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This is an article written by Bruce Lee way back when.

Its long but I thought some here might find it interesting. Liberate Yourself From Classical Karate By Bruce Lee He Teaches and !"lains #hat is $eet Kune %o I am the first to admit that any attem"t to crystalli&e $eet Kune %o into a written article is no easy task. 'erha"s to a(oid making a )thing) out of a )"rocess). I ha(e not until now "ersonally written an article on $K%. Indeed* it is difficult to e!"lain what $eet Kune %o is* although it may be easier to e!"lain what it is not. Let me begin with a +en story. The story might be familiar to some* but I re"eat it for it)s a""ro"riateness. Look u"on this story as a means of limbering u" one)s senses* one)s attitude and one)s mind to make them "liable and rece"ti(e. You need that to understand this article* otherwise you might as well forget reading any further. , learned man once went to a +en teacher to in-uire about +en. ,s the +en teacher e!"lained* the learned man would fre-uently interru"t him with remarks like* ./h* yes* we ha(e that too..... and so on. Finally the +en teacher sto""ed talking and began to ser(e tea to the learned man. He "oured the cu" full* and then ke"t "ouring until the cu" o(erflowed. . nough0. the learned man once more interru"ted. .1o more can go into the cu"0. .Indeed* I see*. answered the +en teacher. .If you do not first em"ty the cu"* how can you taste my cu" of tea2. I ho"e my comrades in the martial arts will read the following "aragra"hs with o"en3mindedness lea(ing all the burdens of "reconcei(ed o"inions and conclusions behind. This act* by the way* has in itself liberating "ower. ,fter all* the usefulness of the cu" is in it)s em"tiness. 4ake this article relate to yourself* because though it is on $K%* it is "rimarily concerned with the blossoming of a martial artist333not a .Chinese. martial artist* a .$a"anese. martial artist* etc. , martial artist is a human being first. $ust as nationalities ha(e nothing to do with one)s humanity* so they ha(e nothing to do with martial arts. Lea(e your "rotecti(e shell of isolation and relate )directly) to what is being said. 5eturn to your senses by ceasing all the inter(ening intellectual mumbo 6umbo. 5emember that life is a constant "rocess of relating. 5emember too* that I seek neither your a""ro(al nor to influence you towards my way of thinking. I will be more than satisfied if* as a result of this article* you begin to in(estigate e(erything for yourself and cease to uncritically acce"t "rescribed formulas that dictate .this is this. and .that is that.. /n Choiceless /bser(ation 7u""ose se(eral "ersons who are trained in different styles of combati(e arts witness an all out street fight. I am sure that we would hear different (ersions from each of these stylists. This is -uite understandable for one cannot see a fight 8or anything else9 .as is. as long as he is blinded by his chosen "oint of (iew* i.e.

