{"id":7033,"date":"2025-11-23T13:25:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T18:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/?p=7033"},"modified":"2025-11-23T21:25:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T02:25:48","slug":"wu-wei-effortless-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/?p=7033","title":{"rendered":"Wu Wei: Effortless Action"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"image_pdf\"<\/a>\"image_print\"<\/a><\/div>\n

One of the central ideas in the Daodjing<\/em> of Laozi<\/em> is the idea of wu wei<\/em> (\u7121\u70ba, simplified \u65e0\u4e3a; w\u00faw\u00e9i<\/em>). This has been translated in many ways: \u201cnon-action,\u201d \u201cactionlessness,\u201d \u201ceffortless action,\u201d and \u201cdoing nothing.\u201d The 37th<\/sup> chapter of the Daodjing<\/em> considers wu wei<\/em> an attribute of the eternal Dao<\/em>. The 48th<\/sup> chapter promotes wu wei<\/em> as a human virtue. The illustration shows wu wei<\/em> in regular script (left) and in cursive (right).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Being True to Oneself<\/strong><\/p>\n

A foundational concept in Daoism is\u81ea\u7136, z\u00ecr\u00e1n.<\/em> This word is composed of \u81ea (self, oneself, from, since) and \u7136 (right, correct, so, in this manner). Almost impossible to translate, the word has been variously rendered simply as \u201cself-so\u201d (Ziporyn, 2009) or more abstractly as \u201cas-it-is-ness\u201d (Fu, 1973, p 382). The meaning contains the idea of acting \u201cnaturally\u201d or \u201cspontaneously.\u201d An underlying concept is \u201cauthenticity\u201d \u2013 one\u2019s action should be true to one\u2019s nature.<\/p>\n

Laozi uses the word in the ending to Chapter 25 of the Daodejing (with translation by Wu, 2016):\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u4eba\u6cd5\u5730\uff0c\u5730\u6cd5\u5929\uff0c\u5929\u6cd5\u9053\uff0c\u9053\u6cd5\u81ea\u7136<\/p>\n

Man follows the ways of Earth;
Earth follows the ways of Heaven;
Heaven follows the ways of Dao<\/em>;
Dao <\/em>follows its own ways.<\/p>\n

Several aspects of z\u00ecr\u00e1n <\/em>need consideration. First, the Dao<\/em> acts through all things. As well as ordering the cosmos, the Dao<\/em> acts through each individual object it contains. Human beings must ultimately follow their own z\u00ecr\u00e1n. <\/em>\u00a0Zhuang Zhou, commonly known as Zhuangzi (\u838a\u5b50), a Daoist philosopher from the 4th<\/sup> Century BCE, begins his writings with a description of all the different things in the universe from the mythological great Peng bird to the morning mushroom, and recommends that one must act \u201con the rectitude (\u6b63, zh\u00e8ng<\/em>) of Heaven and Earth\u201d (Lynn, 2022, p 8). Guo Xiang (\u90ed\u8c61, 265-312 CE) commented on this section of the Zhuangzi<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHeaven and earth\u201d is just a blanket term used to indicate all beings. It is all individual beings that form the very substance of heaven and earth, and it is each being\u2019s self-so [ziran<\/em>] that aligns true to itself. \u201cSelf-so\u201d [ziran<\/em>] means what is so of itself [ziran<\/em>], without being done by anyone or for any purpose. Thus, Peng\u2019s ability to fly high and the sparrow\u2019s ability to stay low, the great tree\u2019s ability to last long and the mushroom\u2019s ability to perish quickly, all these are done spontaneously, all are self-so [ziran<\/em>] (Ziporyn, 2009, p 132.)<\/p>\n

Second, the concept of z\u00ecr\u00e1n <\/em>does not mean that all things passively accept their lot in the universe. Misha Tadd (2019) argues that z\u00ecr\u00e1n <\/em>has as much to do with \u201cauthority\u201d as with \u201cauthenticity.\u201d We need to be true to our ideal selves: to seek what we should be rather than accept what we are.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Third, the idea of acting \u201cnaturally\u201d means acting in accord with the Dao. <\/em>However, human beings do not need to return to the simple state of primitive societies to do so (Tadd, 2019, p 4). Although the idea of the \u201cnoble savage\u201d was popular when the Daodejing <\/em>was initially translated into Western languages, Laozi<\/em> was not being nostalgic for a lost Eden; rather he was imagining a future utopia (Stamatov, 2023). \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet Nothing is Left Undone<\/strong><\/p>\n

How the Dao<\/em> \u201cfollows its own ways\u201d is described in the 37th<\/sup> chapter of the Daodejing<\/em>. This is the final chapter in the section of the book that deals with the nature of the Dao<\/em><\/p>\n

The commonly accepted version of the Daodejing<\/em> is divided into two parts. The first 37 chapters are concerned with the Dao<\/em> (way), and the next 44 with the nature of De<\/em> (virtue). Some recently discovered early versions reverse the ordering of the two parts (Chan, 2025). However, for our purposes it is appropriate to follow the traditional order and to understand the nature of the Dao before we propose a way for human virtue.<\/p>\n

The last chapter pf the first part states that the eternal Dao <\/em>\u2013 the principle that governs the universe \u2013 exercises its power by means of wu wei<\/em>. The following is the Chinese text of Chapter 37 together with a translation by Wu (2016) and calligraphy by Ken Wong:<\/p>\n

\u9053\u6046\u7121\u70ba\u800c\u7121\u4e0d\u70ba\u3002
\u4faf\u738b\u82e5\u80fd\u5b88\u4e4b\uff0c\u842c\u7269\u5c07\u81ea\u5316\u3002
\u5316\u800c\u6b32\u4f5c\uff0c
\u543e\u5c07\u93ae\u4e4b\u4ee5\u7121\u540d\u4e4b\u6a38\u3002
\u7121\u540d\u4e4b\u6a38\uff0c\u592b\u4ea6\u5c07\u4e0d\u6b32\u3002
\u4e0d\u6b32\u4ee5\u975c\uff0c\u5929\u4e0b\u5c07\u81ea\u5b9a\u3002<\/p>\n

Dao <\/em>in its eternity does nothing, yet nothing is not done.
If lords and kings can all abide by that, all things will change of themselves.
As they change, their desires start to grow;
I calm them down with the nameless pristine timber.
Calmed by the nameless pristine timber, they will have no more desire.
Desireless and calm, the world will correct its own course.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The phrase \u7121\u540d\u4e4b\u6a38 is usually translated as \u201cnameless simplicity\u201d (e.g., Fischer, 2023). The character \u6a38 (p\u01d4<\/em>), another version of which is \u6734, generally means \u201csimple.\u201d However, it once meant \u201cunworked wood\u201d \u2013 hence the \u201cnameless pristine timber\u201d of Wu\u2019s translation. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The famous first line is shown below in a character-by-character translation:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The translation of wu wei<\/em> (\u7121\u70ba) is problematic. A simple translation is \u201cdoing nothing\u201d but that is not Laozi\u2019<\/em>s meaning. In Chapter 37 the Dao<\/em> does nothing and yet somehow everything is done.\u00a0 The following are suggested translations of wu wei<\/em>: \u201cnon-action\u201d (Moeller, 2016), \u201ceffortless action\u201d (Slingerland, 2003), \u201cunself-conscious action\u201d (Lynn, 2022, p 3), \u201cnon-contrivance\u201d (Fischer, 2023, p 27), and \u201cno purposive action\u201d (Hansard, 2003).<\/p>\n

Loy (1985) proposed that wu wei<\/em> represent \u201cnondual action:\u201d the activity of an individual that has no self (with intentions and goals) but is rather part of a universal self. This can eliminate the problem of free will in a deterministic universe:<\/p>\n

whenever “I” act it is not “I” but the whole universe that “does” the action or rather is the action. If we accept that the universe is self-caused, then it acts freely whenever anything is done. Thus, from the nondualist perspective, complete determinism turns out to be equivalent to absolute freedom.<\/p>\n

