"...This manual is my limited attempt to try and organize my thoughts and experiences and that in doing it, I am in effect inviting the devil in and ruining some degree of truth. There is danger inherent in the simple act of trying to organize anything. To borrow again from Krishnamurti, Truth is a pathless land and you cannot approach it by any one set way, only your own way. It cannot be organized nor should any organization be formed to lead or to coerce people along any one particular way. The moment you do so, as Bruce Lee so aptly noted, the truth becomes dead—an obsolete pattern, a sect or a religion. What was once broad becomes narrow. What was once relevant becomes pointless. Truth cannot be lowered down to base details—it must be ascended to by the individual. You can’t bring a mountain top to the valley without losing everything that made it a summit. You must take your chances, face the risks and your fears and climb up to it.

The purpose of this manual therefore is not to create a structure or a limitation—a cage remains a cage no matter how far apart and loose the bars are. The purpose rather is to share my experiences. If they can help spark some realizations, fantastic. If they trigger powerful disagreement and further cement your existing views, excellent. If they can do anything to carry you further on your path to personal truth, amazing. This is NOT a rulebook. I was reluctant to even call it a “guidebook”. If anything, it is a laundry list of my own limitations as a human, of my weakness as a practitioner, of my arrogance as an “organizer”—but maybe, it may also be a source of some comfort or clarity for someone honestly seeking.

The ultimate goal of my Combat Systema practice is increased freedom, increased detachment from impermanence and the dissolution of all limitations. In my personal practice and teaching I seek to free the student even from the limits of its own label. The outside world, particularly our modern culture of instant consumerism demands labels. As instructors, you will be asked “What do you teach?” If you choose to operate under the Combat Systema label, my only advice is that you make it yours. No one owns Truth. If some of these guidelines inspire you, then use them. If some contradict or impede you, change them or forget them entirely. Returning to Bruce Lee, absorb what is useful and ignore what is useless.

I strongly urge you to make this manual yours. Do not make me, the banner of Combat Systema or any other practice into anything more than an equal partner in your journey. To quote Krishnamurti once more: “You want to have your own gods–new gods instead of the old, new religions instead of the old, new forms instead of the old–all equally valueless, all barriers, all limitations, all crutches.

Instead of old spiritual distinctions you have The Combat Systema Guidebook, Copyright Kevin Secours, 2010 11 new spiritual distinctions, instead of old worships you have new worships. You are all depending for your spirituality on someone else, for your happiness on someone else, for your enlightenment on someone else.” Teachers do not make you free. Organizations don not make you free. Only you alone as an individual carry that power. As my good friend Alex Kostic says: “Don’t follow me, walk with me.” So in this spirit of open sharing, I humbly submit this work to you for whatever it may be worth..."

Kevin Secours

The Combat Systema Guidebook.

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