Wu (awareness)

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Chinese folk religion
Stylisation of the 禄 lù or 子 zi grapheme, respectively meaning "prosperity", "furthering", "welfare" and "son", "offspring". 字 zì, meaning "word" and "symbol", is a cognate of 子 zi and represents a "son" enshrined under a "roof". The symbol is ultimately a representation of the north celestial pole (Běijí 北极) and its spinning constellations, and as such it is equivalent to the Eurasian symbol of the swastika, 卍 wàn.
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Zhenkong, "Void of Truth".

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This article is about a state of awareness in Chinese folk religion. For Chinese shaman, see Wu (shaman).

Wu (Chinese: 悟; pinyin: Wù) is a concept of awareness, consciousness, or spiritual enlightenment in the Chinese folk religion.[1]

According to scholarly studies, many practitioners who have recently "reverted" to the Chinese traditional religion speak of an "opening of awareness" Kai wu (Chinese: 開悟; pinyin: Kāi wù) or "awakening of awareness" Jue wu (Chinese: 覺悟; pinyin: Juéwù) of the interconnectedness of reality in terms of the cosmic-moral harmony (bào yìng) as it relates to mìng yùn and yuán fèn.[2]

This spiritual awareness, wu, works as an engine that moves these themes from being mere ideas to be motivating forces in one's life:[2]

  • awareness of mìng yùn ignites responsibility towards life;
  • awareness of yuan fen stirs one to respond to events rather than resigning.

Awareness is a dynamic factor and appears in two guises: first, as a realisation that arrives as a gift, often unbidden, then as a practice that the person intentionally follows.[2]

  1. ^ Fan & Chen (2013), p. 26-27.
  2. ^ a b c Fan & Chen (2013), p. 27.