Slingerland (2003, p 7) comments<\/p>\n

It is important to realize, however, that wu-wei<\/em> properly refers not to what is actually happening (or not happening) in the realm of observable action but rather to the state of mind of the actor. That is, it refers not to what is or is not being done but to the phenomenological state of the doer. \u2026 It describes a state of personal harmony in which actions flow freely and instantly from one\u2019s spontaneous inclinations\u2014without the need for extended deliberation or inner struggle\u2014and yet nonetheless accord perfectly with the dictates of the situation at hand, display an almost supernatural efficacy, and (in the Confucian context at least) harmonize with the demands of conventional morality.<\/p>\n

Fischer (2023, p 27) describes the mental concomitant of wu wei<\/em>:<\/p>\n

It describes the state of acting genuinely, unselfconsciously, or, as we might say, \u201cfrom the heart,\u201d as opposed to doing something self-consciously, because others expect you to, or because you are coerced.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Decreasing Day by Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the 48th<\/sup> chapter of the Daodejing<\/em> Laozi <\/em>proposes wu wei<\/em> as the ideal of human behavior. The following is the Chinese text together with a translation by Wu (2016):<\/p>\n

\u70ba\u5b78\u65e5\u76ca\uff0c\u70ba\u9053\u65e5\u640d\u3002
\u640d\u4e4b\u53c8\u640d\uff0c\u4ee5\u81f3\u65bc\u7121\u70ba\u3002
\u7121\u70ba\u800c\u7121\u4e0d\u70ba\u3002
\u53d6\u5929\u4e0b\u5e38\u4ee5\u7121\u4e8b\uff0c
\u53ca\u5176\u6709\u4e8b\uff0c\u4e0d\u8db3\u4ee5\u53d6\u5929\u4e0b\u3002<\/strong><\/p>\n

To pursue learning you increase day by day; to pursue Dao <\/em>you decrease day by day.
Decrease and yet again decrease, till you reach the state of Non-doing.
Do nothing and yet nothing is not done.
The world is often won without busying around;
When busying around occurs, the world cannot be won.<\/p>\n

The third line repeats the first line of Chapter 37 as an injunction for human behavior. We must follow the same principle as the Dao<\/em>. Although it is easy to say that the Dao can act according to its own self, how exactly human beings can do so is clear. The chapter states that the world can only be won without \u4e8b (sh\u00ec<\/a>, <\/em>business\/work\/responsibility).<\/p>\n

The Zhuangzi<\/em> provides several examples of acting in accord with wu wei<\/em>, the most famous example being butcher Ding. The story is introduced with the comments:<\/p>\n

The flow of my life is always channeled by its own boundaries, but the mind bent on knowledge never is. A flow channeled by its own boundaries is endangered when forced to follow something that is not, and trying to rescue it with the doings of the knowing mind only makes the danger worse. (Ziporyn, 2009, p 21).<\/p>\n

King Hui of Liang was very impressed with the skill of his butcher Ding who was able to cut up an ox with remarkable speed and agility. When asked how he had become so adept, Ding replied:<\/p>\n

What I love is the Course [Dao<\/em>], something that advances beyond mere skill. When I first started cutting up oxen, all I looked at for three years was oxen, and yet still I was unable to see all there was to see in an ox. But now I encounter it with the spirit rather than scrutinizing it with the eyes. My understanding consciousness, beholden to its specific purposes, comes to a halt, and thus the promptings of the spirit begin to flow. I depend on Heaven’s unwrought perforations and strike the larger gaps, following along with the broader hollows. I go by how they already are, playing them as they lay. So my knife has never had to cut through the knotted nodes where the warp hits the weave, much less the gnarled joints of bone. A good cook changes his blade once a year: he slices. An ordinary cook changes his blade once a month: he hacks. I have been using this same blade for nineteen years, cutting up thousands of oxen, and yet it is still as sharp as the day it came off the whetstone. For the joints have spaces within them, and the very edge of the blade has no thickness at all. When what has no thickness enters into an empty space, it is vast and open, with more than enough room for the play of the blade. That is why my knife is still as sharp as if it had just come off the whetstone, even after nineteen years. (Ziporyn, 2009, p 22).<\/p>\n

One might simply understand that through years of study and practice the cook had become so proficient at his that eveything was performed by learned reflex, without any need for consciousness. However, consicuousness still played a role: the cook continued:<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, whenever I come to a clustered tangle, realizing that it is difficult to do anything about it, I instead restrain myself as if terrified, until my seeing comes to a complete halt. My activity slows, and the blade moves ever so slightly. Then all at once, I find the ox already dismembered at my feet like clumps of soil scattered on the ground. I retract the blade and stand there gazing at my work arrayed all around me, dawdling over it with satisfaction. Then I wipe off the blade and put it away. (Ziporyn, 2009, p 22)<\/p>\n

After long thought and much practice we can become adept at anything. We behave automatically. However, consciousness still plays a role, slowing us down when problems arise, preventing mistakes that occur when one becomes more convinced of one\u2019s skill than warranted.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Art of Rulership<\/strong><\/p>\n

Laozi considers how leaders can best govern their people in Chapter 17 of the Daodjing<\/em>. The following is the Chinese text and the translation of Wu (2009):<\/p>\n

\u592a\u4e0a\uff0c\u4e0d\u77e5\u6709\u4e4b\uff1b\u5176\u6b21\uff0c\u4eb2\u800c\u8a89\u4e4b\uff1b
\u5176\u6b21\uff0c\u754f\u4e4b\uff1b\u5176\u6b21\uff0c\u4fae\u4e4b\u3002
\u4fe1\u4e0d\u8db3\u7109\uff0c\u6709\u4e0d\u4fe1\u7109\u3002
\u60a0\u516e\u5176\u8d35\u8a00\u3002\u529f\u6210\u4e8b\u9042\uff0c\u767e\u59d3\u7686\u8c13\uff1a\u6211\u81ea\u7136\u3002<\/p>\n

The best ruler is one whose presence is unknown;
the second best is one who is beloved and praised;
the next best is one who is feared;
the next is one who is despised.<\/p>\n

Where there is insufficient good faith,
there is loss of faith.<\/p>\n

Relax and spare your words.
When the goal is achieved and the job is done,
everyone says, \u201cWe did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laozi<\/em> favors the ruler who exercises wu wei, <\/em>who allows his ministers to exercise their responsibilities, and who lets his people to be true to their own selves: \u81ea\u7136, ziran<\/em>. Another translation of the final line is: The people all say: “We have done it by ourselves.\u201d (Lin, 1977)<\/p>\n

These ideas on government were extensively discussed in the Huainanzi<\/em>, a collection of writings collected to assist the Prince of Huainan in the 2nd<\/sup> Century BCE (Ames,1981). The following is from one of the essays entitled The Art of Rulership<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Thus, the ruler in possession of the Way extinguishes thought and dispenses with guessing, and waiting in limpidity and vacuity, he uses words that do not boast and takes action that does not rob subordinates of responsibility. He makes demands of fulfilment according to claims made. He lets them get on with their duties without telling them how; he expects them to fulfil their duties without instructing them. He takes not knowing as his Way and being at a loss as to what to do as his treasure. Acting in this way, each of the various officials has his appointed tasks. (Ames, 1981, p 202)<\/p>\n

The Concept of Flow<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mihaly Cs\u00edkszentmih\u00e1lyi (1934-2021), a Hungarian-American psychologist, became interested in why people can become so completely involved in difficult, time-consuming and sometimes dangerous activities, that they lose all sense of self and time. He described the experience as one of \u201cflow\u201d (Cs\u00edkszentmih\u00e1lyi, 1990). Nakamura and Cs\u00edkszentmih\u00e1lyi (in Cs\u00edkszentmih\u00e1lyi, 2014, p 240) describe the following subjective characteristics of being \u201cin flow:\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Intense and focused concentration on what one is doing in the present moment<\/li>\n
  2. Merging of action and awarenessLoss of reflective self-consciousness (i.e., loss of awareness of oneself as a social actor)<\/li>\n
  3. A sense that one can control one\u2019s actions; that is, a sense that one can in principle deal with the situation because one knows how to respond to whatever happens next<\/li>\n
  4. Distortion of temporal experience (typically, a sense that time has passed faster than normal)<\/li>\n
  5. Experience of the activity as intrinsically rewarding, such that often the end goal is just an excuse for the process.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Athletes during peak performance, musicians during virtuoso recitals, and scientists formulating a new theory all experience this state of flow. Other terms that have been used to describe it are \u201cin the zone\u201d or \u201cbeing locked in.\u201d The individual in the flow is fully conscious of what is going on, but there is little if any self-consciousness. The game is being played, the music is being made, the theory is being grasped.<\/p>\n

