The Art Of Doing Nothing: Finding Happiness In Being

When we let go of doing, and drop into being, it becomes easier to allow things to be just as they are and to allow ourselves to be just as we are. For this reason, sometimes ‘doing nothing’ is the most productive thing we can do. In doing nothing, we allow the mind to finally let go and rest. In these moments, we experience the present moment more fully, and we open to the happiness that is always here, right now, in the natural state of being. This is a 25-minute talk followed by a 20-minute practice.

Transcript

In the last class,

I spoke about energy,

Fluctuations in energy,

How we can experience good energy or times of being down.

And during that,

I also touched on how at times we can get attached to having good energy all the time,

Of always being on.

And this is something that I see often in clinical practice and in observing modern society that we often think we should be on all the time,

That we should always be doing.

And so today,

I thought it might be worthwhile to talk about the art of doing nothing.

I'll start with a quote from an amazing and wise teacher,

Winnie the Pooh.

Don't underestimate the value of doing nothing,

Of just going along,

Listening to all the things you can't hear,

And not bothering.

Winnie the Pooh has a lot of wisdom for us.

In many ways,

Winnie the Pooh could be considered very Daoist.

There's actually been a book written called The Tao of Pooh that uses Winnie the Pooh's sayings and his character to express some of the fundamental tenets and perspectives of Daoism.

There's a lot of focus in Daoism on cultivating the state of being and letting go of that activity of the mind that leads to wanting to do things.

Another aspect of Winnie the Pooh that's very Daoist is that Winnie the Pooh is in nature all the time,

Walking in the woods,

Sitting by streams,

Just being in the forest.

Nature helps us to cultivate the state of being and to let go of doing.

This is,

Again,

One of the reasons I think it can be more difficult in modern society when many of us are living in cities and urban areas and we're a little bit more disconnected from nature.

Many of us have to make an active effort to get to nature,

To spend time walking in the woods and sitting by streams or lakes.

We aren't living in the forest anymore for most of us.

And this state of being surrounded by many people,

By cars and traffic and buildings and concrete,

Can create more of a separateness.

And it can lead to the continual reactivity of the mind,

The fluctuations of the mind.

They keep us very engaged and feeling like we must or should be doing something at all times.

It becomes much more difficult to just be.

Now,

I want to clarify at the beginning that when I say doing nothing,

What I'm referring to is a state of consciousness.

It doesn't mean that we do not act or interact with the world around us.

What it means is that we act from a place of stillness of mind,

Where we are grounded within the very depths of our being.

Where we let go of that desire to be engaged with the mind and judging things as good or bad or right or wrong and trying to bring about a certain state of being for ourselves or for the world around us.

As I said,

Can be the desire to bring about a certain state of being.

And so it's interesting because we have to be careful because although we want to move towards being,

We also cannot have attachment to being.

To reach that true state of stillness and of being is to allow things to be as they are in each moment without wanting anything to be different.

It's to surrender to the present moment of experiential awareness.

Often the state of doing is an attempt to try to change or control our experience.

This desire to do something is related to wanting to bring about certain circumstances for ourselves,

For others or for the world.

In other words,

We are often acting with an agenda that is based in conceptual ideals of how we think we should be or the world should be or how we want ourselves or the world to be.

In essence,

It means that we lack purity of intention because we're coming from a place of reactivity.

You know,

As we look over the history of humanity,

We can see that we as humans often feel compelled to try to do something,

To try to manipulate or change circumstances or the world.

And yet this almost always leads to greater unnecessary suffering.

The reason for this is that the doing faculty is often motivated by fear.

Fear of suffering,

Fear of death,

Fear of not being good enough or of being wrong,

Fear of not being loved.

And yet when we act from a place of fear,

We ultimately create greater unnecessary suffering for ourselves and others.

If we look closely,

We can see how much of our doing is geared towards trying to achieve happiness.

This desire to try to change circumstances,

Others or how we feel,

Whether through our work,

Through having enough money or trying to have more money,

Finding the right partner or trying to change aspects of the partner we are with.

All of these attempts to change our experience of ourselves in the world is often a desire to achieve happiness.

We all crave happiness.

And yet so often we try to go about achieving happiness through doing more and more to change ourselves or the outer reality,

Which ultimately is based in a materialistic worldview,

An attachment to form and to conceptual ideals and the fluctuations of the mind.

Rather,

The true road to happiness is through learning to do less outwardly,

Less controlling,

Less agenda,

And learning to sink into the inner reality,

Into the state of being,

Of observing ourselves deeply,

Our state of consciousness,

State of our emotions,

The state of our physical body,

And learning to open to and surrender to that moment-to-moment experience of being.

When we let go of doing,

This state of being becomes more accessible and we're able to relax into the present moment of experiential awareness.

