We all know that a month ago on Friday, August 1st 2003, the famous Fairtex Muaythai fighter Alex Gong was shot dead in the middle of a busy San Francisco street after he chased down a hit-and-run driver who had slammed into his parked car. The fateful incident took place just outside the Fairtex Gym. He was 32 (same age as Bruce Lee when he died). According to a witness account after Alex caught up with the driver, he tried to put his arm out to stop him, but the driver pushed him back and then shot him point blank. After that the crook simply backed up and drove off.

This shooting inevitably brings to mind the issue of guns and martial arts again. In the immortal words of Bruce Lee in a 1972 interview: "I mean, nowadays, I mean you don't go around on the street, kicking and punching people....(pretends to reach into his jacket for a gun) because if you do....(pulls out his imaginary gun and pulls the trigger) pow! that's it. I mean, I don't care how "good" you are."

The truth is, no matter how strong or invincible a martial artist is, he is still no match for one single bullet. One may spend an entire lifetime training to become the greatest warrior, but it could all be ended in an instant by a lowlife criminal with a lousy pistol. Surely, all things are impermanant.. Alex lost his life in a single moment of anger, bringing all that he had built to an abrupt end. What then, is the meaning of all the hard work and sweat one puts into martial arts?

The answer lies in two words: The Tao. The reader might remember what I wrote in my earlier writing "Killer Intent & Martial Science". Indeed, training to fight, conditioning the physical body, even conquering many opponents in the real world or in the Ring; all these are part and parcel of any serious martial arts practice. But that is only the superficial level of Budo. The true essence of Budo is actually to train one's mind & spirit, to develop a higher awareness of all things around us, whether they be coarse or sublimal. Through Chi meditation, stilling and focusing the mind, one can acutally sense things that ordinary human beings cannot. But what is Chi? Many people, even martial artisits still do not understand the concept of Chi. All things in the universe, whether living or inanimate, big or small, have its own eletro-magnetic field or EMF. It is the energy that runs through and substains everything visible and invisible. The ancient Taoists who first realize the existence of this universal EMF named it 气 "Chi". And Lao Zi, the founder of Taosim, called the mysterious Way which this energy worked - 道 "Tao".

The ancient Taoists also realized that the human mind is actually a very powerful transmitter and receiver of EMF waves or Chi; so much so that it is even possible to manipulate its flow and thus negate the laws of the physical world (things that modern Chi-gong masters claim to be able to do). However few people are able to fulfill their mental potential; those who do are called mystics or immortals by mundane folks who cannot understand the Tao. The 道德经 Tao Te Jing says: "The body of the Tao may be void, yet its function is inexhaustible." When one's mind is clear and in tune with the universal frequency of Chi, even only to a small degree, he is able to detect danger and know the intention of other living beings the moment they emit it in their minds; ie he is able to sense changes and disturbances in the Chi of self and others. People in the western world call this ability the sixth sense or ESP, but we just call it 虚明之境 "clarity".

And when one is highly in tune with the Tao, one can sense not only changes in people, but in entire nations and even the whole world. The 中庸 Book of the Mean says: "When one's mind is completely true, he can foretell the future. When a nation is about to prosper, there are sure to be auspicious signs. When a nation is about to fall, there are sure to be evil signs. Whether they manifest on the tortise shell (a divination tool) or on the face and limbs (of the people), be they blessings or disasters, one will surely know it beforehand. Thus the completely true is not unlike a god." The true warrior is not only a fighter & defender of peace, he is also a mystic imbued with wisdom unlike other ordinary men. That is why we should never neglect the honing of mind and spirit in our martial arts path - this is what make Budo unique and differentiates it from combative sports like Kickboxing, Grappling, MMA etc.

If Alex Gong could control his anger, if he could sense how potentially dangerous that hit-and-run driver was, this tragedy could very well be avoided. But everyone has their own 业 Karma and I suppose Alex was fated to die in this way, in his prime like Bruce Lee so everyone can remember him as a great fighter. We should also learn a hard lesson or two from the way he was killed - 1. to always let cops deal with criminals and 2. observe other people's small movements closely in any conflict situation so as to be able to react in time when somebody attempts something dangerous. This is especially important in America, where the NRA is too powerful and everyone gets to go around with firearms. After all being said, it is up to each and every martial artist to learn the most effective way of defending themselves; but ultimately, the best self-defence is to avoid danger altogether. Let me sign off with another Tao Te Jing saying: "He who is a good general does not show bravery; he who is good at fighting does not get angry; and he who is good at overcoming his enemies does not need to fight at all."

*The purpose of this article is not to propogate any religion, but undeniably, in those ancient beliefs are practices that are highly beneficial, even essential to martial arts training. Furthermore, it is impossible to discuss Chinese Martial Science without touching on Taoist concepts, for they are inseparable from each other through the milleniums. In case anyone likes to know, I'm not a Taoist, but I have done my research on Taosim and like its teachings, that's all. -Author 

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