Bruce Lee's Three Stages of Cultivation

[bushido_man96]

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community.

The thought process of this article sprang from reading Teri Tom's "Jeet Kune Do Source" column in the May, 2009 issue of Black Belt Magazine, titled "The Stage of Art." Whereas Tom's article focuses on one of the Three Stages of Cultivation that are listed in Bruce Lee's "The Tao of Gung Fu," I am attempting to expand my understanding of all three stages, along with a few of Bruce Lee's quotes that seem to fit in with these stages.

Bruce Lee discusses the Three Stages of Cultivation in "The Tao of Gung Fu" on page 25. Prior to this, on page 22, he discusses the Three Stages of Development in the art of Gung Fu, which seems to echo the Three Stages of Cultivation. The discussion of these stages of cultivation leads to Lee's summation of this developmental process with this quote:

Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick. Now that I've understood the art, a punch is just like a punch, a kick just like a kick.

The Three Stages of Cultivation Lee mentions are:

1. The Primitive Stage

2. The Stage of Art

3. The Stage of Artlessness

1. The Primitive Stage

Teri Tom states that in the first stage, one knows nothing of a particular art (for the sake of this article, the art of combat). One will attack and defend instinctively. To me, this melds with the first part of Lee's quote: "Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick." It appears to be just kicking and punching, in a sense.

Perhaps I am oversimplifying a bit, but if you have ever seen an untrained victim defend themselves, or seen an injury report of such incidents, it clarifies things a bit. One doesn't know enough of how to put things together to make them work coherently and efficiently. One will just react in an instinctive manner.

This corresponds to what Lee refers to as the first of the Three Stages of Development of Gung Fu. He describes it as a natural, primitive, no-holds-barred type of fighting (pg. 22). It was not scientific, he claims, but natural and free, without inhibition. "Primitive," perhaps?

2. The Stage of Art

In the second stage, The Stage of Art, one is learning all the system has to offer. The techniques are new, Tom explains, and in this phase one does not yet have the mastery of them to allow for the true flow and expression. Lee points out that although a scientific knowledge is gained, the original "self" and sense of freedom are lost.

Here, it appears that "After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick." Perhaps at this stage, we are so caught up in learning and working with the techniques, that they seem to become more to us than they are. We may tend to over-think things when using our techniques, which Lee wrote causes our minds to "stop at various movements for intellectual analysis and calculations," (pp. 25). Teri Tom calls this a dangerous stage in which "the proverbial brain fart can cost you valuable time in a real fight," (pp. 34).

Referring back to Lee's Three Stages of Development of Gung Fu, he describes its second stage as "finite and not as free and natural," (pp. 22). The primitive techniques were "intellectually" improved upon, but in becoming too scientific and philosophical, Lee claimed that the hidden recesses of the mind could not be reached. Many techniques contained "fancy motions" and "unnecessary steps;" it became a "complicated mess."

I interpret these circumstances in a few ways. The first is as the frustrated student who tries to make things happen instead of flowing with what happens, like in sparring. Secondly, it makes me think of the "talking fights" of some anime; "I'll obliterate your Iron-Toe-Boot-To-The-Head technique with my Inverted-Knuckle-Duster-From-Hell technique!" I don't know why, but this kind of scenario comes to mind. It's the choosing of a technique, rather than letting "it" hit.

3. The Stage of Artlessness

The last of the Three Stages of Cultivation is the one that is strived for: The Stage of Artlessness (not alertness…). This is the stage in which one has trained during The Stage of Art to the extent that one no longer has to think, according to Teri Tom. She quotes that this is the stage in which "it hits all by itself!" (pp. 34).

Lee says that now techniques are performed on an almost unconscious level without interference from the mind (pp. 25). Now things have come full circle, and "Now that I've understood the art, a punch is just like a punch, a kick just like a kick."

Likewise, in the Third Stage of Development of Gung Fu, a "simplified" way of self-defense had emerged after "endless exhaustive experiments and profound thought on the original highly complicated method of combat" (pp. 22). Lee states that the techniques were stripped of wasted, unnecessary motions, down to their essential purpose, to a stage of simplicity.

It was interesting for me to read about what I think are parallel developments that Lee describes, in how he claims Gung Fu developed through what I interpret as the Three Stages of Cultivation that an individual practitioner would progress through in his/her own martial arts journey.

Doing this research has also helped me to see where Lee's "a punch is just like a punch" quote comes from and it gives me a more accurate interpretation of what it means. I hope that my musing here has created some sense of meaning in working toward "Artlessness."

References

Lee, Bruce, Ed. John Little "The Tao of Gung Fu: A Study in the Way of Chinese Martial Art" pp. 22, 25

Tom, Teri, "The Stage of Art," Black Belt Magazine, V. 47, n. 5, pp. 34, 36

[Patrick]

Thank you for the submission, Brian.

Patrick

[Jeffrey]

That was well done Brian. I really enjoyed it. Made me think about things and I always like that.

Thanks.

[sensei8]

Very nice article...I enjoyed it a lot! I've viewed Bruce's saying that you quoted in a different way, but that's the beauty of the journey.

Still, a solid article across the board!!

[KarateGeorge]

Great article! I quite enjoyed it.

[sojobo]

Interesting read.

The Japanese have a similar “3 levels” when it comes to teaching. It is called Shu-ha-ri.

Shu = to embrace the kata (art)

ha = to diverge from the kata (art)

ri = to discard the kata (art)

Certainly what lee seems to be describing in the last two stages are similar to that of “shu” and “ri”.

Here is a fantastic essay on the subject by Takamura Yukio head master of the Takamura-ha branch of Shindo Yoshin-ryu.

http://www.shinyokai.com/Essays_TeachingShuHaRi.htm

It’s a bit wordy, but well worth a read as I would suggest it offers a little more depth on the subject.

Sojobo

[bushido_man96]

Thanks for the compliments, guys. I really enjoyed delving into it and writing the article. It made me really think, too.

Yes, sojobo, I do see the parallels there.

[tallgeese]

Great read!

I think, again, it shows Lee as a man ahead of his time. When you look at combatives these days, you see all sorts of emphasis placed on refining instinctual behavior to deal with threats (ala Blauer and others). This is really what Lee is referencing here to a certain level.

It's his movements away from over complicating that have set the stage for alot of what we see today. Including to a degree, the ongoing development of MMA as a singular style.

I think the cycle he implies is that everyone goes thru the middle art stage. I guess what we're seeing now is a movement to minimize that overcomplication process. The biggest debate really does not seem to be, from a combative standpoint, if it's best to do this but rather the best way to do it.

Great disection, bushidoman.

[sojobo]

Great read!

I think, again, it shows Lee as a man ahead of his time. When you look at combatives these days, you see all sorts of emphasis placed on refining instinctual behavior to deal with threats (ala Blauer and others). This is really what Lee is referencing here to a certain level.

With the greatest of respect I don't think it does.

These stages of development have been around for centuries in traditional martial arts.

Not decrying what Bruce Lee did,his ma or indeed his technichal standing, but let's remember, he was but a student like the rest of us - and there were and still are people far more qualified to transmit these things.

Sojobo

[tallgeese]

Granted. The concepts, in general, have been around a while.

However, how many people were talking about this kind of thing in the 70's. JKD was a mindset movement that has continued to influence arts to this day.

Even now, I hear alot of ma-ist talk about mindset and combat efficicency. However, I see very little of it. Lee was the highest profile advocate of this highly important aspect of fighting. His classifications that bushidoman reviews above speaks to this.