The Effortless Path

Tree Is Not Trying To Be a Tree It Just Is

By: Cheng Tong - Jan 27, 2026

 

There are moments when profound philosophical insights emerge not from strenuous study or deep contemplation, but as clear, unsolicited notions. The insight that “There is nothing you can do to improve yourself. So stop trying,” is one such moment—a spontaneous realization that cuts through the Western paradigm of ceaseless striving and self-optimization. This recognition serves as a powerful reminder that the effort to fix, enhance, or perfect the self is, paradoxically, the chief impediment to genuine, natural unfolding. 

The busybody spirit, constantly attempting to engineer a better outcome or a superior version of one’s being, traps the consciousness in a cycle of tension and insufficiency. This inherent judgment, this constant striving against the current reality, is what consumes our time and energy, diverting us from the deep, undisturbed reservoir of our original nature. To accept this counsel—to truly stop trying—is to begin the process of profound relaxation into existence.

This radical cessation of effort is the bedrock of Wu Wei (Non-Doing or effortless action), a foundational concept in the Tao Te Ching. The advice to “Do nothing. Just be. Practice not doing,” is not an endorsement of inertia or laziness, but a call to align action with the spontaneous flow of the cosmos, the Tao. It is a philosophy that sees forced, artificial, or ego-driven action as ultimately inefficient and counterproductive. The stunning consequence is encapsulated in the paradox: “Nothing, then, will be undone.” 

By ceasing the compulsive intervention, we allow the natural processes, which are infinitely more competent than our narrow will, to govern our lives. Like the practitioner of Taiji, who overcomes force not by meeting it, but by yielding to it, the practice of non-doing ensures that all necessary tasks are completed, but without the attendant stress and fragmentation of the strenuous mind. The inner turbulence caused by constant striving subsides, allowing true, supple power to emerge.

The method for entering this state of effortless being is laid out in the simple instruction to “Observe. Just observe.” This is the direct application of mindfulness and meditative awareness. We are advised to “Observe the trees. Observe the sky. Observe the clouds. Observe your reaction to it all.” The shift is from being a forceful participant to an impartial witness. By observing, we give ourselves a much-needed breather from the relentless narrative of the ego. The act of observation dissolves the illusion that we must constantly do something about ourselves or our circumstances. This impartial witnessing allows the mind to clear and the body to relax, creating the spaciousness required for our essential nature to assert itself without interference. The busybody, attempting to improve everything, is replaced by the serene observer, who accepts everything.

This state of observation leads directly to a profound trust in Ziran (naturalness or spontaneity). The insight that “Your nature will take care of itself because you are not getting in the way of it” is the ultimate expression of this trust. It is the realization that the same intelligence that guides the growth of a seed into a mighty tree also guides the unfolding of our own life and consciousness. The nature of the tree is not achieved through effort; “The tree is not trying to be a tree. It simply is a tree. It simply is.” This compelling analogy serves as a template for human existence: our inherent goodness and our true path are not things to be constructed but things to be allowed. When we step aside—when we stop interfering with the constant stream of inner commentary and correctional impulses—we grant our own nature the agency to correct, heal, and move us forward with organic grace.

The final and most subtle instruction confronts the core spiritual difficulty: the paradox of intention. “Trying to do something about yourself is not going to work. Trying not to do something about yourself is not going to work.” This is the pinnacle of the insight. If we make the cessation of effort a new goal, it simply becomes a new form of effort, an inverted striving that carries the same tension as the original compulsion to improve. 

The mind that calculates “I must now practice non-doing” has already defeated the purpose. The resolution of this paradox is the ultimate instruction: “So just be.” It is an invitation to inhabit the pure moment without agenda, without the dualistic striving of doing versus non-doing. To rest in this space is to recognize the already-perfect nature of the self—a nature that is not attained through achievement, but revealed through unconditional acceptance and a final, effortless surrender to being.

The tree in the image above offers this guidance.  It is not trying to be a tree; it is not not trying to be a tree.  It simply is.  So should we be, simply as we are – who we were before the world told us who to be.