#52 Hack Away the Unessentials

What does it mean to “hack away the unessentials”? “It is not daily increase but daily decrease, hack away the unessential. The closer to the source, the less wastage there is.” Bruce Lee applied this primarily to his martial art, but also in life, heading towards simplicity of movement, thought, and being. “Avoid the superficial, penetrate the complex, go to the heart of the problem, and pinpoint the key factors.” “Do not beat around the bush. Do not take winding detours. Follow a straight line to the objective; simplicity is the shortest distance between two points.” This doesn’t mean take the shortest route, but ask in real life what is unnecessary. “Scratch away all the dirt your being has accumulated and reveal reality in its nakedness.” We accumulate this dirt as protection and security, and it’s not easily shed. There are so many distractions clothed as things to make your life easier, but they distract and clutter instead. “It is not difficult to trim and hack off the nonessentials in outward, physical structure. However, to minimize inwardly, is another matter.” Practice minimizing inwardly by clearing your physical space and then taking that practice inward and clearing your mind of negative thoughts. “To obtain enlightenment means the extinction of everything which obscures the “real life.” At the same time it implies boundless expansion.” “The spirit is by nature, formless, and no “objects” are to be harbored in it. When anything is harbored there, psychic energy loses its balance, its native activity becomes cramped, and it no longer flows with the stream. Where the energy is tipped, there is too much of it in one direction and a shortage of it in another direction. But when the spirit harbors nothing in it, nor is it tipped in one direction, it transcends.” Take Action: Examine your life and ask, “Am I living the life I want to live? Where are areas where could I have more joy?” What can you let go of? How can you be more direct? How can you un-clutter your environment? #BruceLeePodcastChallenge The challenge ended Monday, and we are now accepting your entries until Friday evening, June 30th, 2017. Enter here: brucelee.com/podcastchallenge #AAHA Sumi Jo is a Grammy Award-winning South Korean lyric coloratura soprano. In 1983, Jo decided to leave SNU in order to study music in Italy at the Academia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. In August 1986, she was unanimously awarded first prize in the Carlo Alberto Cappelli International Competition in Verona, one of the most important contests, open only to first-prize winners of other major competitions. In 1986, Jo made her European operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste. Simple Song Number 3, written by David Lang, performed by Jo, and featured in Paolo Sorrentino’s 2015 film Youth, was nominated for an Academy Award in 2016 in the Best Song category. Jo was invited to the ceremony and attended, but she was not invited to perform the song. Jo and Lang voiced their disappointment with the producers’ decision to exclude the song, indirectly referencing the controversy relate to that year’s Academy Awards lack of racial diversity. Thank you for sharing your talent Sumi Jo, we think you’re awesome! #BruceLeeMoment From listener Francisco: “My Bruce Lee moment was when I got tattooed "Be like water" in my arm. It was a time when I was going through a lot of things in my job, my relationships and my vision of the world that is very vicious and dangerous…This quote helped me to be flexible, adapt and not react but understand other’s people intentions and where they come from and build confidence and mindfulness in my relationships with the world that I used to see as harsh, but now I see it as an adventure and daily challenge that makes me better.” Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at hello@brucelee.com Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast