Essence of JKD

[Kong Jianshen]

To all the JKDers out there I ask you this. How many of you are capturing the very essence of JKD?

1. Research your own experience
2. Absorb what is useful
3. Reject what is useless
4. Add what is specifically your own

I think if people applied this instead of saying it all the time, a great martial artist would transpire! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Always seeking to learn,
Kong Jianshen
Humble disciple of the ancient Boxing Arts

Hi there

Yep - that would be me :-)

I research based on my own experience

I absorb what is usefull to me - but only after spending enough YEARS to make an educated decision as to it's usefullness.

I reject what is useless to ME. But that may be because I am not able to use it rather than in being bad.

I add my own creation - by the very nature of JKD this is a product of the above.

I'm still waiting for the great martial artist to appear :-)

YODA
Humble desciple of the modern boxing arts.

"No - try not.
Do - or do not.
There is no try."

[Kong Jianshen]

Blah Yoda u prob kick butt [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] If I met anyone on here who might kno what hes doing; you sound like one of em.

It does take years to truly find out what is useful or useless.

Im sure that great martial artist has already appeared [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

BTW: The Yoda quote kicks ass. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Always seeking to learn,
Kong Jianshen
Humble disciple of the ancient Boxing Arts

[HuangKaiVun]

Neither of you guys need "wait" for that "great martial artist" to appear.

Both of you, in your own way, fulfill that potential. Just look at your posts.

That is the JKD (or kung fu) way.

[Kong Jianshen]

Thank you! Very nice of you to say that Huang [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Always seeking to learn,
Kong Jianshen
Humble disciple of the ancient Boxing Arts

[HuangKaiVun]

You're very welcome.

[Sean Madigan]

Wow,

is that the "essence of JKD"????

www.bigkd.com

[HuangKaiVun]

Sean, what is "that"?

[Sean Madigan]

Hi,

Well, I can not say what the 'essence' of JKD is, as I only have an opinion (just like anybody else) and my opinion could be wrong. I will say this though; when Bruce Lee died he left 6000 pages of notes. Yup, 6000! And you know what? No where in those 6000 pages does it mention....
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
"1. Research your own experience
2. Absorb what is useful
3. Reject what is useless
4. Add what is specifically your own[/quote]

Anyway, I feel that if that saying truly was the "essence" of Bruce Lee' art, then I am sure that he would have writen it down SOMEWHERE within those 6000 pages, and the simple truth is that he never did. Nope, it is not written anywhere, well, not by Bruce Lee at least.

Read his notes, look at what he was really doing and talking about, and form your own opinion. The answers are there, but you must shatter the paridigm of JKD before you will see it.

Do not look at any of the 'groups' for the answer (nope, not even mine), instead, look at his notes, and find the answers in your mind.

Do I have an opinion as to what the "essence" of JKD is...Sure. Will I post it here, no. Why? Because there will be some that will discount it, or beleive it, just because it is written here on the net.

Have a good holiday folks.

BIG Sean Madigan

www.bigkd.com

[HuangKaiVun]

The actual words are less important than the INTENT - in ALL teachings.

In my opinion, there are as many "essences of JKD (or kung fu)" as there are practitioners.

Whether my personal interpretation of Lee's teachings matches up with yours does not make either of us more in the wrong - or right.

Like the guys above, Sean Madigan, you yourself are a fine example of Lee's teaching. I've seen you do it on other posts.

[rogue]

Bravo Sean!!! You're one of the few JKD people, along with Yoda, that sounds like you practice what you preach. I've trained at three differenct JKD schools and two of them were always using those Lee quotes. But it always broke down to use what we find useful, discard everything but what we tell you and add what's specifically your own from our approved list.
I think Dan Inosanto is a great person to look at for MA inspiration. He adds to his tools by really studying and mastering a new art, unlike those that sample an art and pick a few techniques from it.

[reemul]

How do you JKD'ers know what is useful or useless?

[Kong Jianshen]

Whether bruce said this:

1. Research your own experience
2. Absorb what is useful
3. Reject what is useless
4. Add what is specifically your own

OR not. Now, its been made to sound like I read those 4 sentences on a bathroom stall door. Bruce probally didn't say it and thats fine. My question is, then WHO did? I seem to hear this everytime someone mentions Bruce Lee so where did it come from? I don't have access to his 6000 page notes; so i'm sorry for slipping there! Maybe I should have rephrased it and made it the essence of crosstraining? Who knows! Whether Bruce wrote it or not I still like it and belive it just might hold some truth.

As for the TRUE essence of JKD: I don't know, and to be frank, I don't care. It SHOULD be different for everyone. I quit my JKD class about 2 months ago. I was only doing it because I felt it might be similiar to Wing Chun and I was toying with the idea of picking up another class.

Bruce did alot for the martial arts, but lets just say its been blown up a TAD out of preportion. Now all the "Bruce Lee created martial arts" fanatic people are going to say the reason I even study Wing Chun is probally because Bruce studied it? Nope! Unlike 70% of the W/C guys out there, I came to the art because of the art itself, its principles, concepts; and not because the great Bruce Lee did it. If I wanted to do Bruce's art(whether you think its an art or concept) I would have seeked out JKD and stayed in it.

I hate martial art politics. They are dirty, stupid things that stop people from learning. I dislike JKD because so many people "Claim" this and that about it when its founder has been dead for almost 30 years. Let me ask you this: WHO knows what JKD was supposed to be better then Bruce Lee? Putting aside which of his students was his "better buddy", and got the "REAL JKD" passed on. Its funny, they all claim "my way is the right way". Another reason I left the class: I felt like I was imitating Bruce. To millions of people out there Bruce might be the best; but I imitate NO man.

Other arts, are other people's problems. But now I see similiar politics attacking MY art. I hope to find a teacher from a non-Yip Man lineage to further distance myself from all the crap. The Boztepe/Cheung incident was disgusting and I blame it on LT and his henchmen. I think Leung Ting has shown everything that a grandmaster SHOULDN't be.

Those are my views. Like them, hate them, makes no difference to me.

Always seeking to learn,
Kong Jianshen
Humble disciple of the ancient Boxing Arts

[RAYNYSC]

In all reality one part of the essence of JKD is supposed to be about finding the cause of your own ignorance. By the way Sean did it ever cross your mind that Guro Dan read his(Bruce Lee's)notes and looked at what he was really doing & talking about. Hell he was with the man during the midst of his evoultion. Not to mention he had the most one on one training with Bruce during this time.

So as far as where did " Reasearch Your Own Experience Absorb What Is Useful,Reject What Is Useless & Add Specifically Your Own" come from? It came from Guro Dan Inosanto, He wrote a book back in "82" under the title of " Absorb What Is Useful". You know that so why not let those who want to know where it came from know?...
Instead of saying it wasn't written by Bruce Lee at least...
If I didn't know any better it's almost as if you would have me believe that Guro Dan doesn't know what he's talking about,since you can't find Absorb what is useful,Reject what is useless in anyone of Bruce Lee's notes... Right;)

Well any way HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!

PEACE

RAYNYSC

[Kong Jianshen]

3 words

Thank you Ray.

Always seeking to learn,
Kong Jianshen
Humble disciple of the ancient Boxing Arts