Doing nothing allows us to be,

And it brings us into presence with ourselves as we are and the world as it is.

It's ironic that being human,

We try so hard to bring about what we think we want,

And often it's that trying that prevents us from having the very things that we truly,

Deeply desire.

So I'll share another wise quote from our friend Winnie the Pooh.

Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something.

It's when we let go of trying to achieve happiness that we relax into our natural state of being and realize that we already have that fullness that we are searching for,

That we are already complete,

That we are already perfect,

That we are perfection in process,

Impermanent,

Beautiful,

Continually changing,

Multidimensional beings,

And that we have an entire universe within us.

We are a microcosmic reflection of the macrocosmic whole.

And often,

We fail to realize that we already have everything that we need,

Everything that we want,

Right here,

Right now,

In this moment,

Within our experience.

Doing nothing requires patience,

Trust,

And letting go.

At times,

It can seem to be the absolute hardest thing to do,

To do nothing.

And yet,

It is only through this act of doing nothing that we move into the state of presence.

Doing is always based in the past or the future,

In attachment and aversion,

In these dualistic fluctuations of the mind that keep us out of presence.

The state of consciousness of doing creates unnecessary tension and resistance in our body,

In our emotions,

In our minds,

And therefore leads to unnecessary suffering.

Letting go of doing allows us to relax and release that unnecessary tension and resistance,

To soften,

Soften the body,

Soften our mind,

Soften our emotions,

Soften our egos.

In order to do nothing,

It helps if we can recognize the truths of impermanence and emptiness.

As we begin to realize more deeply that all things in existence in the material world are transient and impermanent,

That they are all part of the dream of maya,

Of delusion,

It becomes easier to practice detachment and to simply witness the transformations of the myriad things,

The endless transformations of form.

When we realize that all things are empty of an inherent essence,

That we are all part of an underlying unity that is continually changing and growing,

We begin to take things less personally and our egos soften.

While doing is often an expression,

An act of the ego,

Based in attachment to material form in the outer world,

The state of being is resting in the light of underlying unity.

We think about this state of unity that underlies all of the material form that is perceived,

And we realize that it is all light.

And yet we forget this.

We forget that we are light,

That everything that we perceive has an underlying nature of light,

Of love.

Yoga is sometimes called the path of remembrance.

And it's because we forget this underlying truth,

And we get caught up in this doing mentality.

We get caught by the outer world of form,

And we try to change and control it to try to achieve the happiness and love that we seek.

We forget.

And so many spiritual paths are here to help us remember this underlying nature of our being,

Our true nature.

Because as we remember it and we sink into the state of being,

Life becomes so much more full.

The more we try to control circumstances in the world around us through doing,

It actually creates greater separation between self and other.

And we experience more loneliness,

More fear,

More anxiety,

More worry.

When we remember our true nature of unity and relax into the state of being,

We're able to enjoy and partake of all of the amazingness of this world,

Knowing that it's all impermanent,

Knowing that it's all this delusion of differentiated form,

But that we are all always connected and part of this underlying unity.

It's an interesting thing that often our doing can come from a seemingly good intention that we want to help others in the world.

We want to change the world to make it a better place.

And yet often those intentions are rooted in these conditioned patterns of thinking and of perceiving the world around us.

And when we let go of doing,

We realize that the world will take care of itself,

That we are not responsible for the experience of other humans or all the other beings in the world.

As we learn to rest in the underlying light of unity,

We perceive that everything is okay,

Regardless of what may seem to be occurring in the outer reality.

What occurs in the outer reality is merely a signifier.

It's just symbolic changes of form.

It's important to acknowledge that it can be very hard being human and that there is a lot of suffering in the world.

And yet,

As we've talked about previously,

There is inevitable suffering that is part of being an embodied living being.

And then there's a lot of unnecessary suffering that we create for ourselves and often stems from trying to avoid inevitable experiences of suffering.

When we realize that we are not responsible for the entire world,

And that our primary responsibility is this little piece of the universe that is us,

And that what we need to take accountability for is our experiences and how we relate to all that we experience,

It's extremely liberating.

And not only that,

But when we begin to take full responsibility and accountability for ourselves and our experience,

We begin to perceive reality more clearly as it is,

And we can act from that stillness with complete compassion,

Wisdom,

And love in ways that bring true benefit to others and the world around us,

Without trying to make others or the world around us be any certain way.

There's a Taoist saying that I like to quote,

The sage does nothing,

And yet nothing is left undone.

And again,

It doesn't mean that the sage does not act in any way.

It means that they do not act from a state of doing,

From the mind,

From projections of good and bad or right and wrong.

They act from that underlying stillness,

From their natural state.

As I said,

This requires a degree of trust or faith,

And it can be difficult.

It's a practice.

