Have you ever tried to explain something so immense, so sublime, that words simply seem to fall short? Something like the sensation of a perfect, breezy day, the gentle rhythm of waves washing onto a beach, or the way life appears to flow in unexpected but oddly appropriate ways?
Often translated as “The Way,” this is the Dao (道) as stated by Daoist philosophy. It’s the fundamental movement of existence—the way in which life itself naturally unfolds. Though it cannot be seen, held, or defined, it shapes all. It’s the natural flow, the rhythm of life, the power driving seasons to change and rivers to sculpt mountains.
Legendary Dao De Jing writer Laozi says, quite succinctly:
“The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao.”
This is where it becomes difficult. What precisely are we talking about if the Dao cannot really be defined?
The Dao in Daoist Thought
It’s more helpful to consider the Dao as a pattern—a way things naturally flow and transform—than as a thing or a place.
Though you cannot point to the Dao, you can see its effects. The Dao exposes itself in the way life unfolds, just as you cannot see the wind but can perceive leaves rustling in reaction to it.
Among the Dao in action are the following:
- Water finding its way downhill, adjusting naturally to obstructions.
- Instead of breaking, trees harmoniously bending in the breeze.
- When no one drives a conversation, the way it flows organically.
Flow, Change, and Non-Resistance
The Dao is fundamentally about flow—the knowledge that everything is continuously transforming, moving, and shifting. Not one thing is permanent or fixed.
Nature effortlessly follows this path. The tides run in both directions. Birds migrate. Leaves turn different colors and fall, only to return with the emergence of spring. There is no opposition; no attempt to force or manipulate events to be different.
Daoism exhorts us to follow suit. The notion of Wu Wei (無為), or Effortless Action, captures this.
Wu Wei signifies going with the flow of life rather than fighting against it—it’s not an admonition to do nothing.
Picture two approaches to a river’s flow:
- Swimming upstream you will oppose the current and wear yourself out.
- Alternatively, you may just float and let the river carry you, perhaps with a subtle steer now and again.
Most of us spend our lives resisting change, trying to control every outcome, battling the current, or prodding events to occur. Daoism proposes another approach: learning to trust the flow of life, and adjusting as things happen instead than clinging to control.
The Limits of Control: Lessons from the Dao
Contemporary life teaches us that we have to manage everything—our schedules, our achievements, our emotions, even other people. But we create more stress and frustration the more we try to force life to fit our expectations.
The Dao reminds us that:
- Quite often, forcing events to occur backfires. If you try to hold anything too tightly, you’re likely to break it.
- Life flows in cycles. We have phases of growth, inertia, and rebirth, much like the seasons do.
- It’s natural to feel uncertain. Though we never know what the future holds, battling ambiguity just leads to suffering.
Letting go of the illusion of control involves learning to trust that life will develop as it should, which does not imply giving up.
Reflections of the Dao in Daily Life
Observing the Dao requires no knowledge of Daoism. You need only pay attention.
- See the natural world. See how the breeze flows among the trees and how naturally birds fit their environment.
- Think back on times of flow. Think back to occasions when you have been really present—lost in music, a meaningful conversation, or a creative project. That’s the Dao in motion.
- Release your resistance. Ask yourself, the next time you find yourself feeling stuck: Am I swimming against the flow? If I gave up resisting and let events play out, what would happen?
The Dao and the Healing Journey
For those who have experienced adversity, particularly as children, flowing with life instead of battling it seems alien. Trauma can make us feel stuck, distant, or defensive. The Dao reminds us to move with life, not attempt to control it. Observing nature change, adapt, and evolve free from human intervention helps us to see our own experiences through a prism allowing healing, development, and transformation in their own time.
Living with the Dao
Logic by itself cannot help one to fathom the Dao. It’s something we have to see, feel, and experience.
We discover greater ease and clarity when we start viewing life as a river to flow with instead of a war to be won. Though they’re likely unfolding just as they should, life’s experiences don’t always happen as we might expect, or want.
We’ll look at qi, the energy within the Dao, in the next post. If the Dao is the great current of existence, Qi is the force that moves through it.