Since Bruce’s return from China in 1981 it has been clear to him that most Westerners have certain preconceptions about what they want from a path and a teacher. For people with this mindset separating the teacher from the teaching presents a big challenge. The way that he teaches comes from the heart of Taoism, from its essence without any cultural trappings or pre-conceptions of any kind. He knows a thing or two about cultural trappings as he left American values behind when he went to China and Chinese values behind when he subsequently came back to America.

Substance Not Style

Bruce’s emphasis is upon substance not style, and if you find a big guy in shorts offensive then he might offend you. This is most definitely not Taoism in a fancy dress.

Taoism is beyond costumes, beyond East and West, beyond past or future. For Bruce it is about living life and living life now.

Two Taoist Teaching Traditions

There are in fact two polarities of teaching in Bruce’s tradition. There is the style of Lao Tse, the ‘sagacious elder’ which his own teacher Liu embodied, and the style of Chuang Tzu, the ‘crazy wisdom’ which he himself embodies.

Manifesting Energy

Bruce manifests the energy of the subject he is teaching. If it be a martial art then he might manifest the pure yang energy of a Genghis Khan. If, on the other hand, he is teaching the healing arts a different approach is needed. In this case nurturing yin energy is more appropriate for those in discomfort and pain.

Bruce’s Teaching Objective

Bruce’s objective is not to become your friend or father but to facilitate your emergence as an independent individual.

Your Learning Objective

If you are the kind of person who always has expectations that you must ‘feel good’ or ‘have a positive experience’ and are disappointed and hurt when introduced to aspects of yourself that you find disagreeable, then you will probably find Bruce hard to handle.

Like a Challenge?

If, on the contrary, you are comfortable being challenged and rising to the occasion when presented with multi-dimensional, non-linear learning experiences which unfold over time, then you stand to benefit from what Bruce has to offer.

If you are looking for someone who will “motivate” you or tell you what to do, thereby lifting from your shoulders the burden of responsibility for shaping your own life, then you may not benefit from what Bruce has to offer.

Sex and Money

In line with the Taoist take on sex and sexuality, Bruce considers neither sex nor the body to be dirty.

In fact, he doesn’t find sex dramatically more sacred then eating or working on a computer.

Taoists classically used both money and sex as metaphors for physical, emotional and spiritual development. If you find this kind of language offensive then he might offend you.

Breaking Through

Bruce’s objective is to get people comfortable with themselves. This might entail cutting to the chase and shaking them up a little if they are uptight and tense.