Breaking the Chains
Page 1
Bruce Lee wanted self-knowledge to be the basis of Jeet Kune Do, and it is maintained that Bruce was influenced in this matter by the teachings of Jiddu Krisnamurti, Zen Buddhism, and Taoism. He seems to have believed these religions and teachings to be the most appropriate vehicles for achieving self-knowledge. There are, of course, various types of religion. Some religions claim generation by paranormal activity: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc. Other religions are claimed as the fruit of human intellectual effort and endeavour: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, etc. More often than not religions which claim paranormal generation want to save worshippers from sin, while the man-made religions want to free followers from ignorance. All religions argue they improve upon the natural human lot. Unfortunately the overwhelming majority of religions do not do what they claim to be able to do. Therefore, given the enormous influence Bruce Lee continues to wield in the world of martial arts, it is legitimate to ask if it was helpful or enlightened of him to recommend or promote through martial arts his preferred man-made religions over the supposed paranormally generated religion (Christianity) of his childhood. In other words, has Bruce identified genuine pathways to self-knowledge and freedom or has he influenced his followers and fans onto pathways which lead to psychological confusion? Consequently, what follows is an examination of pertinent religions and various peripheral topics.
Jiddu Krisnamurti rejected organised religion: ‘Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect.’ It could be argued that without Annie Besant, Bruce Lee would never have heard of Jiddu Krishnamurti, and it could be further argued that without Helena Hahn, Jiddu Krishnamurti would never have been declared ‘the new Messiah’. Helena Hahn (1831-1891) was born of German parents in Ukraine. When she was sixteen she married a man much older than herself but left him a few months later. Helena Hahn, or Madam Blavatsky as she has been known ever since, spent the next twenty years travelling in Europe, Asia, and the United States. 1873 saw her in New York City, where, within two years, she became one of the founders of the Theosophical Society. In 1878 Madam Blavatsky established a new Theosophical Society headquarters in India, where she soon faced charges of chicanery and plagiarism. Madam Blavatsky claimed to possess psychic powers, and maintained that she had studied for seven years under Hindu Masters. Her major works, ‘Isis Unveiled’ and ‘The Secret Doctrine’ became the textbooks of the Theosophical Society.
Annie Besant (1847-1933) joined the Theosophical Society in 1889, and served as its president from 1907 until her death. Shortly after joining the society she went to India, where, in 1909, she adopted Jiddu Krishnamurti. He was about fourteen years old at the time, having been born on 11 May 1895 at Madanapalle in south India. In 1917 Annie Besant was elected president of the Indian National Congress, and General Secretary of the National Convention of India in 1923. She often lectured on theosophy, and in 1926 travelled widely with the young Jiddu Krishnamurti. As strange as it might seem, it was Annie Besant who declared Krishnamurti to be the new Messiah. In February 1986 Jeddu Krishnamurti died.
The term theosophy is derived from the Greek theos (god) and sophos (wise). Early examples of theosophic thinking can be seen in the Upanishads, and Hindu philosophy subsequent to the composition of the Upanishads has been predominantly theosophic in tone. The Upanishads were composed in about the 8th century BC. Elements of theosophic thought can also be found in Confucianism, Taoism, Neoplatonism, and Gnosticism. However, the term has been particularly employed to describe the system of occult philosophy disseminated by Madam Helena Blavatsky. According to Madam Blavatsky God is infinite, absolute, and unknowable. Madam Blavatsky further taught that God is the source of both spirit and matter, and that spirit descends into matter and matter ascends into spirit. Souls are represented as the same in essence but different in degrees of development, with the more advanced souls being the natural guardians of the less developed. Madam Blavatsky asserts that although people have both a higher and lower nature, the higher has been polluted by the lower and must be purified through a series of incarnations before it can return to the divine.