style* and he will (iew the fight through the lens of his "articular conditioning. Fighting* .as is*. is sim"le and total. It is not limited to your "ers"ecti(e conditioning as a Chinese martial artist. True obser(ation begins when one sheds set "atterns and true freedom of e!"ression occurs when one is beyond systems. Before we e!amine $eet Kune %o* let)s consider e!actly what a .classical. martial art style really is. To begin with* we must recogni&e the incontro(ertible fact that regardless of their many colorful origins 8by a wise* mysterious monk* by a s"ecial messenger in a dream* in a holy re(elation* etc.9 styles are created by men. , style should ne(er be considered gos"el truth* the laws and "rinci"les of which can ne(er be (iolated. 4an* the li(ing* creating indi(idual* is always more im"ortant than any established style. It is concei(able that a long time ago a certain martial artist disco(ered some "artial truth. %uring his lifetime* the man resisted the tem"tation to organi&e this "artial truth* although this is a common tendency in a man)s search for security and certainty in life. ,fter his death* his students took .his. hy"otheses* .his. "ostulates* .his. method and turned them into law. Im"ressi(e creeds were then in(ented* solemn reinforcing ceremonies "rescribed* rigid "hiloso"hy and "atterns formulated* and so on* until finally an institution was erected. 7o* what originated as one man)s intuition of some sort of "ersonal fluidity has been transformed into solidified* fi!ed knowledge* com"lete with organi&ed classified res"onses "resented in a logical order. In so doing* the well3meaning* loyal followers ha(e not only made this knowledge a holy shrine* but also a tomb in which they ha(e buried the founder)s wisdom. But distortion does not necessarily end here. In reaction to .the other truth*. another martial artist* or "ossible a dissatisfied disci"le* organi&es an o""osite a""roach33such as the .soft. style (ersus the .hard. style* the .internal. school (ersus the .e!ternal. school* and all these se"arate nonsense. 7oon this o""osite faction also becomes a large organi&ation* with its own laws and "atterns. , ri(alry begins* with each style claiming to "ossess the .truth. to the e!clusions of all others. ,t best* styles are merely "arts dissected from a unitary whole. ,ll styles re-uire ad6ustment* "artiality* denials* condemnation and a lot of self3 6ustification. The solutions they "ur"ort to "ro(ide are the (ery cause of the "roblem* because they limit and interfere with our natural growth and obstruct the way to genuine understanding. %i(isi(e by nature* styles kee" men )a"art) from each other rather than )unite) them. Truth Cannot be 7tructured or %efinesd /ne cannot e!"ress himself fully when im"risoned by a confining style. Combat .as is. is total* and it includes all the .is. as well as .is not*. without fa(orite lines or angles. Lacking boundaries* combat is always fresh* ali(e and constantly changing. Your "articular style* your "ersonal inclinations and your "hysical makeu" are all )"arts) of combat* but they do not constitute the )whole) of combat. 7hould your res"onses become de"endent u"on any single "art* you will react in terms of what .should be. rather than to the reality of the e(er3changing .what is.. 5emember that while the whole is e(idenced in all its "arts* an isolated "art* efficient or not* does not constitute the whole. 'rolonged re"etitious drillings will certainly yield mechanical "recision and security of that kind comes from any routine. Howe(er* it is e!actly this kind of .selecti(e. security or .crutch. which limits or blocks the total growth of a martial

artist. In fact* -uite a few "ractitioners de(elo" such a liking for and de"endence on their .crutch. that they can no longer walk without it. Thus* anyone s"ecial techni-ue* howe(er cle(erly designed is actually a hindrance. Let it be understood once and for all that I ha(e 1/T in(ented a new style* com"osite* or modification. I ha(e in no way set $eet Kune %o within a distinct form go(erned by laws that distinguish it from .this. style or .that. method. /n the contrary* I ho"e to free my comrades from bondage to styles* "atterns and doctrines. #hat* then* is $eet Kune %o2 Literally* .6eet. means to interce"t or to sto": .kune. is the fist: and .do. is the way* the ultimate reality333the way of the interce"ting fist. %o remember* howe(er* that .$eet Kune %o. is merely a con(enient name. I am not interested with the term itself: I am interested in its effect of liberation when $K% is used as a mirror for self3e!amination. ;nlike a .classical. martial art* there is no series of rules or classification of techni-ue that constitutes a distinct .$eet Kune %o. method of fighting. $K% is not a form of s"ecial conditioning with its own rigid "hiloso"hy. It looks at combat not from a single angle* but from all "ossible angles. #hile $K% utili&es all the ways and means to ser(e its end 8after all* efficiency is anything that scores9* it is bound by none and is therefore free. In other words* $K% "ossesses e(erything* but is in itself "ossessed by nothing. Therefore* to try and define $K% in terms of a distinct style333be it gung3fu* karate* street fighting* Bruce Lee)s martial art* etc.333is to com"letely miss its meaning. It)s teaching sim"ly cannot be confined with a system. 7ince $K% is at once .this. and .not this.* it neither o""oses nor adheres to any style. To understand this fully* one must transcend from the duality of .for. and .against. into one organic unity which is without distinctions. ;nderstanding of $K% is direct intuition of this unity. There are no "rearranged sets or .kata. in the teaching of $K%* nor are they necessary. Consider the subtle difference between .ha(ing no form. and ha(ing .no form.: the first is ignorance* the second is transcendence. Through instincti(e body feeling* each of us )knows) our own most efficient and dynamic manner of achie(ing effecti(e le(erage* balance in motion* economical use of energy* etc. 'atterns* techni-ues or forms touch only the fringe of genuine understanding. The core of understanding lies in the indi(idual mind* and until that is touched* e(erything is uncertain and su"erficial. Truth cannot be "ercei(ed until we come to fully understand oursel(es and our "otentials. ,fter all* )knowledge in the martial arts ultimately means self3knowledge.) ,t this "oint you may ask* .How do I gain this knowledge2. That you will ha(e to find out all by yourself. You must acce"t the fact that there is in hel" but self3 hel". For the same reason I cannot tell you how to .gain. freedom* since freedom e!ists within you. I cannot tell you what )not) to do* I cannot tell you what you )should) do* since that would be confining you to a "articular a""roach. Formulas can only inhibit freedom* e!ternally dictated "rescri"tions only s-uelch creati(ity and assure mediocrity. Bear in mind that the freedom that accrues from self3 knowledge cannot be ac-uired through strict adherence to a formula: we do not suddenly .become. free* we sim"ly .are. free. Learning is definitely not mere imitation* nor is it the ability to accumulate and regurgitate fi!ed knowledge. Learning is a constant "rocess of disco(ery* a

"rocess without end. In $K% we begin not by accumulation but by disco(ering the cause of our ignorance* a disco(ery that in(ol(es a shedding "rocess. ;nfortunately* most students in the martial arts are conformists. Instead of learning to de"end on themsel(es for e!"ression* they blindly follow their instructors* no longer feeling alone* and finding security in mass imitation. The "roduct of this imitation is a de"endent mind. Inde"endent in-uiry* which is essential to genuine understanding* is sacrificed. Look around the martial arts and witness the assortment of routine "erformers* trick artists* desensiti&ed robots* glorifiers of the "ast and so on3333 all followers or e!"onents of organi&ed des"air. How often are we told by different .sensei. of .masters. that the martial arts are life itself2 But how many of them truly understand what they are saying2 Life is a constant mo(ement333rhythmic as well as random: life is a constant change and not stagnation. Instead of choicelessly flowing with this "rocess of change* many of these .masters.* "ast and "resent* ha(e built an illusion of fi!ed forms* rigidly subscribing to traditional conce"ts and techni-ues of the art* solidifying the e(er3 flowing* dissecting the totality. The most "itiful sight is to see sincere students earnestly re"eating those imitati(e drills* listening to their own screams and s"iritual yells. In most cases* the means these .sensei. offer their students are so elaborate that the student must gi(e tremendous attention to them* until gradually he loses sight of the end. The students end u" "erforming their methodical routines as a mere conditioned res"onse* rather than )res"onding to) .what is.. They no longer .listen. to circumstances: they .recite. their circumstances. These "our souls ha(e unwittingly become tra""ed in the miasma of classical martial arts training. , teacher* a really good sensei* is ne(er a )gi(er) of .truth.: he is a guide* a )"ointer) to the truth that the student must disco(er for himself. , good teacher* therefore* studies each student indi(idually and encourages the student to e!"lore himself* both internally and e!ternally* until* ultimately* the student is integrated with his being. For e!am"le* a skillful teacher might s"ur his student)s growth by confronting him with certain frustrations. , good teacher is a catalyst. Besides "ossessing a dee" understanding* he must also ha(e a res"onsi(e mind with great fle!ibility and sensiti(ity. , Finger 'ointing to the 4oon There is no standard in total combat* and e!"ression must be free. this liberating truth is a reality only in so far as it is )e!"erienced and li(ed) by the indi(idual himself: it is a truth that transcends styles or disci"lines. 5emember* too* that $eet Kune %o is merely a term* a label to be used as a boat to get one across: once across* it is to be discarded and not carried on one)s back. These few "aragra"hs are* at best* a .finger "ointing to the moon.. 'lease do not take the finger to be the moon or fi! your ga&e so intently on the finger as to miss all the beautiful sights of hea(en. ,fter all* the usefulness of the finger is in "ointing away from itself to the light which illumines finger and all. 333 Bruce Lee)s res"onses to letters about his article

Forget /rgani&ed %es"air

It has been o(er two years since I began taking classical Kung Fu. ,fter reading your two articles in Black Belt* es"ecially the second "art* I started to really think. /ur "ractice at the school consists of standing on the horse stance* "racticing classical forms and doing the two men set333or what your 6eet kune do would call "rearranged rhythmic s"arring. The stress is on good "osture* good energy utili&ation and good 8classical9 form. Ha(ing read your realistic articles* I begin to ask myself* .good for what2. I can see now that all the cramming "ostures* swinging "unches and "retty kicks are too classically in(ol(ed. There is a world of difference between a""lying these mo(ements with an obedient "artner who coo"erates and an actual o""onent who is bent on destroying you. #ithout consistent "ractice in s"arring* I find it "ractically im"ossible to ad6ust "ro"er distance or e!act timing with a li(e* non3 classical o""onent. I know this because I took some bo!ing a long time ago. The reason I still continue to "ractice kung fu is because I figured our instructor was testing our "atience. Though none of us e(er saw him s"ar or engage in any fast e!change* I know my instructor must be good. ,fter all* he is a "rofessional and I a""reciate the saying* .He who knows does not s"eak: he who s"eaks does not know.. #hat do you think2 T.Y. #hang* of 7an Francisco* Calif. 33333333333333 Lao3T&u is su""osed to ha(e said* .He who knows does not s"eak: he who s"eaks does not know.. Howe(er* he himself wrote fi(e thousand words to e!"lain his doctrine. %oes the word .sailor. mean that a "erson can swim2 ,nd s"eaking of swimming* can you learn it by grinding your horse stance and "erforming idealistic land e!ercises2 #hat do I think2 Forget about this .organi&ed des"air. you ha(e accumulated and go back to your bo!ing. Hang a hea(y bag in your basement and use your legs as you would your hands. /f course* "ractice as much s"arring as you can. You ha(e to get wet in order to learn to swim. Bruce Lee %oes 1ot ;nderstand Kata I)m sure I)m not alone in ha(ing .likes. and .dislikes. regarding some of your articles. ;sually I sim"ly grunt to myself at the articles I "articularly dislike or don)t agree with. This time* howe(er* I 6ust couldn)t let an issue go by without comment. I)m s"eaking of .Kato)s <ung Fu.. First the comment Bruce Lee made= ....to me a lot of this fancy stuff is not functional.. ...is a line I)(e heard by )"honies) who .studied. karate > or ? months then* because they didn)t ha(e the "atience or the intelligence* -uit* o"ened their own do6o* "ut on a black belt and attem"ted to teach .karate.. Bruce Lee ob(iously does not understand kata. ...There are a hundred comments I)d like to make but these ? will do for a start.

@. The dime and "enny trick is 6ust that0 , trick that anyone after a little "ractice* can do. They don)t ha(e to ha(e fast or slow refle!es* 6ust "ractice. A. The ."owerful "unch. demonstration* where he "unches his (olunteer into a chair is a farce0 Take the chair away and he)ll only )be "ushed) a few feet 8with or without the "rotection of the A inch glo(e9. I)(e done this in demonstration...not to "ro(e the "ower of it but to "ro(e that a man standing in a .non3classical. stance is easily ."unched. off balance. Had the man in the "hotos been standing in a classical karate stance* 4r. Lee wouldn)t ha(e been able to budge him0 ,nd...yes0 I)ll (olunteer anytime00 B. Bruce Lee goes on ... .#hen someone grabs you* "unch him0.... ,""arently 4r. Lee thinks a karateist would "erform a kata in res"onse. I know what I)d do. But I)m wondering about Bruce Lee...would he lea(e a "enny in the grabber)s hand2 C. ,s for "racticing with .robots. the article states that Bruce Lee .works. on stuffed dummies...I wonder how fast and how (aried their counter attacks are* and if they mo(e around him -uickly222 >. Karate)s ultimate goal for techni-ues of self defense has always been simultaneous strikes or kicks with blocks. It is nothing new to karate. ,nyone who has studied karate for awhile is well aware of this common fact. ?. ,s I see it* Bruce Lee is saying 8and "ro(ing9 that he doesn)t like* belie(e in or understand...karate00 'aul ,rel* of the <lastonbury Karate club 33333333333333333 I am commenting on classical Chinese <ung <u and not Karate. If your "articular style is not of the .fancy stuff. or crammed with .deadly. 8in the sense of a cor"se9 techni-ues* you need not grunt and be u"set. I am not e(en a "hony who studied karate for fi(e or si! months. In fact* I ne(er did take karate. Howe(er* my assistants and I do ha(e -uite a few students from your circle taking with us. #hate(er you like is your "ri(ilege* but I do not teach classical forms because of my understanding of them. ,s I ha(e "ointed out* $eet Kune %o is interested in feeling what I7 and not .doing what was or what might be....in other words* the here and now* the direct e!"erience with one)s o""onent* the two hal(es of the whole. Forms create situations which do not yet e!ist* while what I7 is a constantly mo(ing* constantly undergoing a transformation...ne(er fi!ed and always ali(e. Take* for e!am"le* learning to sli" a "unch. Is there a classical form for that2 Isn)t sli""ing a "unch a matter of relationshi"2 It)s a different relationshi" e(ery time as some o""onents are fast* some slow* some dece"ti(e* and some awkward. It)s too bad that out of @DD comments you could make* you come u" with only si!.

