Doing
Nothing or Wu Wei (Taoism) is a piece of sagely wisdom!
Given our
cultural, sociological, conflict-ridden way of life, sages at various points in
time have offered us the remedy, "DO NOTHING!"
This happened
in Parekhji's place, Santa Cruz., Bombay.
Two young
men in their mid-twenties came to see UG, they sat bang opposite to him. They
sat glued to their seats, wide eyed, intensely listening to UG as he rubbished
all things spiritual, dethroning saints & sages, ridiculing ‘sadhanas’
& ‘sadhakas’, debunking all kinds of search or seeking!
UG was at
his blasting best that particular day and once again made it clear to all those
present that we were all mere bundles of confusion leading futile, nonsensical
lives chasing all kinds of spiritual dreams!
UG nailed
it further – ‘”No! You are not even living!”
No one
had the guts to defy him!
There was
a long pause - the calm after the storm! Everyone had been thoroughly shaken to
the roots!
One of
the two young men, with a beautifully sculpted face, Jesus-like beard, with
black and beautiful pair of eyes had been sitting with his eyes transfixed on
UG. He now got up from his seat, he had been silent all through the
morning.
Folding
his hands reverentially, he began to speak softly;" Sir, please permit us
to take your leave", apparently reluctant to leave UG's presence!
One could
sense a sudden movement in UG! UG's face lit up, leaning forward, showing
keen interest in the young man, he inquired his whereabouts, and how
he happened to be there. This time his partner butted in, "Sir, we
are basically from Poona, we started early this morning, drove in our car to
meet you. This is our first visit."
The
bearded young man continued standing with hands folded, his eyes transfixed on
UG, still mesmerized as he spoke, "Sir, I discovered you on the internet,
eventually got hold of Chandrasekhar Babu's number in Bangalore, contacted him
& traced your whereabouts in Bombay."
UG
smiling, prodded on, "What made you come here? There is nothing
you can get here. There is no message! We all sit here and gossip from morning
till evening!"
The young
man did not seem convinced and began his narrative, "Sir, I was a very
devout Muslim, I used to do namaz five times a day. But deep inside I was
restless, I was not at all happy! I spent all my time seeking answers on life,
its meaning, I wanted to know the existence of God. At some point, I got
totally disillusioned. I gave up on my namaz. My parents were very unhappy but
I just moved on! My search led me eventually to Sufism, I embraced Sufi
practices & I used to spend whole nights singing away Sufi devotionals! I
also dabbled in meditation, this whole thing consumed my life for years! But
I found no answers, this was the time I moved on to Hinduism, to Yoga etc.
Again there was no luck! I was totally disillusioned. I lost interest in
everything! This was when I stumbled on to your website and now I am here in
front of you".
Everyone
resonated with the young man, his checkered life was not very different from
our own.
There was
complete silence in the hall.
After a
long pause, the young man resumed, "Sir, please tell me what am I supposed
to do now?"
UG
thundered back, "Do nothing!" staring him in
the eye! And then turned away, signaling the end of their meeting.
But the
young man was quite determined to get an answer and stood his ground.
He
gathered himself once more and began speaking softly. This time he pleaded,
"Sir I have to leave now. Please, please tell me what should I do now?
What is the message for me?"
UG
raising his voice spoke with an air of finality, "Do Nothing! I
repeat, Do Nothing! That’s all!” dismissing the young man.
And in a
sudden move, turning over to where I was sitting, "Sir, this is
what your Bhagvad Gita says, “Do Nothing!" Taken aback, I
sheepishly nodded my head in agreement!
The
beautiful young man that day was a picture of deep discontent and sadness. His
search for enlightenment, happiness, God had deeply bothered him, and tormented
him!
The look
of disappointment, as he made towards the door was unmistakable. I thought to myself,
“Boy, is he any different from anyone of us here?”
How
fortunate we were to have met someone like UG who stopped us, freeing us from
chasing these endless chimeras!
