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Methodology
I used information that I gathered from the material that Bruce had written, films featuring him and interviews with him.
I second-positioned him whist he was engaged in activities where he seemed to be accessing 'No-Mindedness'.
I made lists of his beliefs and established core beliefs by watching closely for congruity and symmetry in his physiology as he described his ideas, thoughts and opinions. I noted repetition. I used second-positioning in Multi-Level Modelling, Conceptual Workspace and T.O.T.E., then double checked everything in first position and resourceful meta. I then tested the model on several subjects.
Techniques employed
Implicit and Explicit Modelling, T.O.T.E., Multi-Level Modelling, S.C.O.R.E., Conceptual Workspace, Pattern Recognition and Trance Identification.
Bruce Lee’s core beliefs
- To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself.
- Man struggles to find life outside himself not realising that the life he seeks is within himself. (Referring to the Godhead).
- I have a great spiritual force within me, greater than any single quality, huge untapped power, this dynamic something within. (Referring to the Godhead).
- Truth is outside all patterns, simplicity is the end of art and the beginning of nature.
- My will to do, springs from the knowledge that I can do.
- Awareness is without choice, without demand, without fear or anxiety. In that state of mind there is perception.
- You must give up to an awareness outside your everyday consciousness, which is no other than your unconsciousness. No matter what, trust your inner light to guide you out of the darkness.
The physiology of 'No-Mindedness'
Kinesthetic:
- Lengthen and widen the back
- Balance the head symmetrically. (Imagine a hook attached to the crown of your head pulling up to the sky).
- Body relaxed and alert.
Visual:
- Eyes balanced at mid (eye) level. Seeing is external, panoramic and peripheral.
Auditory:
- Hearing is external, panoramic and peripheral. There is no internal dialogue.
NOTE: The correct symmetrical balancing of the head is crucial as it provides a stable platform from which the filters (sense organs) can all work at an optimum level in harmony.
Bruce Lee’s presuppositions about the unconscious process and 'No-Mindedness'
- We all have a deeply buried unconscious mind.
- Your unconscious mind will work exclusively on your behalf if you trust to it completely.
Evidence
Kinesthetic:
There is a feeling of contained energy within the trunk of the body, a feeling equal to the ‘GET SET’ in the starter’s orders to an athlete. This is accompanied by a feeling of centredness, groundedness and general relaxation; there is no tension, and movement is direct and economical. There are no negative emotions such as anger, fear or anxiety. Only pure spontaneity.
Visual:
There is a panning-out visually, the view is spatial and with an unusual clarity – focussing on nothing in particular, yet missing nothing too. Images are registered yet not held onto – external and peripheral.
Auditory:
The hearing is completely external, there is a sense of hearing everything though not listening for any particular sound. There is no internal dialogue, no repetitive tunes.
Olfactory:
There is a heightened sense of smell over and above what is generally considered normal.
My general conclusion
The
general, overall experience of 'No-Mindedness'
is an animal-like, almost predatory sense of being:
as if your entire being is acting on instinct,
yet being guided by something intangibly greater
than your normal, everyday self. There is a feeling
of deep connectedness to the universe, of being
wholly and quietly alive. Stalking, yet not stalking.
Totally in the zone.
SUMMARY
My main interest lies in the field of human potential. For me, as a martial artist, Bruce Lee was the embodiment of unlimited human potential. He had an unmatched martial arts ability, a uniqueness that set him apart from his peers. He achieved almost all the goals he set himself, against all odds. His personal belief systems empowered him to continually strive to improve, on a personal level and within the realms of fighting. His aim was to liberate himself and others from pre-conceived beliefs, forms, styles and patterns, and above all to honestly express himself, physically and mentally.
Bruce Lee is best remembered for his stunning contribution to the Oriental film industry and creating a Chinese hero that all cultures could identify with. Outside the martial arts community, less is known of the incredible influence Bruce’s philosophy and methodology had on what was a very closed-door system. These traditional arts Bruce called 'the classical mess', and claimed that truth (Tao) only existed outside all patterns. He angered many traditionalists at that time (late 60’s – early 70’s). No-one had dared challenge the authority of thousands of years of established styles. He believed that Man – the living, creating individual – was always more important than any organised style. He single-handedly revolutionised martial arts in the West, and in his short lifetime changed the beliefs of a culture.
At the foundation of his excellent abilities as a martial artist was a fundamental Mastery of Self which was inextricably linked with his physiological state. This state was itself supported by an unusually rich and ecological belief system. He studied philosophy and was heavily influenced by Krishnamurti and Spinoza. His Chinese cultural philosophies also provided much of the beliefs that led to his inimitable and unique self-expression. Buddhism, Confucianism and especially Taoism played essential parts.
I used second-positioning and shadowing physiology to a great extent for this project, which gave me the first clues to identifying Bruce’s source of mastery and his ability to access the state of 'No-Mindedness'. This state of being was the key difference that made the difference, it is the mark of a true master. However, to be able to access 'No-Mindedness' alone will not qualify you as a master. Bruce trained his mind through years of study and meditation. He trained his body to physical perfection. He earned mastery through years of constant striving, learning and doing. He believed his art was like building a sculpture. A sculptor doesn’t keep adding clay to his subject, he begins chiselling away at the unessentials until the truth of his/her creation is revealed without obstruction. There is a Zen story which Bruce liked to quote to his students: 'You must first empty your cup so that it may be filled'. If you are already full of this idea and that notion, this opinion and that belief, how may you learn and change and grow? How can you be free to honestly express yourself?
'No-Mindedness'
is a returning to your senses, relating directly
to what is and getting in the zone. To
do this you need to quiet the conscious mind so
that you may respond with undivided awareness
to the reality of the ever-changing 'what is'.
A serene reflection of the spontaneity of the
universe of which you are a part. It is the ‘non-graspingness’
of the mind that is important, the mind is employed
as a mirror: it grasps nothing and it refuses
nothing. It is a state of wholeness and integration
in which the mind functions freely and easily,
to let the mind think what it likes without influence
from the conscious thinking part. It is not being
without emotion or feeling, but it is a mind immune
from emotional influences. It is to respond like
an echo.
This experience you may discover for yourself. After all, as Bruce said: 'Ultimately, all knowledge is self-knowledge – these few paragraphs are at best a finger pointing to the moon, please don’t mistake the finger for the moon or you will miss all the beautiful sights of heaven'.
Truth may not be confined to words on paper.
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