@. That is e!actly what is su""osed to be* a stunt3of s"eed. A. I ha(e demonstrated my "unch* with or without a chair* and many re"utable gentlemen among your circle will tell you it is not a "ush. If one stands in a classical stance* he will not be thrown back as far...but it will definitely hurt more. B. I don)t know what you will do* but whate(er you do* do it -uick. C. There is a difference between B I1< a robot and "ounding on a robot. If you read carefully* you know $eet Kune %o (alues s"arring with a li(e o""onent. Howe(er* when one does not ha(e a li(e "artner* he can use these dummies to ac-uaint himself with the correct distance and e!act timing of his "unches and kicks. This is realistic synchroni&ation of the self. >. 7o it is a common fact that there are no "assi(e blocks in your "articular art too. That)s good. I* too* am like you. I do not like to block "assi(ely with one hand* with the other on the hi"* and then...and then...and then... Bruce Lee Basic Techni-ues I am training with a Chinese instructor who drills us again and again on basics333 like side kicks* straight "unching* etc. #hen we s"ar* we are to use only the chosen basic techni-ues* though sometimes we can use combinations and e(erything. %o you not think we need (ariety2 5.T. 7mith of /akland* California 333333333333333 The best techni-ues are the sim"le ones done correctly* and in 4artial ,rts* it is not how much you ha(e learned* but how much you ha(e absorbed in what you ha(e learned. ,s long as the basics are on meaningful means that will lead to the ultimate end of actual a""lication in broken rhythm* they are ne(er wasted. fficient basics are like the strong foundation of a house. /f course* one must a(oid basics that ha(e the .ali(eness. taken out of them and are ."erformed. in .rhythmic routines.. Ha(e "atience* my friend* I am sure your teacher knows what he is doing. Bruce Lee Beat Bruce Lee2 The reason for this letter is that there are rumors that a man in Connecticut by the name of Bruce Fleetwood is s"reading around. He claims to ha(e defeated Bruce Lee twice in "ublic and many times in "ri(ate s"arring. I ha(e ne(er seen this "erson before* but I feel it wold not be that easy to beat Bruce Lee. ,lso* I don)t recall e(er hearing of Bruce Lee com"eting in "ublic. 'lease gi(e me your o"inion about this this so I can set things straight with the karate "eo"le in Connecticut.

