A Gift to All My Fellow Spanish Bruce Lee Fan Members & Everyone:
by
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Title: "Otherworldly Colombian Connection & Bruce Lee…a Journey for Freedom and Peace"
In the year 2,108, a 52 year old Colombian hermit/artist named Gabriel lived in a small village near Cali, Colombia, South America. His pregnant wife had died when he pushed her against a book case and cause a brain hemorrhage. It was his own fault, he thought with self-pity at the time of the tragedy, he was 31 years old. “I had chewed too much of the coca leaves that day. It was a Friday and I had a deadline to meet for a wealthy art dealer in the city…I had to paint all day and night and derive inspiration. I was behind schedule. She angered me over something small.” He awoke to the sound of innocent children’s music played by a candy truck that drove by and tried to scratch his chin, but a web of grey hair trapped his fingers. “It is now March, 2018,” he said to himself, to let it out and feel that he was not alone, but alive. Then he looked at the cloth wrapped on his right index finger and frowned at the red stain…
“En la Primavera” (in the Springtime), he whispered. “No puedo creer que paso en la Primavera” (I can’t believe it happened in the Springtime.
Yes, a week ago he helped an old woman carry a large mirror, it dropped, part of it broke and sliced his finger. It bled for a while, even though he had applied pressure for 20 minutes. He worried that there might be an infection, having just awoke, he was not sure, but certain enough to scratch his ear canal feverishly and remove the pestering dirt. The mirror that cut his right hand probably attacked him like a snake for being at the time under the spell of chewed cocaine leaves. Having been a well-read man since his childhood, he discovered the true story of a Legend born almost 3000 miles away, 157 years ago in California, U.S.A. He discovered this man’s story in November, 2017, near the Christmas season, from 2 books the mirror lady he helped a week ago gave him. Even in his stale state of psychological depression, he managed to read the books with energy, to fill a void, to right a wrong.
With all the daily reading of this Chinaman’s life, (“El Milagro Chino Artista” he called him) as he emerged from his cave after waking up each day at 2 p.m. for the daylight to shine upon the life of The Miracle Chinese Artist bound in 220 pages, he still COULD NOT stop chewing the dirty leaves. He wanted to stop. He wanted to start a new beginning, a new family. Perhaps part of him hoped that the leaves would stop HIM, to release him from his worldly pain and guilt and stop his heart.
That particular day, he read part of the second book on The Miracle Chinaman’s life that the mirror lady gave him, specifically, randomly, he turned to near the end and noted that the Legend of more than a century past HAD ALSO cut his finger on a piece of glass. But this 4-month-hero-of-his had survived and continued filming “Enter the Dragon.” Gabriel’s worries of a finger infection suddenly ceased. It was 135 years ago in March or April 1973 when the Miracle Man suffered a cut—almost to the very day or month—when he himself cut the same right hand on glass. He looked at his own hand written notes in the 2 books the wealthy, old mirror lady gave him. This mirror lady had fed him out of the kindness of her heart, almost on a daily basis, at least 2 meals a day, enough to keep him alive for the hardest last 2 years.
Gabriel spoke in Spanish:
“Have I been rewarded by the Miracle Chinaman Artist for thinking about him and writing my own thoughts of his pure Way in the margins of the 2 books about his life?” He wiped the blood from his gums with his left hand. “Has this Great Man connected with me?!”
“Why would almost exactly 135 years ago, to the month, would I learn today from the second book, that we both cut our right hands with glass?”
Out of the clear sunny sky came a vibrating, murky image. He had not chewed any leaves, yet—what was this? Had he had a hallucination caused by the finger infection?
“Who are you…What are you…Where you come from?”
“Yo soy su amigo” (I’m your friend) the angelic voice replied in native fluent Spanish.
“You are the Miracle Chinaman?! I’ve read books on your life, but I still can’t stop chewing the dirty leaves. Can you help me?”
“I, too, have cut my hand twice with glass. Once in Thailand in 1971, once in Hong Kong,” the Form continued speaking in perfect Spanish. (see “The Bruce Lee Story” by Linda Lee for Thailand cut finger incident).
