The story of the centipede

Contributors offers insight into the non-physical side of the Martial Arts, often ignored when discussing self-defense.
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Dare Lee
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2000 6:01 am

The story of the centipede

Post by Dare Lee »

The fluidity a martial artist seeks can best be descibed by the story of the centipede. The many-footed creature was asked how it managed to walk on all its feet. When it stopped to think about how it managed its daily function, it tripped and fell. And so, life should be a natural process, in which the development of the mind is not allowed to throw the natural flow of life out of balance.

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Insight is realizing that one's original nature is not created.
paul giella
Posts: 315
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 1998 6:01 am

The story of the centipede

Post by paul giella »

Bruce Lee engaged in the debate for years. He came to believe that martial artists should not practice kata at all, but should follow the natural flow of the body from the beginning of their study. He pointed to himself as someone who had given up kata in favor of the "natural way". But Bruce failed to account for the fact that he developed his own foundation through the classical kata mode. Sure, centipedes would trip over themselves if they tried to do sanchin...for a few years, anyway... then they might grasp the principles of sanchin and walk even better than before.
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