It is a wonderful exercise to engage in contemplation. The highest notions of man are born from it. Our science and theory, our philosophy and even our spiritual lives are imbibed with the ambrosia of exquisite bliss, all from the naked embrace and persistent attachment to mental concepts and their relationships.

Let us consider together a lesson about the yoga of action, of accomplishment, and of the perfection of vigor. The concept of "no truth apart from technique" is a motto of our system. What we mean by this is that although there can be many philosophical discussions and explanations as relates to any method or technique, philosophy is essentially empty. One might say, for example, "What is our reality after all, but the content of our mind?" That is a dogmatic expression that reflects the views of many Buddhist and/or aspiring Buddhists, and the conclusion is that since everything is the content of mind then nothing is real, everything is false. With such a notion, a vast field of contemplation, logic, philosophy, and ideology is sown with the seeds of dogma, all born to explain why so much that we encounter does not in fact reflect the basic notion.

I wonder if you might consider the possibility that the whole philosophy is itself a trick, a technique, designed entirely for the purpose of creating profound detachment which in turn addresses the age-old problem of mortal man, suffering and the causes of suffering. How so? If nothing exists, neither the self nor other, how can there exist any suffering and who is it that is suffering? Is this truth or is this technique? You tell me.

It is not my purpose in this article to support or refute this idea. It is enough to bring to mind useful areas of consideration in the hope that we might together plow the field a little deeper. A farmer knows that some seed, in order to grow properly must be sown not on the surface, but beneath the surface.

It is probably true that our world is shaped by thought, even though thought is a mental phenomenon only, arising out of a quiescent nothingness and going back to that same nothingness once the energy of that seed or thought is exhausted. Perhaps it is not what we think, feel, or believe, but the actions we take in conjunction with that thought, feeling, or belief that creates the reality of our world. This would argue that there are layers to our reality although our reality is one. It is also true that we live in a world governed by physical laws, some of which we now know and others we do not know, and still others that...and that this is the canvas of our lives. Having realized this, the question is about what we do personally to develop ourselves, the how, why, when, where, and what to do, so much more important that what to think. We are, after all, known by what we do.

The idea of Kung Fu is secondary to the action of Kung Fu. There is a relationship, and that relationship is one of mutual interaction from thought to action and from action to thought; always realizing that thought is without substance in and of itself. Understanding is aided by philosophical research, of this we are all certain, however if one does not engage in individual practice and training of the methods of one's system, then one cannot be said to truly know anything about it, at least not in a first hand way. A person may believe certain things and may make various statements of belief, but how can one know without experience? So whether in Martial Arts, Meditation, Chi Gong, or any endeavor for that matter, how can you know without action?

If a person is blessed enough to find a true master, and in full trust is devoted to his/her training, there are those who think the path of singular, focused, and vigorous action is superior to contemplation. I admit to being one of them. In our civil use of the Martial Arts as a means of attainment, we might say that to attain is to reach, and to reach is to ultimately transcend the mundane and achieve something noteworthy. This cannot occur through philosophy or thought unaided. The fruit of action is reserved for the doers of action alone.

It is hard training that will resolve doubts and invigorate your spirit. This is the path of action, Wujido - the infinite way. Therefore it may be useful to ask the question: apart from technique, what is there?

When entering into such a path, there is no master, there is no student, there is no self, and there is no other. There is only the path.