The Way to the Way: Classical Daoist Apophatic Meditation as Effortless Practice

Daoist effortless meditation, rooted in classical Daoism's inner cultivation lineages (ca. 350–90 BCE), centers on wúwéi (non-action or effortlessness). The practice involves specific techniques intimately tied to this concept, along with related contemplative states and traits. The article urges examining meditation beyond mere technique, considering its aesthetics, material culture, place, and spatiality. It concludes with reflections from a lived Daoist perspective.

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Abstract

The present article explores Daoist effortless meditation with particular attention to its association with the inner cultivation lineages of classical Daoism (ca. 350–ca. 90 BCE). In addition to discussing the technical specifics of the practice, including its intimate connection to wúwéi 無為 (lit., ‘without acting/doing’; non-action/effortlessness), consideration is given to related contemplative states and traits. The article also encourages readers and researchers to examine contemplative practice in general and meditation in particular beyond mere technique. Here one engages the associated aesthetics, material culture, place, spatiality, and so forth. The piece concludes with some reflections from a lived/living Daoist perspective.