Bruce Lee's meditation practice

[Kristoffer]

Uhm guys.. He aint meditating, he's DEAD.

I'm sorry

[HuangKaiVun]

RepulsiveMonkey, your comment is typical of a novice who has never experienced REAL kung fu.

That "erroneous" information comes from Shi Yan Ming, who is a real Shaolin monk. He made that statement in his Kung Fu Magazine interview, though I don't have the words. His statement was that ALL movement can be used for meditative purposes. Dispute him and me if you wish.

Similarly, the Taoists have used the Single and Double Palm changes as moving meditation for centuries before Dong Hai Quan expanded them into the art of Baguazhang. So kung fu for meditative purposes is simply all too real, despite what you think.

Bruce Lee was very into Ch'an Buddhism. In fact, he even tried to sell Hollywood on it. His "Kung Fu" series features a Shaolin monk - and you have just learned above what role kung fu plays in Shaolin training. Also, his "Silent Flute" movie was an entire screenplay of the Buddhist concept - only that it eventually became acted out by David Carradine and was renamed "Circle of Iron".

In short, RepulsiveMonkey, you don't know anything about Bruce Lee or kung fu's meditative potential. You're the one who's utterly wrong.

[Repulsive Monkey]

your little diatribe has just highlighted you out as being a very fragile and sensitive person.
Lets not mix our words now! You said I quote " he's doing MOVING MEDITATION of the highest order." This you said is what Kung-fu is, ok? these are your words mind you! All I said was that compared to meditation that Lama's perform, it was NOT the highest form of meditation. OK those were my words. From this you have now magically deduced that
a) I have no experience of Kung-fu of any kind;
b) I have never heard or read anything about Bruce Lee;
c) I do not know anything about meditation;
d) that you somehow have all encompassing nsights into all my extensive years of experience in both fields of Internal Martial arts, external martial arts and meditation practice.

You most certainly are a cleverer amn than me, probably even cleverer than any Tibetan Lama for that matter too.!

Kung-fu as you put it is not the height of meditation, meditation is the height of meditation. Kung-fu has meditational aspects to it but doing Kung-fu alone will not bring you to enlightenment. If that is what the Shoalin monk is saying then it is he who is the novice, and you the dullard for believing him.

I practice Internal martial arts and have been for many years I know only too well the mental/spiritual benefits I get from it, but actually undiluted meditation alone from it is also required.

If Bruce Lee wanted enlightenment he would of given up fighting to try and acheive it. He didn't he wanted to expand as a fighter of the system he created. This is a simple known fact why can't you understand the legacy that he left behind and comprehend this fact?

[Repulsive Monkey]

why do people put Bruce Lee on such a high pedestal?? It's not like he was the best martial artist of our time or anything. He was good but he was known for his Fame in America whilst there were others who lived in almost ignomany who were superior to him.

[HuangKaiVun]

The reason many of us Chinese guys put Bruce Lee on a pedestal is because his presence and movies made it societally possible on a worldwide scale for a person of my color to be respected by a person of yours, Repulsive Monkey.

You are not American nor Chinese, so you do not and probably never will understand the implications of this.

As I said, your level of kung fu ignorance is readily apparent . The fact that you practice an internal style and think that Lama meditation is "higher" than kung fu moving meditation makes that obvious. I'll place more faith in the Shaolin monks' words and practice than yours anyday.

Moreover, you are one of those guys who separates internal and external. Clearly, the fact that you do so indicates that you understand NEITHER what "internal" or "external" are all about.

Nor do you understand what enlightenment is. You would not understand that enlightenment isn't simply "achieved" by meditative or kung fu means. You would not understand that the state of enlightenment is the acceptance of one's position in the world and living of one's life - something that Bruce Lee MASTERED. That's because you're too constrained by your prejudices and hierarchical rating scales.

In short, your closemindedness and arrogance indicate your level of skill most clearly. But hey, it's you who's got to live with it. And that's the worst punishment of all.

