The Tao of Dark Sages - Chapter 5, Part 3

The Tao of Dark Sages
by Scott Bradley

You have often mentioned things arising in spontaneity. Can you explain more about spontaneity? And also, it seems like ‘doing not-doing’, wei wu wei, is a really important teaching to the early followers of the Tao, yet I’ve never heard you mention it. Why is that?

Because you never asked, of course!

(Laughter)

And, perhaps, because they are difficult to explain. But I will try.

As for things arising in spontaneity, we need look no further than the closest blade of grass. All this grass around and beneath us has arisen without conceptual intention. It just grew. It just is. All of nature likewise arises in spontaneity.

The Tao Te Ching is very careful not to tell us that nature is created. Instead, we are told: “Heaven produces nothing, yet all life is transformed. Earth does not support, yet all life is sustained.” What we find in nature we find in ourselves — that is, we find it when we are living our innate nature. When we have realized what we are naturally, we act naturally. And to act naturally is to act in spontaneity. Spontaneity, tzu-jan (if we are going to speak Chinese), is wei wu wei, doing not-doing. So you see, these two are really just one way of being.

This is why the Tao Te Ching tells us that the beginning of righteousness is the end of Virtue. Righteousness, in this case, is the attempt to do the right thing in a self-conscious and contrived way. When we live our innate nature, our most truly natural self, we do the right thing without thinking about it, without consideration as to whether it is right or no.

“My description of being wise,” wrote Chuang-tzu, “has nothing to do with benevolence and righteousness, it is that one should be led by one’s innate nature, nothing more.” This is doing non-doing — acting in the world from our hearts, not our split-minds. Yun-men said: “In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.” In other words, don’t think about it, just do it!

For those with an understanding of Christian theology, the contrast by Paul between the Law and grace parallels this thinking closely. The Law is external and our obeisance of it must therefore be conceptual. Grace, on the other hand, is internal and arises from a heart transformed by an encounter with God. It is spontaneous.

This is why Martin Luther said: “Love God and do as you please.” Because what pleases you is, ostensibly, what arises from grace. Unfortunately for the peasants who took the freedom espoused by the Reformation too literally, it "pleased" Luther to tell the power elite to go ahead and destroy them.

These things have a habit of breaking down when no-law becomes new-law, when the new ‘internal’ is once again rendered ‘external’. And since it is generally the mind that’s in charge of our lives, that is most likely what will happen. So, if you start trying to do not-doing, then, though hopefully you won’t slay any peasants, you are unlikely to succeed. If you want spontaneity and not-doing to be the way of your life, focus on opening your heart and harmonizing with the Tao.

If you're interested in reading more from this series by Scott Bradley, go here.