Harmony vs Rebellion

Maria Popova recovers the philosophical writings of Bruce Lee, which are seemingly counterintuitive to modern Western culture.
One should be in harmony with, and not rebellion against, the strength of the opponent. - Bruce
Lee

[ Rest and Resilience ]

Only in repose, Lee points out, can the mind begin to investigate the nature of things, empty itself
of interferences, and learn not to let external triggers induce internal states of fear, anger, sorrow,
and anxiety. He writes of this contemplative space:
A gung fu man rests therein, and because he rests, he is at peace. Because he is at peace, he is
quiet. One who is at peace and is quiet, no sorrow or harm can enter; therefore his inner power
remains whole and his spirit intact.
[ Emptiness and Action ]
Under the captions NO MIND and NO THOUGHT, Lee adds: Discard all thoughts of reward, all
hopes of praise and fears of blame, all awareness of ones bodily self. And, finally, [close] the
avenues of sense perception and let the spirit out, as it will. The highest skill operates on an
unconscious level.
Sincere thought means thought of concentration (quiet awareness). The thought of a distracted
mind cannot be sincere. Mans mind and his behavior are one, his inner thought and outer
expression cannot contradict each other. Therefore a man should set up his right principle and
this right mind (principle) will influence his action.
[ Yielding and Harmony ]
Under the heading Yielding, he writes: Yielding will overcome anything superior to itself; its
strength is boundless.
The yielding will has a reposeful ease, soft as downy feathers a quietude, a shrinking from
action, an appearance of inability to do (the heart is humble, but the work is forceful). Placidly free
from anxiety one acts in harmony with the opponents strength. One does not move ahead but
responds to the fitting influence.
[ Yielding and Resilience ]
In a sentiment he would later hone into his famous metaphor for resilience, Lee adds:
Nothing in the world is more yielding and softer than water; yet it penetrates the hardest.
Insubstantial, it enters where no room is. It is so fine that it is impossible to grasp a handful of it;
strike it, yet it does not suffer hurt; stab it, and it is not wounded.
[ Harmony vs Rebellion ]
Under the heading Law of Non-Interfering, Lee elaborates on this philosophy of yielding as an
act of strength:
One should be in harmony with, and not rebellion against, the strength of the opponent. .. The

strongest is he that makes use of his opponents strength be the bamboo tree which bends
toward the wind; and when the wind ceases, it springs back stronger than before.
[ Strength as Suppleness ]
Writing to his editor at Black Belt magazine on September 2 of that year, Lee elaborates on the
notion of strength and suppleness as complementary rather than contradictory forces, using a
picture of ying yang. ( see link )
[ Holism ]
Just as an object needs a subject, the person in attack is not taking an independent position but
is acting as an assistant. After all, you need your opponent to complete the other half of a whole.
[ Interplay of Movement ]
The gentleness/firmness is one inseparable force of one unceasing interplay of movement. If a
person riding a bicycle wishes to go somewhere, he cannot pump on both of the pedals at the
same time or not pump on them at all. In order to move forward he has to pump on one pedal and
release the other. So the movement of going forward requires this oneness of pumping and
releasing, and vice versa, each being the cause of the other.

Bruce Lee on the Power of Repose and the Strength of Yielding