#illiam $. Chung 1ew York City 33333333333333333 #ho)s he2222 Bruce Lee $eet Kune %o and #ing Chun I en6oyed reading your articles on Bruce Lee. It is interesting to find out the achie(ements of one of my #ing Chun .brothers.. Today* 4r. Lee is the founder of a new style. $ust a few years ago* he was only one of us. I am interested in finding out 6ust how much #ing Chun he still remembers and how much of it is included in his style. From your second article on 4r. Lee I recogni&ed the .sticking hands. e!ercise and the .tucked in elbow.. 7ome of 4r. Lee)s mo(es also remind me of a northern style I "racticed when I was small. If BL,CK B LT is willing to find out some answers to my curiosity* I am sure that many other readers will come u" with more interesting -uestions and comments. This is one way of finding out the nature of <ung Fu. I wish to make a comment on 4r. Lee)s "hiloso"hy. +en is (ery old and many an aggressi(e style has faded away in it. 8If* ha(ing learned the art* a "unch is no longer a "unch* I would "refer to stay as a student.9 $ack Ling Bloomington* Ind. 333333333333333333 I do not recall you as being one of us 6ust a few years ago* for I left Hong Kong in the early "art of @E>E...nearly nine years ago. ,t any rate* .Brother Ling*. since you are interested in my $eet Kune %o* I shall (enture to tell you about it. First* howe(er* I should like to comment on the last "aragra"h of your letter. I do not really care what your "reference is* but I would like you to re3read the second article. It reads* .1ow that I)(e understood the art* a "unch is 6ust like a "unch.... You don)t ha(e to understand it* but read it carefully and* .Brother Ling*. do em"ty your tea cu" first so you can taste my tea. ,fter all* the usefulness of a cu" is in it)s em"tiness. The foundation of $eet Kune %o is (ery much like #ing Chun in that it ad(ocates elbows in "osition* the center line and straight "unching. 1ow there are three stages in the culti(ation of $eet Kune %o* each of them interrelated. The first stage is .sticking to the nucleus.: the second stage* .liberation from the nucleus.: the third stage* .returning to the original freedom.. Clasically s"eaking* sticking to the nucleus is merely based on the interiorFe!terior straight line and re6ects the cur(ed line on the idea that the shortest distance between two "oints is a straight line. True* the straight line is (ery efficient 8de"ending on the circumstances* that is9* but re6ection of the cur(e will lead to se"aration from the whole and the totality will not be achie(ed when men stubbornly cling to one "artial (iew of things. ,fter all* a good martial artist

should be able to strike and kick from all angles and* with either hands or legs* take ad(antage of the moment. Therefore* straight "unching in #ing Chun becomes a means to an end* but not the end itself* and it should be reinforced and su""orted by other com"act angle "unches and kicks as well* thus* as a whole* making one)s style more fle!ible without confinement or limitation. Like western bo!ing* $eet Kune %o is most fluid and the fluidity of mo(ements lies in their interchangeability. By combining the first and second stages we ha(e the natural returning to original freedom* and that is* the absence of a standardi&ed style* the notion of attaching to a method* or the idea of re6ecting the straight or the cur(e. ,ny action that is based on a set* conditioned course is the action of choice and such action is not liberating and will create conflict and resistance. ,fter all* you can straight3"unch a swinger and cur(e a straight "uncher: sometimes the straight is useful* sometimes the cur(e* de"ending on the circumstances. In the eyes of combat* there is no set course* but the totality of action* and in this totality there is nothing to choose and nothing better or worse. /ne can say that "i(ot of $eet Kune %o "asses through the center where the cur(e and straight con(erge and* in the ultimate $eet Kune %o is a circle without a circumference. .In the landsca"e of s"ring* there is neither better nor worse The flowering branches grow naturally: some long* some short.. 3 , +en saying. Bruce Lee 7tunts ,re 1ot 7kill 4r. Lee* Kung Fu is really something0 5ecently I witnessed with my own eyes a Chinese master break a cho"stick by 6amming it on his own throat. Furthermore* he "icked u" a hammer and hit himself all o(er. Later he told the audience this is Ch)i 8Ki in $a"anese9. How long does it take to learn it2 5oland Lee 7an Francisco #hat is this2 7u"erman gi(ing a demonstration2 If so* why did he break the cho"stick with his chin 8e!cuse me* I mean his throat9 himself2 #hy didn)t he in(ite someone else to 6am the cho"stick on his throat2 ,gain* why did this ."erformer. not in(ite someone to come out and smash him with the hammer333if the ob6ect is to show he can withstand "ain829 If <ung Fu consists of the abo(e* the end of this art is arri(ing. ,ll the stunts and gimmicks the "erformer did in no way suggested his actual skill in this combati(e art. If I were you* I would concentrate on efficient techni-ues and their a""lication in s"arring. Bruce Lee

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