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Introduction

This verse is titled after one of the most popular concepts in Daoism, wuwei. Wuwei is often translated as “effortless effort” or “non-action.” Both are fine, but both are inadequate. The best way to explore the concept is to study the text overall. Here is some framing to take into this verse. 

Wú (无) is like the “yin” energy. It is the unnameable and the desireless of the first verse in this text. It translates with words like “not,” “nothing,” “absence,” and the concept of negation. It connects to the raw vibratory essence at the basis of Creation before experience is sliced and diced by the analytical mind and language. 

It is the opposite of the bright, bouncy, nameable, desiring, analytical consciousness signified as “yǒu” (有) and the “yang” force.

Wei (为) is a being verb. It can translate to “to do, make, become, serve, be.”

In verse 75, we will encounter the phrase yǒuweì (有为), which means something like “forceful doing” or “excessive action.” This is the opposite of wúweì (无为). Wúweì is really about what it means to “be” the “yin” aspect of the Dao in the infinite ways it can manifest. 

In Verse 29, the term arises in the context of generating a meditative experience of the Dao. Let’s dig in. 

Translation

About to grasp Creation
  you act.
I see you didn’t get it. 

Creation is an organ of illumination,
  it can’t be acted upon.
Acting on it ruins it.
  Grasping for it, you lose it.

Therefore, the Wise
  though (y)in-action cause no corruption;
    without clinging cause no loss.

So, the things of Creation
  sometimes lead, sometimes obey;
  sometimes warm, sometimes cool;
  sometimes strengthen, sometimes weaken;
  sometimes support, sometimes destroy.

This is why the Wise
  discard seriousness,
  discard success,
  discard everything.

Commentary

About to grasp Creation
  you act.
I see you didn’t get it. 

Oh – burn! It happens to all serious meditators. We start to get still enough for expansion, altered states arise, and then we get all excited. “Yes! This is it! It’s finally happening!” and like magic, the experience disappears. We can also strive so hard and be so concentrated and intent on “DOING MEDITATION” that we completely block the relaxed spaciousness required to meditate. In any case, we become disturbed and act in some way, thereby adding ripples to the pond. The same pond needs to be smooth like glass to offer up a pristine reflection of Creation.

Creation is an organ of illumination,
  it can’t be acted upon.
Acting on it ruins it.
  Grasping for it, you lose it. 

Creation (tiānxià, 天下), sometimes translated “the world,” is conventionally thought to indicate China or “the world out there.” In texts like this, though, the frame of reference is usually that “Creation” is an illusion generated by our senses, which is not ultimately real. That sounds very cool and mystical, but it just means that all we can experience is how our bodies interpret the sensory information that comes into it and the meaning we give those interpretations. 

In other words, all you can experience is the contents of the container. It is the dynamic function of the universe, expressing itself in your individual experience. We can know what’s happening because we are self-conscious, i.e., the “lights are on.” What is real is the luminous consciousness that allows for the possibility of self-awareness. Everything else is a function of the One (The Dao) becoming Two (Yin/Wu and Yang/You) and the Two becoming the Many, which is Creation. Ergo, Creation is the self-contained whole that serves as the basis (organ) for our experience of being alive (illumination). 

As indicated in verse 17, the highest ideal of the Daoist is to merge with the unfoldment of process so thoroughly that it doesn’t even seem like we’re doing anything. Acting creates ripples, which disturb the natural way. 

This is especially true when we meditate on the Dao and seek to establish a direct relationship with this quality of the human experience. Which is really what this verse is about. 

Therefore, the Wise
  through (y)in-action cause no corruption;
    without clinging cause no loss. 

I resorted to a potentially overly clever phrase to make the point here. Forgive me. Inaction is actually kind of right; what is called for is really, really, truly not doing anything. Just sit down and don’t do anything long enough, and you’ll see the Dao flowing all around you and through you. But it’s a volitional choice to embody alert receptivity and function as the “yin” principle. Thus, this concept can be expressed somewhat cheesily as (y)in-action. 

So, the things of Creation
  sometimes lead, sometimes obey;
  sometimes warm, sometimes cool;
  sometimes strengthen, sometimes weaken;
  sometimes support, sometimes destroy.

To drive home the point about “being the receptive container” and (y)in-action, the stanza above points out how Creation is constantly in flux. Since nothing is stable, there is nothing to grasp and fixate on. Trying to hold the world still is both futile and insane. What happens if you just knock it off?

This is why the Wise
  discard seriousness,
  discard success,
  discard everything.

This is good advice for life. Why so serious? Why cling to material success? Why even care about this illusory, dystopian hellscape?

The same words are also a trap. A trap that Weaving the Way is not about. This reinforces the verse’s position as a commentary on meditation. So what does it mean to “discard seriousness, success, and debate” as a meditator? 

• Discard seriousness: You can’t “try hard” to “do good” at meditating and get anywhere with it. Lighten up! Just be consistent about paying attention to the light of your life; the rest will take care of itself. This lifestyle is supposed to be full of freedom and joy! 
• Discard success: If you judge your meditations and look to achieve something, you’ll create ripples that stop you from achieving what you’re looking for. You have to just give up and know that everything you seek is already present. The reflection will become clear when you stop muddying the water with your yǒuweì (excess activity). 
• Discard everything: Stop it, drop it, and roll with it. Seriously, it’s not that serious. Relax. Open up. Let it all in and let it all go. This is the only way to become attuned to the subtle reality of the Dao and its ever-evolving manifestation of life.