The Philosophy of Bruce Lee .....“Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation"

Bruce Lee
The man, the myth .... The legend

I remember nostalgically the first time I encountered Bruce Lee. I was 8 or maybe 9 years old and my Mum allowed me to stay up late and watch Enter The Dragon on TV (thanks Mum)

For me it was a profound experience, I was mesmerised by the power and presence of this martial arts master, flickering across the screen as fast as lightning, with grace and athleticism I'd never seen before. A violent ballet both brutal and beautiful at the same time, from that day on I was a huge admirer. 

Like many Bruce Lee devotees it didn't take long for me to realise that there was so much more to him than mere physical prowess and mastery of technique. He had a very deep philosophical approach to life and martial arts, an approach I believe is as relevant today as it was during his lifetime ... in fact I think its timeless and can be applied to every system of life, Politics, Religion, Philosophy, Education, Health ... to name but a few. A philosophy of formlessness. For those of you not familiar with Bruce's approach allow me to explain .... 

Lee began training aged 16 in a type of Kung Fu known as Wing Chun. The classical martial arts are very rigid in form and technique, dogmatic in approach and so throughout his life Bruce started to become disillusioned with the impractical nature of traditional fighting styles. Eventually after the famous battle between himself and another martial arts teacher in which Lee felt he under performed he decided to formulate his own style of martial art, not sticking to rigid techniques that didn't work in a real situation but taking the very best bits of other fighting styles from western boxing to Chinese Wing Chun to the footwork of fencing and combining them in a formless and fluid style that can adapt to any situation. This style become known as Jeet Kune Do. 

 
“Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.”  ― Bruce Lee, Tao of Jeet Kune Do 

This story can be used as a beautiful analogy for other belief systems. 

Take politics for instance, once you devote yourself to a political ideology you then embrace a very rigid set of beliefs be it "socialism" "capitalism" "conservatism" .... Once you commit to an ideology you begin defending it and become less free and fluid in your thinking. You buy into the idea that your chosen ideology must be 100% correct on all issues, which is highly improbable , nobody can be right all the time. You attach status and ego to your beliefs and become imprisoned in many ways in your own mind. Unable to think freely. This to me is the most serious obstacle in the way of true human freedom. 

“Set patterns, incapable of adaptability, of pliability, only offer a better cage. Truth is outside of all patterns.”  ― Bruce Lee, Tao of Jeet Kune Do

Religion is probably the greatest example of rigid dogmatic belief. Many say the etymology of religion lies with the Latin word religare, which means “to tie, to bind.” Being bound to a rigid set of unquestioned ideas is an important way of controlling people and has been responsible for immeasurable human suffering in history. 

So lets learn an important lesson from this extraordinary man, and apply it to all aspects of our own lives, go into situations open minded yet skeptical, trust your own set of values and intuition to make the correct decisions and not rely on preconceived ways of interpreting things given to us by untrustworthy leaders. Build up your own fighting techniques of knowledge, rationality, resolve, logic, reason and wisdom. These are weapons you will always be able to enter into lifes battles with and remain fluid and unrestricted. But lets not give a name to this technique because as Bruce lee learnt when he came to name his martial art, naming something gives it a form and in turn it becomes itself a system of belief.  

“If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow -- you are not understanding yourself.”  ― Bruce Lee, Tao of Jeet Kune Do 

 Jeet kune do  

Jeet kune do was founded by bruce lee 

Because he felt  

The martial arts were too confident  

You can’t fight in pattern he used to say  

Because an attack  

Can be baffling and not refined   

Jeet kune do was created by bruce lee 

To show us 

That an old art must transform 

Like the day turns to night and  

Night to day  

The way of fighting must also reform 

Bruce lee developed jeet kune do 

But wished  He didn’t have a name for it!!

 Because the very words, jeet kune do  

Already indicate 

That it’s another martial arts form  

Any form or style does restrict   

And his belief is now in conflict