Bruce Lee and the integration of philosophy with physical discipline

Bruce Lee was always an innovator during his lifetime both as a movie star and physical fitness Icon. It is lesser-known fact that he studied philosophy at Washington State University during this time he developed an interest in emerging practical approaches to philosophy from East and West. Authors he was particularly fond of reading including J Krishnamurti and Alan Watts. It is from J Krishnamurti that Bruce Lee acquired the phrase” no school or institution has a monopoly on truth" a phrase which has become synonymous with him.
J Krishnamurti was speaking broadly about matters of theology considering all religious paths to lead to the same ultimate truth. Bruce Lee use the same phrase to describe how creators of martial arts systems had inadvertently created set patterns of response in combat which it was never their intention to do. Bruce wanted to reintroduce experimentation into both training methods and approaches to combat and so readily learned from all sources that were available to him. Having studied boxing and Wing Chun system of kung fu in Hong Kong on arrival in the United States he started to teach an eclectic system of martial arts to Westerners. This was frowned upon by members of the Chinese community who considered that the Chinese arts should not be taught to Westerners and they sent a challenger to stop Bruce from teaching. Although Bruce Lee easily defeated the Challenger they sent to his kung fu school, Bruce was unhappy with the length of time the bout lasted. He set about improving his physical conditioning by applying Western methods of physical fitness. By introducing weight training, the stationary bike, floor-to-ceiling ball, skipping and the heavy bag into his fitness regime, thus covering physical strength endurance and speed using the most effective methods available. Bruce loved boxing for its scientific approach to combat and by definition the scientific method is based on Socrates method of analysis using inquiry and debate to illuminate ideas and create critical thinking by searching out commonly held opinions and determining their consistency with other ideas. Bruce was in many ways an autodidact (self directed learner) he looked for parallels with in systems and methods, but ultimately sorts to transcend any give method by self expression. Hence the expression taken from Socrates which he endorsed with regard to combat, “Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own.”
Later in his life when Bruce Lee injured his back whilst weight training, he was forced to rest in bed without any movements for a period of months. Bruce kept a huge library of books many of them vintage dealing with all aspects of physical conditioning, martial arts and applied psychology. Rather than waste his time he decided to make copious notes on the books he owned. This would be released after his death as the book the Tao of jeet kune do (translated into English as the way of the intercepting fist). Bruce Lee's brother was a fencer, and in fencing they use the concept of the stop hit which is somewhat similar to the boxing concept of the best defense is a good offence. To attack and defend the same time, in many ways this is analogous to Bruce Lee's philosophy of life, which is to keep moving forward towards self-actualization.
Self-actualization is the concept of creating one's own attributes through the process of continuous learning. Never to consider that one possesses all the facts or that you are completely developed in any field. It can be seen as a process of applying the scientific method to everyday life carving away what is extraneous to leave only the most effective methods in place. Assessing oneself wholly in every psychological and physiological process to say where can I most improve? In eastern philosophy there is no separation between mind and body, and Descartes’ famous proclamation of I think therefore I am would be seen as a meaningless dictum. In the East there is no schism between mind and body and to develop one both physically and intellectually can be viewed as a single purpose. Historically this has not been the approach in the west were the athlete and the intellectual are seen as polar opposites of one another. Alan Watts’ philosophy which was readily embraced by Bruce was the theory of integration, to fully engage the psyche in all matters of importance in life. It is Alan Watts approach to consciousness which is revolutionary to introduce introspection into action and a question any means of attainment in order to assess its worthiness and practicality.