willie wrote:Hi Cady, I think that Bao is much closer to the correct interpretation.
I was taught by my first Yang style teacher that that act of non doing is simply realizing that the properties or a natural state of something will automatically solve the problem in many cases. If you evaluate the natural condition of a young tree branch, the tree branch has a quality known as flexibility or pliability. In short it bends to the force and is unharmed. The same as if a blade of grass stands up to a hurricane and survives unarmed. It is also an act of no-mind and not being emotionally involved in the situation, Only the natural Properties or qualities. It has really nothing to do with what Adam is doing or the other videos that windwalker so kindly provided.
Yes Bao's is more correct and your teacher has a great way of explaining it. What the term means originally is not that there is an absence of doing anything but that due to the amount of work already done in order to get to the 'correct state' the situation can resolve itself. This is indeed like ziran, or shizentai, 'rooted', etc. It's a wu-wei in the sense that there is nothing left to be done.
I dunno I just find it funny that so few people really understand this and adopt the wet-noodle approach, or take it to mean effort of any kind is bad. It does kind of sound like "work is bad," I guess, if you are unaware of it's meaning in context.
Disclaimer, I didn't really read the whole thread.
Edit: Just watched the Mizner video in the OP and I had to laugh. I loved his "lean" application (which looks like, but is not, a head-butt). That is exactly wu-wei. But caution the real term is "wei wu wei", obviously Mizner is doing something here, but the choice of what he is going to do had been removed somewhat; he is just using his natural posture against his opponent's. He explains this very well, that his inner state makes his opponent's inner state very uncomfortable.
Not sure who Mizner studied with but I like his work and I think he has the right stuff. "New partner... go!" such important words.