138. WU WEI
October 13, 2026
Target practice at Wild Captives on March 1, 2025. Had to find out if it was beginner’s luck the first time. The second time indicated that it was. This time, came in with a beginner’s mindset. No bull’s eye, but close enough. Wondered if it was a lesson on wu wei.
ChatGPT said:
Alan Watts, in his discussions of Zen Buddhism and its relation to activities like archery, often emphasized the idea of wu wei—the principle of “non-action” or effortless action. When he talked about the decision to release the bowstring and the action of releasing it needing to be simultaneous, he was highlighting a deeper concept central to Zen: the dissolution of the distinction between the doer and the deed, between intention and action.
In traditional archery, especially as practiced within Zen Buddhism (known as Kyudo), the emphasis is not on hitting the target but on the inner state of the archer. The act of releasing the bowstring is symbolic of a broader spiritual practice: letting go of conscious control, ego, and overthinking, and instead acting from a state of pure awareness or intuition. To explain this further:
Simultaneity of Decision and Action: Watts is pointing out that, in Zen, there should be no gap between the thought (“I should release the arrow”) and the action (actually releasing it). This means that the archer is not deciding in the usual sense but is allowing the action to arise naturally. The mind is not divided into an observer and a doer; the release is spontaneous and arises from a state of deep connection and flow.
Tapping into Intuition: This can be understood as acting from one's intuition rather than through deliberate, conscious effort. Zen practice encourages moving beyond the dualism of the mind that separates “I” from the world. When one acts intuitively, they are not calculating, second-guessing, or attempting to control the outcome. They are simply allowing the action to happen as a natural expression of the present moment.
Letting Go of Ego and Control: In both archery and Zen, the goal is to let go of attachment to results, such as hitting the target or achieving success. By focusing instead on the process, the archer becomes fully present, and the act of releasing the string becomes effortless. Watts emphasizes that Zen is not about “trying” to be perfect but about releasing the effort altogether and acting from a place of spontaneous wisdom.
Thus, the comparison of archery to Zen is about transcending the usual way we engage with the world—through planning, controlling, and forcing—and instead trusting in our deeper nature, our intuition, to guide our actions. The archer, in the Zen sense, does not shoot to hit but shoots because the act of shooting is itself an expression of inner stillness and harmony with life.
Someone mentioned The Artist’s Way. I nodded, knowing that whispers of Julia Cameron’s book led me there. Doechii’s song in the background solidified the feeling of right place, right time.