Bit by Bit - Chapter 13, Part 15

Trey Smith

Heaven and earth have been called great since ancient times, have been praised in chorus by the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun. The kings of the world in ancient times - what need had they for action? Heaven and earth was enough for them.
~ Burton Watson translation ~

This is one of those snippets that addresses the concept of wu wei. It's not that undertaking action is viewed as unnecessary or bad, it is more about undertaking willful action. When we try to "make" something happen -- as opposed to allowing things to happen of their own accord -- we are polluting those actions with egoic desire.

To view the Index page for this series, go here.