noun
natural spontaneity; being oneself without artifice; taking things as they come
A Daoist-inspired yojijukugo describing an ideal of effortless action, letting go of pretense, and living in harmony with the natural flow. Often used in philosophical or self-help contexts.
彼は無為自然の生き方を大切にしている。
He values a way of life based on natural spontaneity.
無為自然の精神で
With the spirit of natural spontaneity, let go of unnecessary strain.
noun
unconditioned nature; unconditioned spontaneity
Buddhist technical term referring to the unconditioned, spontaneous nature of reality or enlightenment, beyond artificial constructs.
禅では、無為自然の境地が悟りとされる。
In Zen, the state of unconditioned spontaneity is considered enlightenment.
自然体 is a more everyday term for a relaxed, natural attitude, while 無為自然 is a heavier philosophical concept rooted in Daoism and Buddhism.
無為 alone means 'inaction' or 'doing nothing,' often with a negative connotation of idleness; 無為自然 combines it with 自然 to express a positive, spontaneous non-action.
A yojijukugo derived from Daoist philosophy, combining 無為 (wu wei, 'non-action') and 自然 (ziran, 'naturalness'). The exact historical borrowing into Japanese is uncertain, but it has been used in both Daoist and Buddhist contexts.