Note - The following is the second part of an article I wrote "MAKING BRUCE LEE’S NOTES WORK FOR YOU" which appeared in the August 1999 issue of Martial Arts Illustrated. Much has been written with regard to his notes and where some of them originated. I'm not concerned with that here. My goal when I wrote this article was (and still is) to help people to understand how Bruce Lee's notes might be beneficial and helpful to them in their own growth as a martial artist.
Part 2
To study Bruce Lee’s notes successfully and get the most out of them, a person also needs three important extrinsic aids. These aids are:
Experience: Experience is the only way to interpret and relate what has been read. A person who has little or no experience in martial arts and/or philosophy is going to be at a distinct disadvantage in understanding, interpreting, and evaluating Lee’s notes. I may be able to tell you what I like or don’t like about a particular painting by a master like Van Gogh, but I will not be able to interpret and evaluate the painting like a person who has and education and background in fine arts. But experience by itself is not enough. We need to research our experience. Experience that has been understood and reflected upon informs and enlightens your study.
Other Books and Writings: Books and writings that precede or advance the
subject you’re studying can be very significant. Very often books or notes can have greater meaning when they are read in relation to other writings. I have had the privilege of perusing the books in Bruce Lee’s personal library at great length on numerous occasions. But I have also established my own library that includes books on martial arts, Western fencing, physical fitness, kinesiology, philosophy, psychology, and various other categories of interest. Studying and analyzing these books has unquestionably helped to increase my understanding of Lee’s notes. Bruce Lee always approached a subject wanting to know as much as possible about it and with an open mind ready to absorb new information. If he were alive today, there’s no doubt that he would avail himself of all sources of information including books, videos, films, dvds, and the internet to gain access to the most up-to-date information on whatever subject that interested him or that he was studying. And you should follow his example and do the same thing.
Live discussion: The final extrinsic aid is live discussion, which means the interaction that occurs among individuals as they pursue a particular course of action. My close friend Cass Magda and I have spent countless hours discussing JKD, sometimes amongst ourselves, and other times with other friends or students. When we discuss and debate certain issues, techniques, or philosophical attitudes relating to JKD, many times new insights emerge that might have never occurred without this type of exchange.
As important as it is to successfully research Lee’s notes, however, it is equally important to know how to use them. The first step of this process is to read Lee’s notes without trying to fit them into established categories. The goal here is to simply grasp the content of the material, the essence of what is being presented, and to understand it. Expect to hear new things in new ways when you read the notes at different times and don’t be concerned if you don’t get some things in the first reading. It might take several readings before you fully comprehend something. All of us have had the experience of reading something over and over and then, all of a sudden, understanding what it means. This “Wow, now I get it!” experience of understanding catapults you into onto a new level of growth and freedom. You might find it useful each time you read the notes to use a differently colored pen to mark certain things that stand out to you at that time. Another idea is to keep a journal or notebook handy to jot down thoughts and impressions that occur while reading.
The next step is to investigate why Lee drew a particular essence from an art or why he chose to absorb something into his own art. It’s important here to recognize the difference between absorbing and simply adding. Bruce did not add something simply for the sake of adding it. To “absorb” something means, “to take in and incorporate; to assimilate.” To “add” means to take in and unite so as to increase the number, size, etc. Ask yourself, “What is it about this particular technique that Bruce Lee felt was useful or valid to what he was doing?” Analyze it by breaking it down into its component parts and examining it to find out its interrelationship with other material in Lee’s notes.
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