[Brad]

[curtis]

Repulsive Monkey
Let me start off by saying, that I never met the man (Bruce Lee) although I am a student of James DeMile, (one of Bruce Lee's original students.) And I can say only what I have been told as well as what I have seen. No one that I never seen in the M/A's has a skill even close to James DeMile's abilities (except perhaps Jesse Glover.)
Anyhow both Jesse and James DeMile have stayed that they could not hold candle to Bruce Lee abilities.
That leads me to believe that Bruce Lee Was all the people make him up to be, (the best martial artist of at least our lifetime.)
okay if that is not enough proof, try this.
Watch any of Bruce Lee's movies (the action scenes.) Now watch the same scenes in slow motion. (This can be done on most VCRs if you put your recorder and pause and then frame advance.) You can clearly see for yourself the grace and speed the man had. He even in slow motion moves gracefully, or one else looks as if they are in slow motion.
At least for me that proves something.

Now as far as meditation go's. I was taught that there are two different types of meditation. The first and the most common, is direct meditation (this type of meditation is generally what everyone does, that is when they think of meditation.)
In the other indirect meditation, (some call this positive suggestion, although I see it as a way to achieve a goal.) In this type of meditation you focus your energies (not some cosmic force) towards achieving your goals, by modifying or directing your subconscious mind you can achieve your goals much easier than the traditional methods. (An example would be changing personal bad habits.)
I hope this helps.
This is an interest topic.
Sincerely C.A.G.

[Repulsive Monkey]

I always find it most disspointing to respond to messages like yours. I thought at first we might have a seasoned debate but now you have proved me that it it is near impossible to do thid with your cooments you made. I find it most astonishing that that you have garnered so much personal information about me through esoteric means , for I did not give you any such info yet you are more than keen to tell me all sorts of stuff about me, and my understanding.
To say that the equivalence of a Tibetan Buddhists mediattion to that of a Kung-fu stylists is inferior shows quite obviously your lack of worldly experience in both fields. And to indicate that Bruce Lee reached spiritual enlightenment through doing Kung-fu is just plain humourus espcially as he himself in several interviews when broached upon the subject claims that he wasn't. So it would seem that your arguments do nothing but weaken your defence, and unfortunately it is done in a manner so devoid of credibility and foundation that I dare say it seems plain embarassing.
I have no idea of waht your acheviements are yet you claim to have primary understanding of what mine are. This again highlights a very ego based inferiority on which I sorry to say there is nothing that I can do to help you with.
I did enjoy your slamming comment about being constrained and my hierachcial scales when clearly there are no belts or such in internal arts and I'm not the one constraining myself by blindly ignoring someone's comments (i.e. mine) with a sense of objectivism with that of a solitary shaolin monk, now how closed minded is that!!!??
I think you have some difficulties with the concept of enlightenment as you seem to think you know what it means, surely this must mean that you yourself are enlightened too?? If this case I would dearly like to become your disciple!

Take care HuangKaiVun and may I suggest that you loosen your belt a bit and not overeact in such an over the top and imbalanced way? This is merely a debate not an argument, surely can tell the difference between the 2?

P.S. when you claim that I could not tell the difference bertween external I found particularly funny as I have many of experience in both. I have even more experience in meditation too but then I fear this too will fall on deaf ears, maybe?

[Repulsive Monkey]

thanks for your reply, I do rather feel that there is more than just 2 kinds of meditation though. Though I am not of a high level I myself practice daily at least 4 kinds.
About Bruce Lee, I do not doubt his skills that he presented to the world both on film and in classes, but it is true to say that there were more skilled martial artists around than Bruce Lee. This is not meant as an insult c'os if Bruce was the open minded thinker that I like to think he was Im sure he wouldn't of been egotistical enough to think he was number one, would he?

By the way if he did something elegant then it will reamin elegant fats or slow. However I take your point Curtis.

[Kristoffer]

I'm still laughing at my own joke

[chen zhen]

I'm not

[chen zhen]

No offence!