But as we practice and cultivate the ability to drop into this state of being,

It reinforces the knowledge,

The understanding that this is one of the greatest things we can offer the world.

As we spend more and more time in a state of being,

It brings so many benefits.

Besides allowing us to cultivate a greater degree of happiness and sense of ease in the world,

It also helps us to unlock our innate gifts and creativity.

And that allows us to bring so much more beauty into the world through our state of being.

There's a book I love that I may have mentioned previously called Leisure,

The Basis of Culture.

And this was written by a German philosopher,

Joseph Peiper,

In the 1940s.

And in the 1940s,

He was observing the state of modern society and how the world was starting to move faster,

And it was easier and easier to get caught up in this state of doing.

And so he wrote this amazing little book that talks about the importance of leisure.

And what he means by leisure is the state of being,

Of creating time of repose,

Of not actively doing.

And he makes a very powerful argument that leisure,

The state of being,

Is the basis of culture.

Because it's only through dropping into that state of being that we can bring forth our true creativity,

That we can create amazing works of art and music.

I would also say that leisure,

Or the state of being,

Is the basis of humanity,

Of the art of being human,

Of bringing forth all of our innate potential and the fullness of our being,

So that we can be of benefit to others and the world around us,

And so that we can experience the beauty and joy and happiness and wisdom and compassion and love that is our birthright.

So how do we cultivate this ability to let go of doing and move towards being?

Meditation is obviously one path that can be very helpful.

Spending time in nature,

Lingering,

Sauntering,

Listening to music or dancing,

All of these things can ultimately help us to move towards a state of being.

But ultimately,

The most important thing is our intention.

With the appropriate intention to move towards the state of being and to let go of doing,

We can be engaged in any activity and be in a state of being.

Likewise,

If we don't have the proper intention and we're allowing ourselves to get caught by the mind and the fluctuations and attachment and aversion,

Then we could be meditating or in nature,

And yet we're still caught in that state.

And this is a practice.

And the more we come back to it and continually guide our intention back towards moving to a state of being,

The easier it becomes.

We create and deepen those neural pathways that lead us to that state of presence.

So,

Let us practice.

If you will,

Please find a comfortable and stable posture for meditation.

You can be seated or lying down.

However you are positioned,

Make sure that you have a stable base supporting you and holding you up,

So that you can let go of any unnecessary tension,

Guarding or holding within the body.

If you are seated,

Make sure that your knees are below the level of the hips to relax the hip flexors and open the energetic flow through the lower body.

Make sure that you allow your spine to rise with its natural curves up towards heaven.

Your shoulders are relaxed back and down,

Allowing the heart center to relax and open.

And that your head is situated directly above the shoulders.

Begin to bring awareness to the natural movement of the breath.

Observing as it flows in and out.

It might be long or short,

Shallow or deep,

Choppy or smooth.

Just simply observe and allow the breath to be as it is.

Begin abdominal breathing.

With each inhalation,

Allowing the abdomen to gently expand.

And with each exhalation,

Allowing the abdomen to gently contract.

Keep your intention focused on the moment to moment movement of the breath and the abdomen.

If you notice any thoughts arise,

Any internal urges to move or fidget,

Or thoughts about what you should be doing later today,

Recognize them,

Acknowledge it,

And gently guide your awareness back to the movement of the breath.

As you continue abdominal breathing,

Bring awareness to the felt sense of the physical body as a whole.

Observe your posture,

Notice if there is any tension or guarding,

Any resistance.

And with each exhalation,

Allow that resistance to soften.

Feel your body as a container of consciousness.

And observe your consciousness as it moves throughout the body,

As it notices sensations,

Emotions,

Thoughts.

Now,

Bring your awareness.

Now,

Bring your awareness to the lower dantian,

The energetic center in the middle of the lower abdomen,

Approximately two to three inches below the umbilicus,

Midway between the front of the abdomen and the spine.

Be aware of any sensations that arise in the lower dantian.

Could be a fullness or an emptiness,

Tension or warmth,

Or a combination.

Become even more interested in the sensations arising in the lower dantian.

Now,

Allow your consciousness.

To flow from your extremities,

From the top of the head,

The tips of the fingers,

And the tips of the toes,

All the way to the lower dantian,

Feeling the consciousness cascade like a waterfall from the brain and the top of the head,

Down through the neck,

The chest,

The torso,

To the lower dantian.

Feel the consciousness flow from the tips of the fingers,

Through the hands,

The forearms,

The elbows,

The upper arms,

The shoulders,

Down through the chest and torso,

To the lower dantian.

Allow it to flow from the tips of the toes,

Through the feet,

Through the lower legs,

The knees,

The thighs,

And the hips,

To the lower dantian.

Allow the awareness in the lower dantian to soften.

And as it softens,

It becomes light.

You can visualize a ball of light,

Like a miniature sun,

Resting in your lower dantian.

Now,

Allow that light to expand,

Expanding in all directions,

Through the hips,

Down through the legs,

All the way down to the soles of the feet and the tips of the toes.

Allow the light to expand up through the abdomen and the torso,

Through the chest,

Out the shoulders,

Down the arms,

All the way to the hands and the tips of the fingers.

Allow it to expand up from the torso,

Through the neck,

To the head and the brain,

To the top of the head.

Feel this light of consciousness expanding and filling the container of your body.

And just like a light bulb,

Which contains the source of light,

And yet the light expands beyond the container of the bulb,

Feel this light of consciousness expand beyond your body,

Into the world around you.

Let the container of your body become crystal clear,

Like glass,

With light shining out,

Filling the container and expanding beyond.

Experience yourself as light.

Let the container of your body become crystal clear,

Like glass,

Feel the stillness within the light.

Now bring awareness back to the felt sense of the body as a whole,

The physical container for your light of consciousness.

Feel its solidity,

Its materiality.

Feel the solidity beneath you,

Supporting you and holding you up.

Feel the stillness in the air around you,

In which you are immersed.

And keep your awareness grounded in your lower dantian,

Relaxing into this space as you gently and slowly begin to open your eyes,

Taking in the light and stillness that underlies everything you perceive,

Recognizing the impermanence of all of the myriad forms and seeing the underlying unity.

As we practice dropping into this state of being,

Our perception slows down.

We become more present and we take in more in each moment,

More color,

More sound.

We perceive ourselves as we are,

As stillness and light,

And we perceive the world as it is,

Continually transforming,

Transformation of form,

That at its heart,

At its essence,

Is stillness and light.

Sometimes doing nothing is the most productive thing we can do.

In doing nothing,

We let the mind soften and rest.

We're no longer occupied over what should be done.

And in that space of stillness,

We allow ourselves to simply be.

In these moments,

We experience the present moment more fully,

And we experience ourselves as we are and the world as it is,

And we open to the happiness that is always here right now in the natural state of being.

This is something that is possible in every moment,

But it takes practice and intention.

So as you go about your day and find yourself getting caught in the state of doing,

Acknowledge it without judgment,

Instantly forgive it,

And gently guide your intention back to the state of being.

Thank you all for joining me today.

Reviews

Want to access this being mode more often. Thank you 😊

Thank you Thomas. Spring is such a busy time of year. It is so easy to find myself caught in the in thoughts of everything I need to get done. Even though it is things that I love to do and look forward to all winter. This talk and meditation reminded me that if I just slow down and enjoy being that the doing will take of itself. I loved the reference to the Poo books. It was kind of a strange coincidence as I watched a movie last night called A Bear Named Winnie. It was a true story about a bear that helped to inspire AA Milne to write the Poo books.

I remember reading the Poo stories to my son as I was myself discovering the kindness and compassion of this character. I didn’t grow up with Poo. A year ago I had a close encounter with a special neighbor of mine, a mamma bear with her cob. Just a few feet away from me. She was enjoying moments of leisure, laying down. When she noticed me, she stood up and in what seemed like slow motion, she shook her lower dentian with so much suppleness, so much ease. It felt like a direct transmission of that state of being she was able to keep in the action of running away from me and Hachi my dog. Thank you Thomas for crafting together with intention and words a powerful teaching. Off to my morning dance! 🙏❤️

Thank you Thomas. Although I have listened before, I needed this message and again and likely will in the future.
Very powerful talk and meditation.
Take care 🦋
Chea

I have listened to this couple of times now as I do with your other tracks. Really appreciate you sharing your knowledge in this platform. They are invaluable!
I will have my Yin Yoga teacher training practical exam next month and I’m designing a class with a fellow student about this theme, the Art of Doing Nothing. Thank you for this inspiration. And will sure use the wisdom you shared here in my script ( hope you don’t mind ☺️) 🙏🏼✨✨✨✨

Perfect as usual 💖💖💖. Thank you Thomas, so much gratitude 🙏 🙏🙏

Thank you Thomas!
No matter what the subject matter you always take me to a greater depth of awareness and understanding. Bless you 🙇🏻‍♀️🙏

Thank you Thomas for again reminding us how to achieve true peace and happiness by surrendering to the stillness we can find within. Your meditation was a truly beautiful way to achieve this and an encouragement to us all to find stillness and light in every moment of the day. It certainly does take practice but is so worthwhile! 🙏🌟🌱

Wonderful, dear Thomas. Just what I needed to hear. Thank you 🙏

Thank you, Pooh-Master ❤️❤️😊😊

I ❤️ your audios. I totally agree with you: I'm more focused on the being every day especially through meditation. Thank you so much. Namaste! 🙏