Know Thy “style of no style”:
Remembering The Warrior Philosopher:
Respectful Remembrance of the Martial Arts Legend Sir Bruce Lee who would have turned 82 on Nov 27.
There could be no doubt to the fact that there has been no one who has captured the imagination of the public across the world like Bruce Lee did. Not just because of his physical fitness & feats but also for his core philosophy of being a non-conformist to the traditional way of martial arts thinking prevalent then where each style/school tried to promote its own fighting method as the best.
Not many may know that Bruce was also an ardent student of philosophy based his fighting methods of Jeet Kune Do - the “style of no style” as Bruce put it, not on any influence from a martial artist or school but by a philosopher named Jiddu Krishnamurti who originated from India.
Jiddu Krishnamurti or JK as he was commonly know is who I will call a Reflective Radical rose against the established orthodoxy in the 1930s and stepped down from his position as the chosen messiah of the Theosophical Movement thereby spent the rest of his life railing against organized religion, blind belief in ancient writing, and the need for a ‘messiah’ or a ’system’ to deliver humankind to Salvation.
In this no risk, less investment, high returns, no tax business of spirituality & religion - JK was a Real Deal Rebel who rose against established traditions & hierarchy of where we are often told to seek out “gurus”, seers et al practice their disciplines and follow their teachings – just like in Martial Arts - JK asked for no followers, he offered no methods and accepted no title as a leader or an authority. Rather than be the teacher, he encouraged others to follow their OWN path – just like Bruce did.
Bruce found that JKs viewpoints on life ran parallel to his own and had a very deep impact on the philosophy Bruce Lee developed on martial arts and physical training.
According to late Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce Lees wife, in 1970 Lee read tons of Krishnamurtis works, as he recuperated from a spinal cord injury he sustained during training.
Like JK, Bruce Lee disbelieved completely in the concept of preconceived martial arts styles, fixed collections of techniques and strategies, which could be passed on from master to student.
Lee’s best-known axiom “Using no way, as way; using no limitation, as limitation”, reminds us that as long as we are not confined by a set pattern or doctrine then our options are limitless.
The “style of no style” as Bruce put it came about because Bruce realized the flaws of fixed patterns. He saw the truth of combat lied outside of all styles. It was up to the individual to figure out what worked best and what didn’t based on what lied within. For Fighting is not something dictated by your conditioning as a kung-fu man, a karate man, a judo man or what-not.
In his book Freedom from the Known, Krishnamurti writes: You cannot look through an ideology, through a screen of words, through hopes and fears. The man who is really serious, with the urge to find out what truth is has no concept at all. He lives only in what is.
Bruce adapted this idea in forming his martial art philosophy: You cannot express and be alive through static put-together form, through stylized movement. The man who is really serious, with the urge to find out what truth is, has no style at all. He lives only in what is.
For Bruce all knowledge led to self-knowledge. Bruce placed a great deal of emphasis on this belief in his teachings. It was one of the most important concepts he derived from his study of Krishnamurti.
As Krishnamurti said: "We must first understand ourselves in order to know anything and to understand and solve problems. Bruce felt that, for a person to grow and evolve, they must come to know themselves through whatever medium they choose: dance, music, art, or martial arts to name a few.
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A classicist or traditionalist will only do what the teacher tells him and that’s it. The teacher is pedestalized, and you do what he says and you don’t question him says John Little, the historian of Bruce Lee, but Bruce was drawing from some very diverse sources, such as Krishnamurti, Alan Watts, Taoism, Buddhism, etc. Not that these people were necessarily creators either, but they saw a certain truth that they wrote about. Bruce saw that same truth.
Bruce Lees martial art could not have been as successful and complete without the deep philosophical base he gave to it thanks to JK and if not for Bruce lee, there would be no MMA as we know it today. He opened the way to seek martial arts top effectiveness thru an eclectic approach.
Both Bruce Lee & JK are Truly an Inspiration - Then, Now & Forever.
Resource References:
Bruce lee links