Master’s Master Stroke

• By vishwa on Inspiration, Training

• May 26, 2015

Wow!  I found a gem from the master—Bruce Lee.  Bruce Lee, an icon, speaks words of wisdom here.   On a similar note, I am actually at loss of words here to express my gratitude to the master.  I have read a few pages of his book Tao of Jeet Kune Do.  But I was lost when I read it, for it is beyond my reasoning.  However, I have gathered knowledge about his life and death from my mentor, Todd Reinhard.  I also have read most of his quotations and have shared many in my writing.  As you know many of his quotes are nuggets of gold.

Nonetheless, his statement here on practice is a master piece.  I believe it is undeniably the best quote among all.  Moreover, to a student, from any discipline, this quote hits the nail on the head.   Take for example, a student or an athlete who wants to be the best in his field, the one and only thing required of him is practice.  I know it is a cliché when they say “the more your practice the better you become.”  Nevertheless, this statement has stood the test of time.

On a similar note, I am learning Tai Chi from a Sensei called Subramanyam to help deal with my unstable gait.  He is a very learned man who has travelled extensively all over the world.  In one of his training sessions he suggested to me that if you want to learn any discipline you got to be on a war footing.  Well, the words did make sense, but it makes more sense when I stumbled upon this quote by Bruce Lee.  I believe Bruce Lee is referring here to a disciple that the groundwork needed to learn any discipline is practice.  Period.

Allow me to end by quoting the wise words of Bruce Lee—one of his best quotes.  He says,” Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

Enjoy reading the master stroke: