But why do you characterize the dog as lazy if he is practicing Wu Wei? That makes it seem like Wu Wei is being lazy. Maybe the dog is something more than lazy?
But why do you characterize the dog as lazy if he is practicing Wu Wei? That makes it seem like Wu Wei is being lazy. Maybe the dog is something more than lazy?
Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.
The point is that we often call dogs lazy - hence “the lazy dog” - but that is followed by “in that one action he has accomplished all he needed” - which is doing just what is necessary, nothing more, which is in essence the meaning of wu wei. The dog isn’t something more, the dog -may- generally be just what he is - a dog. Wu wei isn’t more than something - it is the nature of something and moving in harmony with the nature of everything. Which is the point - our lives are often made harder by adding more to our story line that is actually there (and certainly more than is actually necessary to accomplish what needs to be done).