Bruce Lee Podcast

"The ego boundary is the differentiation between the self and the other. It is not a fixed thing. If it is fixed, then is becomes a character or an armor like the shell of a turtle. The two phenomena of the ego boundary are identification and alienation. Inside the ego boundary, there is generally cohesion, love, cooperation; outside the ego boundary there is suspicion, strangeness, unfamiliarity." – Bruce Lee Join Shannon and Sharon as they discuss the ego boundary and the polarity between inside the boundary and outside the boundary. How are we denying parts of ourselves? Why is it bad to ignore our dissatisfaction? Explore all this and more in this episode of the Bruce Lee Podcast. Full notes: BruceLee.com/podcast Help support the Bruce Lee Podcast & check out our Podcast Bundle on the Bruce Lee Store! Follow us @Brucelee & write us at hello@brucelee.com

In a special gathering to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Bruce Lee's passing, Emmy Award-winning comedian and author W. Kamau Bell, Bruce Lee biographer and cultural critic Jeff Chang, Bruce Lee's daughter Shannon Lee, along with moderator and cultural anthropologist Sharon Ann Lee held a discussion on Bruce Lee's long-lasting legacy and how he became an unexpected icon for Afro-Asian unity. This special event was hosted by AloudLA in July 2018. AloudLA is a series of dynamic conversations, readings, and performances that take place at the historic Central Library in DTLA. AloudLA is presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles which supports the Los Angeles Public Library. You can watch the video of the event here: https://lfla.org/media-archive/bruce-lee-afro-asian-culture-connection-video/ Full notes: BruceLee.com/podcast Help support the Bruce Lee Podcast & check out our Podcast Bundle on the Bruce Lee Store! Follow us @Brucelee & write us at hello@brucelee.com vpfw9ttm

What would Bruce Lee Do? This is a question that many of our podcast listeners have wondered. Over the course of this podcast, people have written us with different life questions asking what would Bruce Lee do if he were in their situation. In this special episode of the podcast, Shannon and Sharon answer listener questions based on their personal opinions, life experiences, and their knowledge of Bruce Lee, his life and his philosophy. Full notes: BruceLee.com/podcast Help support the Bruce Lee Podcast & check out our Podcast Bundle on the Bruce Lee Store! Follow us @Brucelee & write us at hello@brucelee.com

