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There are two people that have had an enormous impact in my life.

One is Dr. Walter Martin.  The other is 師公 Shi-Gong Bruce Lee.

Note:  師公 - Shi-Gong (Si Gong - Cantonese) is the mandarin pronunciation for 'teacher's teacher'. 

師公  here forth.

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From the heart...

There are genius in this world, but then again, there are geniuses.  師公 Bruce Lee is no exception.  My first encounter was at the age of 12, at a cinema in Tehran, where my sister took me to see his movie "The Way Of The Dragon".  His charisma, character and energy, no to mention his physical capability was what captivated all my focus and heart.  In an instant, I knew martial arts was the path I had to travel; and I knew I was changed forever.  Though how little I knew that the path I chose was a very long and deep journey.  Not knowing the end results, I knew this is what I wanted in my life.  Very shortly after that, I started to study anything and everything I can grab my hands on in terms of Chinese martial arts.  I didn't know anything about JKD at that time, until many years later when I started learning JKD at the University in Illinois, with one of JKD apprentice instructors.  After graduating from university and moving to Florida for my first work, I continued to learn more of the art under couple other instructors of JKD, where eventually in Oct 1988, I moved to Southern California to officially enroll and study directly under 師公 Lee's student.  From Oct 1988 until I left and moved on from that school in August 1991, I had the pleasure to meet and train with great many famous and noble martial art masters and instructors.  However, some of the most my joyful and surely memorable time was when I attended 師公 Lee's birthday celebration with his students and 師公 Lee's family.  At that time, as a member of the original JKD Society and a student and a staff member of the JKD academy in Southern California, I among other privileged invitees had the great honor and pleasure to spent those events not only having great dinners and chats with everyone, but also listening to the family and student's of 師公 Bruce Lee discussing their experiences with him and also watching 師公 Lee's home movies and seeing some of his artifacts and family and student's memorabilia.  The biggest celebration was 師公 Lee's 50th birthday celebration, where many other celebrities attended, such as Fred Weintraub of Enter The Dragon, Van Williams of Green Hornet, not to mention 師公 Lee's son, the late Brandon Lee. After leaving LA in 1991 and opening our first academy in Milpitas in 1992, we continued the tradition of celebrating 師公 Lee's birthday for sometime and I would then bring some of my personal collections to our potlucks at our academy and later watch some of 師公 Lee's home video or interviews and relate some of my past experiences to my students.

After studying, analyzing and pounding on the micro organism of the  師公 Lee's art for many years, for me as a martial artist, more than anything else is the importance of the healthy concepts and the elements of his art themselves.  The openness and freedom of utilizing and adapting the practical elements of various arts, despite their historical and cultural bias or setting is the genius of 師公 Lee.  In the same retrospect, I applied this very concept to his JKD art and via transformation and liberation process of the elements within the context of the Ultimate Truth, I fashioned the SJD into what it is today.

I would emphatically and without any hesitation say that Lord used 師公 Lee's philosophy and art to guide and lead me in my own path of developing San Jieh Dao.  Without 師公 Lee's art, I would have to say there would be no SJD and in a same way, without Wing Chun there would have been no JKD/Jun Fan Gung Fu art.  Though obviously, I would have to say that I cannot accept everything 師公 Lee believed or taught (hence, San Jieh Dao), one thing I would say is that I am extremely grateful to God and do thank Him for allowing me to go through the path and journey that I did in order to encounter, experience and learn what I learned in order to reach and arrive at my destination. 

I cherish all the many years of great encounters, great relationships and great interactions I have had with so many great people throughout my martial arts education.  From my direct sifu, to my old class mates, to my old training partners, to many great martial arts masters and instructors (some which have passed away); it has been one incredible journey.

And I am not ashamed to proclaim that 師公 Bruce Lee will always hold a very special and dear place in my mind & heart ...