A Reflection on the life of Bruce Lee on his 73d birthday: In 1963, the first world karate championship was held in Chicago, IL. Most of the great/legendary pioneers of the fistic arts attended and posed for a photo; Anthony Mirakian, George Mattson, Ed Parker, Jhoon Rhee, Robert Trias, Muang Gyi, etc. Among that stellar group of elites was a young Bruce Lee. He had not yet attained fame and acclaim with the mass public, but there he was among the acknowledged great masters of the golden era of the martial arts in America. Even at the young age of 23 he was recognized and considered a young master by Ed Parker, James Lee and Robert Trias. Bruce Lee trained in Wing Chun in his youth, but by 1963 he had mastered what he had learned from Wing Chun Grand master Ip Man and his seniors in Wing Chun. Luminaries such as the great ju-jutsu master Wally Jay attested to his mastery and skill as a martial artist. BY 1963. Bruce Lee had not only mastered the Wing Chun he had learned, he had also mastered traditional striking arts universally. His mastery was universal to all styles of karate/kempo/gung fu etc. He could perform traditional techniques/forms masterfully and this was not limited to his knowledge of Wing Chun (WC) but extended to many branches of the martial arts. For instance, his screen test where he performs a masterful White Crane form. Bruce Lee transcended his knowledge of WC and other traditional forms of martial arts. He had achieved satori, and that is what led to his creation of Jeet Kune Do. He needed to grow beyond what he had mastered and beyond the definitions established within traditional martial arts orthodoxy. Those definitions/patterns were too restricting for Bruce Lee, and so he exploded beyond those parameters of orthodoxy. He was the living embodiment of his Jeet Kune Do philosophy. He could walk the talk. He wrote a brilliant manifesto entitled, Liberate Yourself From Classical Karate. BRUCE LEE left behind a stunning visual library of his abilities on video: demonstrations at major karate tournaments, fight choreography in his role as Kato in the Green Hornet, as Lee in Ironside, Longstreet, and other TV dramatic series; but most of all in his legendary films. There on celluloid, are seen the incredible skills and mastery that were the catalyst for a world wide interest in chinese boxing and which provoked a major global martial arts paradigm. Bruce Lee was a true scholar/warrior. He epitomized the essence of true martial arts mastery. He blazed a trail that many are still trying to find. Dont concentrate on the finger or you will lose all that heavenly glory, Such is the case today with those who cannot grasp the genius that was Bruce Lee. Never-the-less that genius inspires millions to this day. It is often said that the true test of a martial arts master is not the achievement of mastery in an art form, but rather how many others can he lead down the road to mastery. In this aspect, Bruce Lee is a Master of Masters. The names of his direct disciples/students who have gone on to demonstrate brilliance in the martial art of Gung Fu are legends in their own right: Jesse Glover (Non-Classical Gung Fu), James W. DeMile (Wing Chun Do), Joe Cowles (Wu Wei Gung Fu), James Lee (JF/JKD) Ted Wong (JF/JKD), Taky Kimura (Oldest living senior disciple of Bruce Lee in JF/JKD and the Jun Fan martial arts), Bobby Baker, Dan Inosanto, Leo T. Fong, Kareem Abdul Jabbar; are just a few of the well known names of individuals who have been recognized for their mastery of the martial arts, and who have in turn produced many highly qualified masters in their direct lineage. In this aspect alone, the legacy of Bruce Lee shines the brightest, as his knowledge has been perpetuated by these talented and brilliant masters who propagate (or have done so while living) the Jun Fan martial arts in all their variations. So when all is said and done, whether as an author, in cinema, media, and in the transmission of a martial art lineage of knowledge, Bruce Lee had accomplished in a brief span of time what would require for most people, SEVERAL LIFE TIMES TO ACHIEVE. That is why he is honored, respected, revered..... and deservedly so.
Posted on: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 21:11:34 +0000
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