How did Bruce Lee become a philosopher? Bruce wrote an essay on why he got interested in philosophy and what he hoped to do with it. Bruce Lee majored in philosophy at the University of Washington. At the beginning of this essay Bruce addresses the question people kept asking him after the completion of Big Boss: "What was it that made me give up career in the States and return to Hong Kong to shoot Chinese films?" Bruce writes: "Perhaps the general feeling was that it was all hell to have to work on Chinese films since the Chinese film industry was still so underdeveloped. To the above question I find no easy explanation except that I am Chinese and I have to fulfill my duty as a Chinese." "The truth is, I am an American-born Chinese. That I should become an American-born Chinese was accidental, or it might have been my father's arrangement. At that time, the Chinese inhabitants in the States, mostly from the province of Kwangtung, were very much homesick: nostalgia was held towards everything that was associated with their homeland." "In this context, Chinese opera, with its unmistakably unique Chinese characteristics, won the day. My old mam was a famous artist of the Chinese opera and was popularly accepted by the people. Hence he spent a lot of time performing in the States. I was born when he brought my mother along during one of his performance trips." "Yet my father did not want me to receive an American education. When I reached my school age, he sent me back to Hong Kong—his second homeland—to live with his kinsmen. It could have been a matter of heredity or environment; I cam to be greatly interested in the making of films when I was studying in Hong Kong. My father was then well acquainted with lots of movie stars and directors. They brought me into the studio and gave me some roles to play. I started off as a bit player and gradually became the star of the show." "That was a very crucial experience in my life. For the first time I was confronted with genuine Chinese culture. The sense of being part of it was so strongly felt that I was enchanted. I didn't realize it then, nor did I see how great an influence environment can have on the molding of one's character and personality. Nevertheless, the notion of "being Chinese" was duly conceived." It was being a child actor that really immersed Bruce in Chinese culture and being around Chinese artists fed his creativity. "From boyhood to adolescence, I presented myself as a troublemaker and was greatly disapproved of by my elders. I was extremely mischievous, aggressive, hot-tempered, and fierce. Not only my "opponents" of more or less my age stayed out of my way, but even the adults sometimes gave in to my temper. I never knew what it was that made me so pugnacious. The first thought that came into my mind whenever I met somebody I disliked was, "Challenge him!" Challenge him with what? The only concrete thing that I could think of was my fists. I thought that victory gained by way of force was not real victory." As a kid, Bruce was filled with an intense energy and did not know how to handle it except by challenging others. But later on he came to regret those actions. "When I enrolled in the University of Washington and was enlightened by philosophy, I regretted all my previous immature assumptions. My majoring in philosophy was closely related to the pugnacity of my childhood. I often ask myself these questions: What comes after victory? Why do people value victory so much? What is "glory"? What kind of "victory" is "glorious"? When my tutor assisted me in choosing my courses, he advised me to take up philosophy because of my inquisitiveness. He said, "Philosophy will tell you what man lives for." When I told my friends and relatives that I had picked up philosophy, they were all amazed. Everybody thought I had better go into physical education since the only extra-curricular activity that I was interested in, from my childhood until I graduated from my secondary school, was Chinese martial arts. As a matter of fact, martial arts and philosophy seem to be antithetical to each other. But I think that the theoretical part of Chinese martial arts seems to be getting indistinct." "Every action should have its why and wherefore; and there ought to be a complete and proficient theory to back up the whole concept of Chinese martial arts. I wish to infuse the spirit of philosophy into martial arts; therefore I insisted on studying philosophy." Bruce could see that there was a fissure between martial arts and philosophy teachings. Growing up, Bruce was likely too young to appreciate the philosophy his sifu Yip Man shared with him while teaching him martial arts. Now with some distance and age Bruce wanted to bring philosophy back into this martial arts practice. "I have never discontinued studying and practicing martial arts. While I am tracing the source and history of Chinese martial arts, this doubt always comes up: Now that every branch of Chinese gung fu has its own form, its own established style, are these the original intentions of their founders? I don't think so." This bold statement is likely why Bruce Lee received criticism from the Chinese gung fu establishment; they did not appreciate him questioning their methods. Bruce was clear with his intention to infuse philosophy into martial arts. He recognized that the wholeness of the art was being compartmentalized and made less distinct by the different styles. "Formality could be a hindrance to progress; this is applicable to everything, including philosophy." People can be very rigid about philosophy. It becomes one school of thought versus another, creating arguments over which philosophy is right. Arguing about who is better hinders growth and progress. "Philosophy brings my jeet kune do into a new realm in the sphere of martial arts, and jeet kune do brings my acting career to a new horizon." The philosophy is like water, it cannot be contained to one area. Bruce realized that if he applied philosophy to one area of his life, like martial arts, he could apply it to other parts such as his acting career. Bruce moved from needing to win to questioning what it was to have victory and why people find it important. He remained present in his life and because of his naturally inquisitive nature was able to shift easily through needing victory to asking what comes after victory. Bruce remained curious about everything he did in his life. He was able to reflect on his experiences, see how he learned from them, and acted according to what he had learned. Pause, breathe, and ask: Why am I doing this? What is happening next for you that you are really excited about? This is about going deep under our superficial layers and see what is really driving us. What Bruce Lee is modeling in this essay is: be curious about this philosophy and energy that is you. Take time to reflect on your life and energy. What do you see? Help support the Bruce Lee Podcast and check out our Podcast Bundle on the Bruce Lee Store! Follow us @Brucelee & write us at hello@brucelee.com

This topic comes from an essay that Bruce Lee wrote about how to choose a martial arts instructor, but the advice can be applied in general to mentors, teachers, or guides. "I sincerely give this advice to all who are about to take up martial arts. Believe only half of what you see and definitely nothing that you hear. Before you take any lessons from any instructor, find out clearly from him what his method is and politely request that he demonstrate to you how some techniques operate. Use your common sense and if he convinces you, then, by all means go ahead." Full notes at BruceLee.com/podcast Help support the Bruce Lee Podcast and check out our Podcast Bundle on the Bruce Lee Store! Follow us @Brucelee & write us at hello@brucelee.com

The invention of an empirical self that observes itself Viewing one's thoughts as a kind of object or possession, situating it in a separate, isolated part of itself – I "have" a mind The striving to wipe the mirror These three faults are the mistakes and obstacles that we make in our seeking for consciousness. Fault 1 is about ego-consciousness and our identification with our egos and our intelligence. Fault 2 is about giving too much power to our thoughts and our cleverness. Fault 3 is about believing we can attain enlightenment through outwitting reality and possessing an empty mind. Join Shannon and Sharon as they discuss the Three Faults, and how they affect our journey towards enlightenment. Full notes at BruceLee.com/podcast Help support the Bruce Lee Podcast and check out our Podcast Bundle on the Bruce Lee Store! Follow us @Brucelee & write us at hello@brucelee.com

