Posted on 21 Jul, 2011 -
How Pooh Found Eyeore’s Tail
The Power of ‘Effortless Doing’
Act as if you are still the raw potential, energy and life of an ‘uncarved bock’ - not an already carved statue
Why the ancient Chinese tradition of Taoism always feels so good…
Dear Reader,
It happens to me about once a year and there is always such a feeling of relief - and a light, gentle happiness when it does.
For the rest of the year I go about my days in much the normal way: mostly happy, a little too much in a rush… occasionally plagued by stresses… occasionally elated by life.
Then, every so often, I pick up a book or see or read something that pulls me back to the teachings of Taoism and there is a blissful pause in my normal rhythm. A reminder that sets me back down on a slightly different track.
Sit and it will come
In the teachings of Taoism, ‘wu-wei’ is the art of effortless doing, of acting through not acting. Of flowing in time more in the way of nature than in the over-worked and over-thought way of the modern human world.
Nature, Taoism says, doesn’t need to make a huge conscious effort to make the first early blossom flowers appear on the dark forsaken branchesof the winter trees. It is just something that happens.
Life just flows. And if we can take a leaf out of the teaching of Tao, we too can float more effortlessly through our own lives with the delicacy, beauty and simplicity of a cherry blossom.
Rather than subjecting ourselves to too much stress by making too much effort in life, we can take more of a back seat. Allow life to take its own course and become more of an observer. Because life will happen anyway. Just as Tao makes the sun rise it will make you move your arm. And the more we resist and fight it the more painful and less enjoyable it will be.
How Pooh found Eyore’s tail
Indeed, it is often when we act with inner stillness and quiet activity that we not only appreciate the fine artistic display which is the flow of life, but enjoy more success in it as well.
In the famous book, ‘The Tao of Pooh’, Benjamin Hoff tells us how Pooh is the one who finds Eyore’s missing tail. While all the other busy animals rush around searching for it, Pooh notices it simply by sitting around doing nothing.
This is not to say, of course, that you can simply sit in an armchair all day and a wonderful pan of Spanish stew will be waiting for you on the kitchen table for your dinner. But rather, instead of fretting about what will happen next and moving hectically forward towards doing, find a place of inner quiet and watch thoughtfully as the activity begins to flow.
Try it at work. Try it at home. Press play and wait for the magic of life show. Smile as you watch it happen. Breathe deeply and slowly as you start effortlessly to act. Do everything you do with calm purpose and you will have a more productive day than if you ran around like a blue arsed fly.
Be at ease wherever you go and face adversity with calm
One great effect you can enjoy from the power of wu-wei in particular is the calm it can allow you to enjoy in any situation or location.
Next time you’re at a work or social event where you’re feeling a bit stressed or out of place, find a place of calm within yourself and observe the sequence of events from there. You’ll be amazed by what might happen and what you might achieve.
And the same goes for adversity. Walk pass your adversities as if they were mountains and you were calmly walking down a valley. Soon they will pass. Resistance will only increase the pain.
Again, challenges and difficulties can often better be handled through the power of effortless activity - of acceptance first, and thoughtful and purposeful passivity. A way will come if you sit slowly and wait - just as the mighty river has changed the shape of the landscape simply by allowing the Tao to flow.
Tao, is the way, the quiet spirit pervading everything
In Taoist theory, ‘Tao’ itself is everything. It is also called ‘the way’. And the essence of this divinity also lies within each of us where we can meet it in meditation, prayer, or quiet contemplation.
For the less we are ourselves the better and the more free we will be to live.
Act as if you are still raw potential, energy and life - not an already carved statue
The Taoist concept of ‘P’u’ means the ‘uncarved block’ and the teachings says that we should try to act more as if we were the raw piece of wood rather than a statue that has already been carved from it. As the wood we remain potential, energy and life. But as the statue we are already formed and too rigid.
We should be flexible to change. Open to the new. And great power and clarity will come to us to open up a new chapter of our lives .
Be more receptive than pro-active and great things may happen to you. Above all, try not to worry too much about tomorrow but rather rejoice in watching it happen. The future will happen without our having to make stressful efforts to plan for it.
There is enormous potential. Endless possibilities. Open up your heart to them.
P’u is about just being. Stripping your mind of all the baggage you have become. All the niggles and gripes and preconceived ideas. Just pure experience. Pure awareness.
Have a peaceful day.
