BRUCE LEE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Over the years, I have tried, unsuccessfully, to find out if the late BRUCE LEE ever visited the Philippines. I will report more on this later but I wanted to get this started while it is fresh in my mind. Intriguing stories of such a visit exist as does a lot of gossip concerning his meetings with various martial artists who,more or less. claim they showed him the weaknesses in his system,by giving him ' a lesson or two'! More on this later.

BRUCE LEE IN INDIA

Nearly all the articles and books I have read on or about the late BRUCE LEE mention in passing his trip to INDIA which was sometimes described as twofold. ONE, to scout locations for his ambitious,creative film project,THE SILENT FLUTE and TWO,to find out about the origins of Martial Arts and their present-day existence in India. THE TRIP ENDED IN DISMAL FAILURE. The trip ended obviously in failure for many reasons. Had BL asked me personally before he went(he didn't,of course, and we never met,though it might have been had things been closer at times)I could have told him it would be a failure, a disappointment,etc. FIRST, BL was too impatient,too direct, too ambitious,etc./ as he was spit basically between EAST & WEST. He also chose the wrong companions for such a venture and whatever his exact itinerary, it was not able to lead him to things he needed to see and know. 2NDLY,staying in INDIA where ENGLISH is widely spoken and read and used, although with its particular and peculiar HINDU/INDIAN accents, now more familiar in the WEST thanks to BOLLYWOOD and certain comedians, one really needs to know the history, geography,culture, religions, and to hear the various languages and dialects-to accustom the ears,eyes,mind and body-to what is a VAST SUBCONTINENT.

CHINDONESIA

If you have read the topic on MAPHILINDO, then you will not be surprised at the term CHINDONESIA ! This term focuses on the trend for China, India and Indonesia to become more closely aligned through trade,commerce, cultural exchanges, and various political-economic ties being formulated.
Most people in the West have little clear notions of Indonesia beyond the 'hotel-bombings' and Obama's visits to Bali,etc. But those who have been going there for a long time know that Indonesia is a growing country in that region and when aligned with China and India, present something most Americans will not be able to understand and comprehend! Most Americans consider Indonesia as being under the sway of ISLAM and,indeed, it is considered the largest Islamic country in the world in-so-far as population goes. Some of you reading this may well know that prior to WWII the Japanese set up an extensive network in Asia and this network never really disappeared and is now being made use of by Al Queda and elements of the Taliban,possibly. More on this when I have time to present sufficient material on all this.

MAPHILINDO

MALAYSIA, THE PHILIPPINES, & INDONESIA have been characterized as being of one region by visionaries who wished to have a sort of 'super-power' emerge and who worked somewhat towards that goal in the 29th Century. The vast economic, political and social problems in all three nations were and still are a great obstacle towards this. Some Filipino Martial Artists have utilized the term 'Maphilindo' to describe their particular martial arts systems. The term often makes use of the various influences and similarities of martial arts in this area: such as, kali, silat, pentjak, etc. and bladed weapons. Of course, other SOUTH EAST ASIAN nations may well have influenced these art, say, Thailand, Cambodia, Annam, and India,etc.,etc. Further consideration of these things will be taken up later on.

MOTHER INDIA

India is fast becoming,according to some experts, a 'super-power' or economic giant, and regaining its status that in ancient times it once enjoyed. Of course, the influence of INDIA has been underestimated in the West. If you visit Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, you can see the influences there if you look deeply. Even in the Philippines there is a subtle influence that many attribute to the SRI VIJAYA & MAHAPADJIT EMPIRES. Although no actual physical evidence exists in the Philippines that these empires once held sway over the Philippine Archipelago, except for some legends and one or two things that were destroyed during WWII, most of the history cited for these by various Filipino martial arts groups and masters are conjecture. However, these can be discussed later.

JOURNEY TO THE EAST

With apologies to HERMAN HESSE who wrote the book: JOURNEY TO THE EAST as well as SIDDARTHA and other books which I shall discuss sometime in the future, I am launching this 'voyage' to the EAST which can be viewed in many ways. Some of my trips and excursions, adventures and exploits, if they may be called such, will be mentioned and described and told on this blog should enough interest in them be generated. Although this blog emphasizes the EAST, the other CARDINAL DIRECTIONS will not be ignored and perhaps will appear as special blogs like this one.