The point I was trying to make was that masters such as these two (as examples) are what I was wondering if still existed today. Masters that dont just train to train and make money, rather masters that actually really truly stand behind their art in its philosophy as well as its style and actually live by it.
I'll go out on a limb here and risk being named a blasphemer, but I'm personally not convinced that Bruce Lee was all that you believe him to have been.
He certainly has his following and his fan base and students of his method that continue to pass on what he taught. But I'm not all that convinced he was any kind of "spiritual" or "philosophical" master, nor that he had any real way of incorporating such things into his training, or what he taught his students. He sure did have a way of giving that impression, however, in his movies ("if you look at the pointing finger, then you miss the moon in all its heavenly glory", nonsense).
I dunno, I could be wrong. But I remain unconvinced.
But Xue has given some dead-on advice about this.
I'll just add that if you are looking for a philosophical or spiritual guide, then you might look to any of the major religions of the world, or take some college level courses in philosophy or something, become an expert on the prominent philosophers and whatnot.
Personally, I steer clear of organized religion. But that might work for you. It could be Christianity, Buddhism in any of its various forms including Tibetan, Islam, Judaism, or even some of the less well-known ones like Wiccan and stuff.
But I wouldn't hold out on the idea of finding a martial arts teacher who is going to also fill that role. I tend to avoid such people like the plague that they are.
Several years ago I used to live near a park here in San Francisco, where various martial arts teachers would meet with their students on the weekends and conduct class in the outdoors. I would also go and take a corner of space and just conduct my own practice in private. I would often be near enough to some of these groups to be able to hear what they were discussing. There was this one sifu, of non-Asian descent, who seemed to me to pass himself off as more than just a sifu, but also such a spiritual/philosophical guide as you seem to be looking for. So after his students would spend a while practicing their Shaolin Longfist forms, they would gather around him and he would give them his opinions on current politics and how it fit into his philosophy and stuff. I got the impression that most of the students were just politely waiting for it to end. Looked painful as hell, to me. No bloody thanks. I don't need that in my life, especially as an add-on to my martial arts training. If I want that, I'll look for it specifically in an appropriate place. But I don't feel it belongs in martial arts.
Anyway, I was just trying to give you another perspective on it. Good luck in your search, I hope you find what you are looking for, tho it may come in a form that you don't expect. Be open minded about that, or you may miss it even if it bites you on your butt.