Lucky are
those who get to hear the sagely instruction, “Do nothing! Just
be!”
******
Like the
Bhagvad Gita, Taoism also recommends 'Do Nothing' or ' Wu Wei'!
‘Do
Nothing’ or ‘Wu Wei’ is not advocacy for inactivity or laziness. Rather,
perhaps it means doing or acting without a purpose or an ulterior motive!
The sages
are definitely not against action. Do Nothing perhaps means - Doing Nothing on
Purpose! Purposelessness of action singles out the sage!
What
about UG who recommended "Do Nothing!” Boy, was he not a human
dynamo?
Irrepressible
and bubbling with energy, never resting for a moment, UG was seen constantly on
the move! He trod the globe many times over, meeting friends across continents,
tirelessly offering his sagacity in his inimitable style. He spoke to the
pouring stream of people throughout the day. He remained a ‘live wire’,
scintillating, even on his death bed!
******
Bhagvad
Gita, the Science of Action, lays it down clearly,
कर्मण्ये वाधिकारस्ते म फलेषु कदाचना
कर्मफलेह्तुर भुरमा ते संगोस्त्वकर्मानी॥
Ch. 2, 47
"Yours
is right to work only! Never to the fruits thereof! Never resort to inaction
but know that you are not the ‘doer’!"
The
sagely Krishna raises a red flag and cautions Arjuna not to fall a prey to
doer-ship!
With
false sense of doer-ship, one suffers the consequences of accomplishment, of
failure, of pride, arrogance, fear, despair or dejection.
The
context of the verse is the battle field in Mahabharata.
Arjuna,
the warrior, is a tormented soul. He is caught up in a dilemma whether to
withdraw or fight the evil in the form of near and dear ones.
Realising
that he is inadequate and unable to resolve the crisis, Arjuna resorts to
lamentation about consequences of war and consequences of his own action
(doer-ship) in war. Eventually unable to live up to the situation, he surrenders at the feet of Sri Krishna.
Sri
Krishna, the sagely voice, soothes and heals Arjuna by allaying his fears and
calming his nerves by exorcising the ‘ghost’ of doer-ship. He relieves Arjuna
of his doer-ship by advocating ‘Non Action (absence of doer-ship) in
Action’!
******
Just like
the Bhagvad Gita, the great classic, योग-वासिष्ठ ( Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha), the
dialogue between Sri Rama and the sage Vasishta dedicates an entire chapter to
‘sankalpa’ or ‘purpose’ and its far reaching impact on our thoughts or
thinking.
The red
flag on ‘purpose’ or ‘doer-ship’, once again is raised, this time by the great sage
Vasishta!
Purpose
or motive is a tremendous psychological force like no other! It solidifies,
coalesces independent, discrete thoughts into a fictitious ‘thinker’ or ‘doer’!
Douglas
Rosestone recollects that in the aftermath of Calamity, UG used to insist
that he daily read out a few pages from the great Yoga-Vāsisṭha to
him!
******
UG clarified, “Food, clothing
and shelter - these are the basic needs - beyond that if you want anything, it
is the beginning of self-deception."
Discarding all that is non-essential and firmly rooted in the essence, the sage performs action in the realm of non action ( without any sense of doer-ship).
Doing Nothing, the sagely recommendation, holds cure for all
forms of self-deception!
Therefore the sage manages
affairs without doing anything, and
conveys his instructions without the use of speech.
All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show
itself; they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership;
they go through their processes, and there is no expectation (of a
reward for the results). The work is accomplished, and there is no
resting in it (as an achievement).
The work is done, but how no one can see;
'Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.
All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show
itself; they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership;
they go through their processes, and there is no expectation (of a
reward for the results). The work is accomplished, and there is no
resting in it (as an achievement).
The work is done, but how no one can see;
'Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.
Tao The Ching, Chapter 2
(http://www.sacred-texts.com/tao/taote.htm)
******
