Wu (awareness)

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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 wuChinese: 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]