As explained at Tan Dao that Bruce Lee actually modernized the ancient Chinese thought. Majority of Martial-Arts practinoners are impressed with Bruce Lee’s “Be Like Water” approach. Now being like water is just the tip of the iceberg. I think “be like water” is actually the result of something more fundamental, something more basic. Bruce Lee also talked about these fundamentals (which I myself found even before hearing them from Bruce Lee or anywhere):
- Absorb what is practical, discard the rest.
- You know I can pull out some fancy hand-movements and stunts. I can be cocky but that is not the truth. To be true to yourself, not lying to oneself , to be true to yourself is the expression of human body. To be true to yourself is hardest thing to do my friend.
These words were spoken by Bruce Lee himself. You can listen “Bruce Lee – The Lost Interview” on YouTube.
Now I have also found the same thing, before I heard Bruce Lee and these 2 things came from my own personal experience as a growing man in this life. But from where these words are getting generated, what is the source of this thinking. The source is being Natural. You don’t be true to yourself just because Bruce Lee said it or your JKD instructor told you so. You follow it because you believe in Nature, you believe in the path that follows Natural Laws. What is JKD ? and what is The Dao ? They all stress the originality.
The true essence of JKD, the true essence of “The Dao” is when you learn JKD (or any Martial-Art) you don’t duplicate Bruce Lee ( or the Master of that art), you try to be true to yourself. You try to put that training into you and become fluid with the core of that art, you become one with the extract of that art and you can only do that when you will follow the Nature, laws that govern the birth, that create this life and other lives. Why you try to be true, because you found that following the true you, the Natural you, removes any arrogance and self-glorification form you, being the Natural you, being true to yourself, liberates you from this artifical world and its phenomenon and puts you in one with art itself. And when you find this truth, you no longer bound to any art or any law but to the Natural Evolution of your as an artist, the transcendence of one by hard training.
Now what I explained is what I have experinced myself but this is also explained in ancient Chinese thought as “The Dao”, so I guess Bruce Lee took it from there and put it in real-life perpective along with his own experience in Martial-Arts and result was JKD.
I really wonder why Bruce Lee did not adapt any of the animal techniques in JKD. May be this was because of his background in Wing-Chun (not in Black Tiger Kung-Fu, of which I am impressed very much). Bruce Lee adapted ideas from western boxing and fencing instead. If you look at how Tommy Carruthers practices JKD, all you will see are these words “Pure and Practical Practice” and nothing else. Evrything else which is not useful in real-life is completely discarded.
Copyright © 2008 Arnuld Uttre, #331/type-2/sector-1, Naya Nangal, Distt. – Ropar, Punjab (INDIA) – 140126
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