Trey Smith
Noncontrivance does not mean stagnant inaction. It is an expression used to mean that nothing comes from the ego.Wu wei is a difficult concept for the western mind to grasp. We are taught from the earliest age that we must map out and plan everything we do. To get to the top of the mountain, all means are on the table. While we are told -- wink, wink -- that honesty, respect and just action are the key variables for success, we often see that many who are the most successful happen to be folks who are dishonest, disrespectful and anything but just!
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~
Another key aspect of the western version of success is ambition. We must possess a strong drive to get what we want when we want it. The ambitious individual must be able to out think and out maneuver anyone that might stand in their way. If a person isn't willing to utilize any means necessary to climb up the ladder, then we label that person unambitious -- a lazy loafer.
Wu wei, on the other hand, stresses effortless action. It is action NOT born of ambition. It is action that flows easily with the situation or circumstance. It is doing what needs to be done without worrying whether or not you get credit or it advances your career.
To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.
'wu wei' is action that is born of ambition/achievement that is rooted/grounded in humility/modesty - as you'll notice in TTC Ch 67.
ReplyDeleteI grabbed five different translations of Verse 67 and not a one of them mentioned a thing about ambition. Which translation are you using?
DeleteCarus/Suzuki (1913).
DeleteOne of the great advantages of having several different translations is not being tied to any one of them. Since we're talking about an ancient language, all translations contain educated guesses as to what many of the characters mean.
DeleteThis is one of the points I illustrate in the TTC Line by Line series. By showcasing three different translations (plus one rendition) and often referring to others as well, it is easy to see that most of the lines are interpreted differently by different people. Sometimes the differences are minor and sometimes the differences are glaring.
Absolutely, in describing the quality in question Carus is the only translation that uses the word "ambition" (reference is also made to 'great'); Legge refers to "seek only to be foremost" & Feng/English translates "always try to be first/leadership". Yet another perceives the quality as self-importance (Wikipaedia has a table form of some translations for Ch 67 that's quite useful).
DeleteI rely on translations & it is the soul-of-meaning expressed rather than individual words that is crucial.
wu wei ---> effortless action ---> non-contrived leadership/greatness/achievement/ambition
Lao Tzu has a fantastic message from Ch 17: "The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence the people are barely aware. ... When his task is accomplished & things have been completed, all the people will say, We ourselves have achieved it!"
ps. of course non-contrived ambition (greatness grounded in humility) is just an example of the general principle of wu wei
Delete