Who is this guy?
Bruce Lee!
Wait, he’s got something to say…
What does “Be water, my friend” even mean?
First, what comes to mind when you think of Bruce Lee? The martial artist famous for his movies! Imitate his form, but his legend goes deeper than the films you see. Behind the flashy style was a polymath rooted in philosophy. Its wisdom expressed in his gung fu technique.
To understand the deeper meaning of “Be water, my friend” — it can be found in the book, “Bruce Lee: Artist Of Life” – a collection of never-before-published private letters, notes, and poems, providing insight to his deep thoughts.
It begins as a student of knowledge, from his early days of learning gung fu under renowned Master Yip Man, to his days of studying Philosophy at the University of Washington. Bruce Lee developed a keen self-awareness inspired by the flow of water. He mentions wu wei (non-action) being applied to gung fu to reach a state of mind with your opponent. This means blocking the ego of your thoughts to let the mind flow. Any form of ego can hinder your ability to remain in balance with the present. He illustrates this concept through a passage from Tao Te Ching:
Nothing is weaker than water,
But when it attacks something hard
Or resistant, then nothing withstands it,
And nothing will alter its way.
Bruce adds:
“Water is so fine that it is impossible to grasp a handful of it; strike it, yet it does not suffer hurt; stab it, and it is not wounded; sever it, yet it is not divided. It has no shape of its own but molds itself to the receptacle that contains it. When heated to the state of steam it is invisible but has enough power to split the earth itself. When frozen it crystallizes into a mighty rock. First it is turbulent like Niagara Falls, and then calm like a still pond, fearful like a torrent, and refreshing like a spring on a hot summer’s day.”
What makes this so amazing is how he uses the versatility of water in its form, to describe how we as humans have the same ability to adapt our mental form. Applying this way of thought can help us overcome any barrier that comes in life; be it things like fights, arguments, challenges, or even unexpected situations that throw your mind off kilter. Just like water, we can adjust ourselves to flow onward in our path, unharmed. In itself, gung fu is a philosophical art (based in Tao and Zen) that cultivates the mind to provide self-protection. There is no distinction between the opponent and self, because you “fit” to move harmoniously like water. “When he expands, you contract. When you contract, he expands.” But to understand from where the famous words “Be Water” came from, we are taken back to his days of learning under Master Yip Man. It was here where Bruce recalls struggling to maintain harmony within his mind while in combat with his opponent.
Of this imbalance, he writes:
When my acute self-consciousness grew to what the psychologists refer to as the “double-bind” type, my instructor would again approach me and say, “Loong, preserve yourself by following the natural bends of things and don’t interfere. Remember never to assert yourself against nature; never be in frontal opposition to any problems, but control it by swinging with it. Don’t practice this week. Go home and think about it.”
The following week I stayed home. After spending many hours meditating and practicing, I gave up and went sailing alone in a junk. On the sea I thought of all my past training and got mad at myself and punched the water! Right then—at that moment—a thought suddenly struck me; was not this water the very essence of gung fu? Hadn’t this water just now illustrated to me the principle of gung fu? I struck it but it did not suffer hurt. Again I struck it with all of my might—yet it was not wounded! I then tried to grasp a handful of it but this proved impossible. This water, the softest substance in the world, which could be contained in the smallest jar, only seemed weak. In reality, it could penetrate the hardest substance in the world. That was it! I wanted to be like the nature of water.
Suddenly a bird flew by and cast its reflection on the water. Right then as I was absorbing myself with the lesson of the water, another mystic sense of hidden meaning revealed itself to me; should not the thoughts and emotions I had when in front of an opponent pass like the reflection of the bird flying over the water? This was exactly what Professor Yip meant by being detached—not being without emotion or feeling, but being one in whom feeling was not sticky or blocked. Therefore in order to control myself I must first accept myself by going with and not against my nature.
I lay on the boat and felt that I had united with Tao; I had become one with nature. I just lay there and let the boat drift freely according to its own will. For at that moment I had achieved a state of inner feeling in which opposition had become mutually cooperative instead of mutually exclusive, in which there was no longer any conflict in my mind. The whole world to me was unitary.
This water, the softest substance in the world, which could be contained in the smallest jar, only seemed like the nature of water.
What an amazing mind! This only touches the tip of the iceberg that is deeply rooted in philosophy. If you’re looking for a deep read then Bruce Lee: Artist of Life will provide some major insight into his vast mind. In his writings he draws from many deep thinkers: Plato, Socrates, Descartes. Also, something I was unaware of… he wrote poetry. Some of which is really good!
Definitely add this book to your list!
Bruce Lee: Artist of Life (Bruce Lee Library)
