According to Osho, wu-wei and the way of the heart are not merely related—they are the same: effortless action born of love. Both mean dropping the doer, ceasing manipulation, and allowing life to happen. Like flowing with a river to the sea, you relax, trust the whole, and let love/God move through you.
Stop trying to control; soften into love and let life carry you like a river carries a leaf.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Question: LAO TZU SAYS: THAT WHICH LIES STILL IS EASY TO HOLD; THAT WHICH IS NOT YET MANIFEST IS EASY TO FORESTALL; THAT WHICH IS BRITTLE (LIKE ICE) EASILY MELTS; THAT WHICH IS MINUTE EASILY SCATTERS. DEAL WITH A THING BEFORE IT IS THERE; CHECK DISORDER BEFORE IT IS RIFE. A TREE WITH A FULL SPAN'S GIRTH BEGINS FROM A TINY SPROUT. A NINE STORIED TERRACE BEGINS WITH A CLOD OF EARTH. A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND LI BEGINS AT ONE'S FEET. HE WHO ACTS, SPOILS; HE WHO GRASPS, LETS SLIP. BECAUSE THE SAGE DOES NOT ACT, HE DOES NOT SPOIL; BECAUSE HE DOES NOT GRASP, HE DOES NOT LET SLIP. THE AFFAIRS OF MEN ARE OFTEN SPOILED WITHIN AN ACE OF COMPLETION, BY BEING CAREFUL AT THE END AS AT THE BEGINNING FAILURE IS AVERTED.
Question: ON THE SOFTEST SUBSTANCE: THE SOFTEST SUBSTANCE OF THE WORLD GOES THROUGH THE HARDEST. THAT-WHICH-IS-WITHOUT-FORM PENETRATES THAT-WHICH-HAS-NO-CREVICE; THROUGH THIS I KNOW THE BENEFIT OF TAKING NO ACTION. THE TEACHING WITHOUT WORDS AND THE BENEFIT OF TAKING NO ACTION ARE WITHOUT COMPARE IN THE UNIVERSE. But at that very moment, miles away from the grove, on the road a beggar was passing, going from one town to another. Suddenly, from out of the blue, a deep urge came into him to go into the forest. He resisted the urge, it was dangerous, the forest was filled with wild animals and there was no point in going into it because he had to reach the other village by the morning, and half the journey was yet incomplete. For what should he go into the forest?
When the deep meaning of things is not understood the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail.
THE WAY IS PERFECT LIKE VAST SPACE WHERE NOTHING IS LACKING AND NOTHING IS IN EXCESS. INDEED, IT IS DUE TO OUR CHOOSING TO ACCEPT OR REJECT THAT WE DO NOT SEE THE TRUE NATURE OF THINGS. LIVE NEITHER IN THE ENTANGLEMENTS OF OUTER THINGS, NOR IN INNER FEELINGS OF EMPTINESS. BE SERENE WITHOUT STRIVING ACTIVITY IN THE ONENESS OF THINGS AND SUCH ERRONEOUS VIEWS WILL DISAPPEAR BY THEMSELVES. WHEN YOU TRY TO STOP ACTIVITY TO ACHIEVE PASSIVITY YOUR VERY EFFORT FILLS YOU WITH ACTIVITY. AS LONG AS YOU REMAIN IN ONE EXTREME OR THE OTHER YOU WILL NEVER KNOW ONENESS. THOSE WHO DO NOT LIVE IN THE SINGLE WAY FAIL IN BOTH ACTIVITY AND PASSIVITY, ASSERTION AND DENIAL. Logic will say something absolutely different. Logic will say, "Practice rest the whole day, so in the night you can rest beautifully." Mulla Nasruddin went to his doctor. Coughing, he entered.…
Chu'I the draftsman could draw more perfect circles freehand than with a compass.
HIS FINGERS BROUGHT FORTH SPONTANEOUS FORMS FROM NOWHERE. HIS MIND WAS MEANWHILE FREE AND WITHOUT CONCERN WITH WHAT HE WAS DOING. NO APPLICATION WAS NEEDED, HIS MIND WAS PERFECTLY SIMPLE AND KNEW NO OBSTACLE. SO, WHEN THE SHOE FITS, THE FOOT IS FORGOTTEN, WHEN THE BELT FITS, THE BELLY IS FORGOTTEN, WHEN THE HEART IS RIGHT, 'FOR' AND 'AGAINST' ARE FORGOTTEN. NO DRIVES, NO COMPULSIONS, NO NEEDS, NO ATTRACTIONS: THEN YOUR AFFAIRS ARE UNDER CONTROL. YOU ARE A FREE MAN. EASY IS RIGHT. BEGIN RIGHT AND YOU ARE EASY. CONTINUE EASY AND YOU ARE RIGHT. THE RIGHT WAY TO GO EASY IS TO FORGET THE RIGHT WAY AND FORGET THAT THE GOING IS EASY. Beautiful is Chuang Tzu, incomparable is Chuang Tzu, unique is Chuang Tzu! Because he says: Continue EASY and YOU ARE RIGHT. He doesn't say: Be non-violent, then you are right; be truthful, then you are right;…
Osho, in Lao Tzu’s vision of life, what place is there for sadhana (spiritual practice)? And one who relies only on drifting, not on swimming—how can he reach his goal? Is effort not necessary to reach the goal? Lao Tzu’s “doing nothing,” being inactive, also seems like a kind of goal. To abandon oneself to unknowing, unknown currents—is that wisdom, a mark of the wise, or is it ignorance and the mark of the ignorant?
No: for those who do not understand and can only understand doing, something must be made for them to do. And they must be made to do so much that by doing and doing they become exhausted and drop it. But the event happens only when they drop. Remember this: the event will not happen before that point of letting go which Lao Tzu speaks of. They must be tired out by doing. They must be made to do so much that they come to such a pitch of tension that there remains no way to maintain it, and the tension falls away. Tension has its laws. Either you drop tension right now—through understanding. One way is to drop tension through understanding. My fist is clenched. One way is that you tell me: “Clenched is not the fist’s nature; therefore you will get tired. Clenched is not the fist’s nature;…