Gabriel interrupted him. “You died 135 years ago. The successors of your lineage, the mirror lady told me, will hold a celebration of this anniversary in July 3000 miles away from here. After reading your books, I still don’t know how you died on Friday, July 20, 1973.”
“That is not important…Tell me how I can help you?”
“I’m so guilty. I accidentally killed my wife…I’m very lonely…Los Viernes (Friday’s) are the worst since all the villagers are having fun and playing music while I pace around in my cave, desiring…I want to quit chewing the dirty leaves, also…”
The vibrating form grew in intensity like gasoline wavering. Gabriel thought there might be an earthquake. The Miracle Form spoke to him:
“I am not a God. But I can tell you THE WISE CAN DRAW ADVANTAGE FROM MISHAP. NO ACCIDENTS ARE SO UNLUCKY BUT THAT THE WISE MAY DRAW SOME ADVANTAGE FROM THEM” Gabriel was quiet for several seconds.
“What about my loneliness? Do you know the tale of Rumpelstilskin? The Dutchman who slept for 20 years…Or Ulysseus’ 10 year voyage and his temptation from the Sirens? My untouched journey has been for 21 years. I’m more pitiful than that Dutchman, by one year!” Tears rolled down the Colombian’s eyes. The murky image this time spoke in English with a familiar Chinese accent, but even though Gabriel did not speak or understand this language, he understood him.
“IN SOLITUDE YOU ARE LEAST ALONE. LONELINESS IS ONLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO CUT ADRIFT AND FIND YOURSELF. IN SOLITUDE YOU ARE LEAST ALONE. MAKE GOOD USE OF IT.”
Gabriel’s eyes continued feeding his dry cheeks with warm liquid…he could not speak, yet he began to understand.
“Also…to fight the bad leaves, for even they may be legal, like gambling, cigarettes, or pornography, they may at the same time be immoral. Remember this, mi querido, Amigo [my dear friend—M.B.S.] ALWAYS KEEP YOUR MIND ON THE THINGS YOU WANT AND OFF THOSE YOU DON’T”
There was such a radiance of peace that the form took more shape and clarity, It showed lightly tinted sunglasses, behind which lay soft, warm eyes showing total Peace. He had black hair and wore a blue shirt. His smile also showed total tranquility, and he spoke with his right hand touching Gabriel’s right shoulder, and said:
“I HAVE TO LEAVE NOW, MY FRIEND. YOU HAVE A LONG JOURNEY AHEAD OF YOU AND YOU MUST TRAVEL LIGHT. FROM NOW ON DROP ALL YOUR BURDEN OF PRECONCEIVED CONCLUSIONS BEHIND AND ‘OPEN’ YOURSELF TO EVERYTHING AND EVERY ONE AHEAD. REMEMBER, MY FRIEND, THE USEFULNESS OF A CUP, IS IN ITS EMPTINESS.”
The vision left timelessly…
The Colombian was in awe. In 2 days time, he stopped chewing the dirty leaves forever and married the old mirror lady who was 20 years his elder (at 72 years old).
She gave birth to a boy who Gabriel named Bruce Lee Marquez and everyone lived their long journey and passed away into another Form in Peace.
Two days before an old Bruce Lee Marquez died, he read out loud: “YOU CANNOT CLEAR MUDDIED WATER WITH YOUR HAND—WHO IS THERE THAT CAN MAKE MUDDY WATER CLEAR? BUT IF ALLOWED TO REMAIN STILL, IT WILL BECOME CLEAR OF ITSELF…KEEP CLAM AND LET TIME GO ON, AND THE STATE OF REPOSE WILL GRADUALLY ARREST.”
THE END. (Humbly, a Happy Ending-M.B.S.)
*Note: The above capitalized were verbatim words chosen from various pages of “Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee’s Wisdom for Daily Living” copyr. 2000 by Linda Lee Cadwell, edited by John Little.
This story was created by and copyrighted in 2009 by Mike Bruce Sullivan.
Posted on Apr 5, 2009, 5:39 AM from IP address 76.88.2.141