    This state can only come after one has become an expert. Only when the actions can occur automatically, can consciousness move to a higher level \u2013 directing the strategy of the game rather than making individual movements, conveying the meaning rather than playing the notes, finding the underlying pattern rather than simply recording what is happening.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

    A person in a state of flow is very similar to a person acting according to the principle of wu wei <\/em>(De Pryker, 2011). Both are acting effortlessly and without self-consciousness. In both action and awareness are fused. There are differences \u2013 flow empowers the individual self, whereas wu wei<\/em> leads to a decrease in personal desires as one seeks greater union with the universal self. Nevertheless, the two states are far more similar than different. \u00a0<\/p>\n

    In recent years, the concepts of wu wei<\/em> have been used to promote higher achievements in sports (Kee et al. 2021) and to find happiness in normal human behavior through \u201ceffortless living\u201d (Gregory, 2018). A major difficulty is in deciding how to attain wu wei. <\/em>One must become highly skilled and then become so completely involved in something that one loses oneself in the endeavor. One can try to be \u201cmindful,\u201d to live in the present, to eliminate personal desires, but such advice is imprecise.<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The Flow of Calligraphy<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Chapters 37 and 48 of the Daodejing<\/em> \u2013 the chapters that are crucial to the concept of wu wei<\/em> are shown below in the calligraphy of the 13th<\/sup> Century Zhao Mengfu in regular script, and of the 14th<\/sup> Century Sheng Mao<\/a> in clerical script):\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    The esthetics of Chinese calligraphy depends on the flow from one character to another. The true calligrapher follows the principle of wu wei<\/em> and writes effortlessly. Chiang Yee (1973, p 117) describes the essential characteristics of Chinese calligraphy:<\/p>\n

    The beauty of Chinese calligraphy is essentially the beauty of plastic movement, not of designed and motionless shape. A finished piece of it is not a symmetrical arrangement of conventional shapes, but something like the co-ordinated movements of a skilfully composed dance \u2014impulse, momentum, momentary poise, and the interplay of active forces combining to form a balanced whole. \u00a0<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

    Envoi<\/strong><\/p>\n

    We can conclude with some comments of the poet and Trappist monk Thomas Merton in his introduction to his free translations from the Zhuangzi <\/em>(2004, p 21):<\/p>\n

    The true character of wu wei is not mere inactivity but perfect action\u2014because it is act without activity. In other words, it is action not carried out independently of Heaven and earth and in conflict with the dynamism of the whole, but in perfect harmony with the whole. It is not mere passivity, but it is action that seems both effortless and spontaneous because performed “rightly,” in perfect accordance with our nature and with our place in the scheme of things. It is completely free because there is in it no force and no violence. It is not “conditioned” or “limited” by our own individual needs and desires, or even by our own theories and ideas.<\/p>\n

    And an excerpt from his translation (p. 69):<\/p>\n

    If man, born in Tao,
    Sinks into the deep shadow
    Of non-action
    To forget aggression and concern,
    He lacks nothing
    His life is secure.<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

    References<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Ames, R. T. (1981) Wu-wei in “The art of rulership” chapter of Huai Nan Tzu: its sources and philosophical orientation. Philosophy East and West<\/em>, 31(2), 193-213<\/p>\n

    Chan, A. K. L. (2025). Laozi<\/a>. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Chiang, Y. (1973). Chinese calligraphy: an introduction to its aesthetic and technique<\/em> (3rd<\/sup> ed.). Harvard University Press.<\/p>\n

    Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: the psychology of optimal experience<\/em>. Harper & Row.<\/p>\n

    Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Flow and the foundations of positive psychology<\/em>. Springer Netherlands.<\/p>\n

