Note: The following article has been excerpted from the book The Warrior Within: The Philosophies ofBruce Lee To Better Understand the World Around You and Achieve a Rewarding Life, by John Little,NTC/Contemporary Publisher © 1996.

If Bruce Lee's philosophy of combating adversity and pragmatic self defense is to haveany enduring meaning to the great majority of us who have no real interest in preservingthe combative heritage of the Oriental culture, we need to look at the higher principleswhich form the root of his belief system. Once these have been established we can thenapply them to a broader base of problems that we'll be more likely to encounter duringthe course of our day to day existence. After all, not all of us will be asked to step outsideand get into a hand-to-hand street fight on our way home from work tonight or, for thatmatter, at the golf course this weekend. However, all of us do need to know more aboutourselves and the world around us in order to better learn how to deal with the manyadversities that life always seems to throw at us. To this end, we need to understand ourlives as they fit into the universe as a whole.

The Way of Tao

It doesn't matter if you prefer the ways of the West or the ways of the East --underpinning both of these is the way of the universe, the common denominator thatinterconnects the greater totality. To comprehend this, independent of whatever ourpersonal prejudices might happen to be for the moment, is to know universal reality or, inlaymen's terms: "The way of things." To the Chinese, this is called Tao, and to know thisreality is, ultimately, to know ourselves. Or as Bruce Lee said:

The principle of Gung fu is not a thing that can be learned, like a science, by fact-findingand instruction in facts. It has to grow spontaneously, like a flower, in a mind free fromemotions and desires. The core of this principle of Gung fu is "Tao" -- the spontaneity ofthe universe. The word "Tao" has no exact equivalent in the English language...I haveused the word "Truth" for it -- the "Truth" behind Gung fu; the "Truth" that every Gungfu practitioner should follow.

While some of you reading this might be saying, "Wait aminute, this boat's heading into uncharted waters here. This talkof universal realities and 'Tao' is foreign to me -- I'm not at allcomfortable with it. In fact, I don't comprehend what knowingthe way of the world has to do with my being able to solve myproblems!" But that's where you're wrong, dear reader. To knowyour problem -- that is, to be able to recognize a true problem(which is something you have a say in altering), is veryimportant. So important, in fact, that few people ever learn toidentify a true problem throughout the course of their lifetime.That you experience problems is a fact. That you need to isanother matter entirely.

"A fat belly cannot believe that such a thing as hunger exists."

There are many things that people consider to be their problems -- and waste a good dealof time and energy fretting about -- that they really have no hope of changing. And this isprecisely why it is necessary -- crucial, in fact -- to know the ways of the universe inwhich you function. If you find yourself beset with a problem, ask yourself: Is this anefficient use of my time? Is getting an ulcer over a fact of nature or a way of the worldthat is impervious to my personal preferences or desires, really the best way to go throughlife? Or would it be preferable to you to first learn the ways of the world, and learn whatthings are in fact actually open to your volitional control and therefore worthy of yourthoughts and concerns and which ones are not? If your personal problems can be likenedto the various leaves on the branch of a tree, then their solution would lie in yourunderstanding their "root" causes, which to Lee's way of thinking was synonomous withTao, or the universal way.

It is futile to argue as to which single leaf, which design of branches or whichattractive flower you like; when you understand the root, you understand all of itsblossoming.

The problem with drawing conclusions in advance and refusing to even look at evidence,or points of view that are completely opposite to what you've been conditioned to believe,is that you become close-minded and so, are no longer able to accurately identify anddiscern which objects of thought are worthy of your time and concern from those whichare not. Assuming that you have all the answers already is laying the foundation todogma -- a position of closed mindedness that will stifle and eventually choke out anypossibility of true learning, particularly as it pertains to your understanding of theuniverse in which you live and how such understanding will benefit you in the long run.Bruce Lee pointed out the fallacy of such closed-mindedness with one of his favoritemaxims regarding the Zen master who received a university professor who came toinquire about Zen:

It was obvious to the master from the start of the conversation that the professorwas not so much interested in learning about Zen as he was in impressing themaster with his own opinions and knowledge. As the Zen teacher explained, thelearned man would frequently interrupt him with remarks like, "Oh, yes, we havethat too..." and so on.

Finally, the Zen teacher stopped talking and began to serve tea to the learnedman. He poured the cup full, then kept pouring until the cup overflowed.

"Enough!" the learned man once more interrupted. "The cup is overfull, no morewill go in!"

"Indeed, I see," answered the Zen teacher. "Like this cup, you are full of your ownopinions and speculations. If you do not first empty your cup, how can you tastemy cup of tea?"

The need for an "empty cup" or an open mind, shall serve as our metaphysical startingpoint. Let us assume for the moment that we in the West do not have all the answers. Letus begin with a blank slate, with no preconceived ideas, biases, opinions or prejudicesthat will pre-influence our perspective or impede our attempt at acquiring a newperspective on the ways of the world.