Be Like Water

Bruce Lee, not only was one of the greatest martial artists that ever lived, but also was quite a philosopher. He thought deeply about the essence of martial art, often breaking the boundaries set by traditional teachings. During the years he shared many of his findings, here is one example:

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.

Similarly, in Karate they often talk about having a "mind like water", which means keeping a mental readiness like a pond, dwell in stillness, quietly reflecting. When you throw a pebble into the pond, the pond does not overreact, nor under-react; it takes the pebble as is, accepting it, and then softly, calmly returns to its original stillness.

Be like water, my friend.