Philosophy of Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do meant much more to Bruce Lee than simply an efficient reality-based fighting art. Lee's philosophy toward martial arts and life, in general, was a fusion of Eastern and Western culture. While he studied philosophy at the University of Washington, Lee was exposed to a wide spectrum of philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Descartes, as well as to Daoism, Zen, and Krishnamurti. He also delved into the self-help books of the late 1960s and utilized self-affirmations. As a result, Lee's philosophy stressed the individual growth of a martial artist.

The symbol Lee used to represent his art was the yin-yang symbol, surrounded by two arrows, along with two phrases: "Using No Way as Way" and "Having No Limitation as Limitation." The yin-yang symbol surrounded by the two directional arrows represents the continuous dynamic interaction between opposites in the universe. When one is using no particular way (style or method), true adaptability can take place. One is to approach combat without any preconceived notions and respond to "what is," being like water. When one has no limitation one can transcend martial arts boundaries set by style or tradition. The JKD practitioner is given the freedom to research any source to reach full potential.

Bruce Lee said that Jeet Kune Do was the first Chinese nontraditional martial art. While he had respect for the traditional martial arts and past fighters, Lee challenged the status quo, believing that students often lose their own sense of self when rigidly adhering to tradition because that is the way it was done for hundreds of years. He writes, "If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow-you are not understanding yourself" (Lee 1975, 17). Furthermore, Lee felt that styles tend to restrict one to perform a certain way and therefore limit one's potential. While a style is a concluded, established, solidified entity, man is in a living, evolving, learning process. Lee said that "man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system" (Lee 1986, 64).

Lee put a miniature tombstone at the entrance of his school in Los Angeles Chinatown, inscribed with the message: "In memory of a once fluid man, crammed and distorted by the classical mess." This stone symbolized that the stifling traditions and formalities of the past, which have little or no relevance today, are contributing to the "death" of independent inquiry and the complete maturation of a martial artist. Lee argued, "How can one respond to the totality with partial, fragmentary pattern" (Lee 1975, 17).

Furthermore, Lee believed that one develops a totality of combat not by an accumulation of technique, but by simplification. True mastery is not daily increase, but daily decrease. Hacking away the nonessentials was the order of the day, so that students would respond naturally according to their own personal inclinations, without any artificial restrictions imposed on them. Lee felt that martial artists could function freely and totally if they were "beyond system" (Little 1997c, 329). By transcending styles and systems, they could approach combat objectively, without any biases, and respond fluidly to the particular situation at hand. "Unlike a 'classical' martial art, there is no series of rules or classifications of technique that constitute a distinct jeet kune do method of fighting. JKD is not a form of special conditioning with its own rigid philosophy. It looks at combat not from a single angle, but from all possible angles. While JKD utilizes all ways and means to serve its end, it is bound by none and is therefore free. In other words, JKD possesses everything but is in itself possessed by nothing" (Lee 1986, 66).

According to Lee, a true martial artist does not adapt to his opponent by adopting his opponent's style or techniques, but rather he adapts his own personal arsenal to "fit in" with his opponent to defeat him. He told his students to be like water, formless and shapeless, continually adapting to the opponent. Lee wrote, "Jeet Kune Do favors formlessness so that it can assume all forms and since Jeet Kune Do has no style, it can fit in with all styles" (Lee 1975, 12).

The main objective of martial arts, Lee discovered, is not necessarily learning how to fight better, but understanding yourself better so that you can express yourself. He argued, "To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself" (Little 1999, 11). Lee wanted one to be self-sufficient, searching deep within one's self to find what works best for one. No longer need one be dependent on the teachings of various styles or teachers. By taking an honest assessment of one's strengths and weaknesses, one can improve one's skill as well as one's daily living. With this freedom to improve oneself in any way that one likes, one is able to honestly express one's self.