How does one step through? Daoism points to wuwei—effortless action—where skill and situation fit like hand to glove. Zhuangzi’s Cook Ding describes learning to carve by spirit, not brute force: “Perception and understanding have come to a stop; my spirit moves where it wants” (Zhuangzi, ch. 3). This is not passivity; it is precise responsiveness, guided by the grain of things. In such flow, desire is not eliminated but quieted, allowing the mystery to guide the knife through the seams of manifestation. The result feels wondrous because action aligns with the world’s own articulations, revealing unity in the midst of multiplicity. [...]
