I was pulling weeds in the backyard yesterday when a phone call from a friend rescued me from the chore. I mentioned that I was finding that when I tried to pull the weeds with force or speed, they snapped off at the stem, but when I gently and slowly pulled them, I could get the whole root to slide out from deep underground. We joked about how this seemed a lesson of the Tao, an ancient Chinese philosophy or religion, which is still practiced today. Tai Chi, with its peaceful meditative motions, embodies the principles of Taoism.
Tao literally means "the way;" the way to do things, the way to think about life, and the way that energy flows in the natural world. One of the many principles of Tao is Wu Wei, which means effortless effort. My friend told me that one of the exercises of Tai Chi that exemplifies this principle is "reeling the silk," a slow, graceful motion. He suggested that my weeding could be approached in this slow, gentle way as a kind of meditation. Effortless effort. To achieve this, I would have to detach from my outcome, which is to free my entire yard and patio of these pesky weeds, and concentrate instead on each weed, pulling gently, gracefully to help it leave the ground. I'll let you know how it goes!