    De Prycker, V. (2011). Unself-conscious control: broadening the notion of control through experiences of flow and wu-wei. Zygon<\/em>, 46<\/em>(1), 5\u201325.<\/p>\n

    Fischer, P. (2023). The annotated Laozi: a new translation of the Daodejing<\/em>. State University of New York at Albany.<\/p>\n

    Fu, C. W.-H. (1973). Lao Tzu\u2019s conception of Tao. Inquiry (Oslo)<\/em>, 16<\/em>(1\u20134), 367\u2013394.<\/p>\n

    Gregory, J. (2018). Effortless living: wu-wei and the spontaneous state of natural harmony. <\/em>Inner Traditions. <\/em><\/p>\n

    Hansen (2003). Wuwei: taking no action. In Cua, A. S. (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Chinese philosophy<\/em>. (pp 784-786). Routledge.<\/p>\n

    Kee, Y. H., Li, C., Zhang, C.-Q., & Wang, J. C. K. (2021). The wu-wei alternative: Effortless action and non-striving in the context of mindfulness practice and performance in sport. Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology<\/em>, 1<\/em>(2\u20133), 122\u2013132.<\/p>\n

    Lin, P. J. (1977, open access 2020). A Translation of Lao-tzu\u2019s Tao Te Ching and Wang Pi\u2019s Commentary<\/em><\/a>. (Volume 30 in University of Michigan Chinese Studies). University of Michigan.<\/p>\n

    Liu, X. (2015). Laozi\u2019s philosophy: textual and conceptual analyses. In X. Liu (Ed.), Dao Companion to Daoist Philosophy<\/em> (pp. 71\u2013100). Springer Netherlands.<\/p>\n

    Loy, D. (1985). Wei-Wu-Wei: nondual action. Philosophy East & West<\/em>, 35<\/em>(1), 73\u201386.<\/p>\n

    Lynn, R. J. (2022). Zhuangzi: a new translation of the sayings of Master Zhuang as interpreted <\/em>Columbia University Press.<\/p>\n

    Merton, T. (2004). The way of Chuang Tzu<\/em>. Shambhala.<\/p>\n

    Moeller, H. G. (2015). Basic aspects of daoist philosophy. International Communication of Chinese Culture, 2 <\/em>(2), 99\u2013107.<\/p>\n

    Slingerland, E. G. (2003). Effortless action: Wu-wei as conceptual metaphor and spiritual ideal in early China<\/em>. Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n

    Stamatov, A. (2023). The Laozi\u2019s ideal state: nostalgia, utopia, state of nature<\/a>. Religions, 14<\/em>(10), 1243.<\/p>\n

    Tadd, M. (2019). Ziran<\/em>: authenticity or authority?<\/a> Religions<\/em>, 10<\/em>(3), 207.<\/p>\n

    Wu, C. Q. (2016). Thus spoke Laozi: a new translation with commentaries of Daodejing. <\/em>University of Hawaii. <\/em><\/p>\n

    Ziporyn, B. (2009). Zhuangzi: the essential writings\u202fwith selections from traditional commentaries<\/em>. Hackett<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    One of the central ideas in the Daodjing of Laozi is the idea of wu wei (\u7121\u70ba, simplified \u65e0\u4e3a; w\u00faw\u00e9i). This has been translated in many ways: \u201cnon-action,\u201d \u201cactionlessness,\u201d \u201ceffortless action,\u201d and \u201cdoing nothing.\u201d The 37th chapter of the Daodjing considers wu wei an attribute<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":86,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,457,13,10,12,9],"tags":[1117,542,1119,1120,47,543,1115,1118,544,1116,1098,1111],"class_list":["post-7033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ethics","category-language","category-literature","category-philosophy","category-psychology","category-religion","tag-butcher-ding","tag-daodejing","tag-flow","tag-in-the-zone","tag-lao-tzu","tag-laozi","tag-nondual-action","tag-pen-bird","tag-tao-te-ching","tag-thomas-merton","tag-zhao-mengfu","tag-zhuangzi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7033"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7035,"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7033\/revisions\/7035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatureandcreator.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}