outside of our bodies – our actions are quite naturally of the highest benefit to all..."
Wu Wei: the Action of Non-Action - Taoism
"As we find our alignment with the Tao - with the rhythms of the elements within and outside of our bodies – our actions are quite naturally of the highest benefit to all..."
Wu Wei: the Action of Non-Action - Taoism
The Tao abides in non-action,
Yet nothing is left undone.
If kings and lords observed this,
The ten thousand things would develop naturally.
If they still desired to act,
They would return to the simplicity of formless substance.
Without form there is no desire.
Without desire there is tranquillity.
In this way all things would be at peace.
"In order to create beauty and harmony within one’s experience, one must of necessity create beauty and harmony, to the best of one’s ability, in the world...
"In this effort, success lies in deference and humility.
"There is far greater wisdom in the movement of the whole pattern than in any attempt to impose one’s own will on events...
"In this effort, success lies in deference and humility.
"There is far greater wisdom in the movement of the whole pattern than in any attempt to impose one’s own will on events...