As we have mentioned before, Bruce Lee was an avid reader and pursuer of knowledge. Bruce had a passionate intensity around his desire to learn. He had an extensive library and would annotate many of his books. After reading these books, Bruce would write journal entries about what he had read. Bruce would read these books and synthesize the ideas, he would take the bits he liked, and you'll notice that he used similar language in his own writings. Now we have those books as a part of the Bruce Lee Archive. This week we share another book from the Bruce Lee Library, Commentaries on Living 1st Series by Jiddu Krishnamurti. Jiddu Krishnamurti (11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was a philosopher, speaker and writer. His subject matter included psychological revolution, the nature of mind, meditation, inquiry, human relationships, and bringing about radical change in society. He constantly stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasized that such revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social. It's clear through Bruce's annotations that Krishnamurti's ideas resonated with Bruce Lee's own perspectives and philosophies. Join Shannon and Sharon as they go through Bruce Lee's annotations in Commentaries on Living 1st Series and discuss the parallels between Bruce Lee and Krishnamurti. Full notes at BruceLee.com/podcast Help support the Bruce Lee Podcast and check out our Podcast Bundle on the Bruce Lee Store! Follow us @Brucelee & write us at hello@brucelee.com

"Gung fu is so extraordinary because it is nothing at all special, it is simply the direct expression of one's feeling with the minimum of lines and energy. Every movement is being so of itself without the artificiality with which we tend to complicate them. The closer to the true way, the less wastage of expression there is." What did Bruce mean by the extraordinary being nothing at all special? Join Shannon and Sharon as they discuss the ordinary day and what is "Nothing Special." Full notes at BruceLee.com/podcast Help support the Bruce Lee Podcast and check out our Podcast Bundle on the Bruce Lee Store! Follow us @Brucelee & write us at hello@brucelee.com

"The true gung fu master aims his blows at himself, and when successful, he may even succeed in knocking himself out. The primary function of one's tools is really revealed when they are self-directed and used to destroy greed, fear, anger and folly. Manipulative skill is not the goal. After years of training, one hopes to achieve a vital loosening and equability of all powers." "In every day life the mind is capable of moving from one thought to one object to another. However, when one is face to face with an opponent in a deadly contest, the mind tends to lose its mobility and get sticky and stopped. This is a problem that haunts everyone." "Purposelessness", "empty-mindedness" or "no art" are frequent terms used to denote the ultimate achievement of a martial artist. According to zen, the spirit is by nature formless and no "things" are to harbored in it. When anything is harbored there, psychic energy loses its balance, native activity becomes cramped, and the spirit no longer flows with the stream. When the energy is tipped out of balance, it is unable to cope with the ever-changing situations. But when there prevails a state of fluidity, the spirit harbors nothing in it, nor is it tipped out of balance. It transcends both subject and object and responds with an empty mind to whatever is happening." "True mastery transcends any particular art. It stems from mastery of oneself – the ability, developed through self-discipline, to be calm, fully aware, and completely in tune with oneself and the surroundings in the midst of the ever-changing moment." Join Shannon and Sharon as they explore the idea of True Mastery and discuss Bruce Lee's life lessons learned in the practice of martial arts. Full notes at BruceLee.com/podcast Help support the Bruce Lee Podcast and check out our Podcast Bundle on the Bruce Lee Store! Follow us @Brucelee & write us at hello@brucelee.com

"In the long history of martial art, the instinct to follow and imitate seems to be inherent in most martial artists – instructors and students alike. This is due partly to being human and partly due to patterns of styles. Ever since the establishment of institutes, academies, schools and their instructors, the need for a "pointer of the Way" is echoed." "Each man belongs to a style that claims to possess the truth to the exclusion of all other styles, and these styles become institutes with their explanations, dissecting and isolating the harmony, establishing forms as the encyclopedia of their particular techniques." "All goals apart from the means are therefore an illusion. Becoming becomes a denial of being. By an error repeated throughout the ages, truth becomes law or faith and therefore places obstacles in the way of knowledge. Method, which is in its very substance ignorance, encloses truth in a vicious circle. We should break such circles not by seeking knowledge but by discovering the cause of our ignorance." Join Shannon and Sharon as they discuss obstacles that interrupt Flow and how to discover the cause of our ignorance. We'd love to hear about your journey! Email us at hello@brucelee.com or tag us @brucelee on social media with #bruceleepodcast. Full notes at BruceLee.com/podcast Help support the Bruce Lee Podcast and check out our Podcast Bundle on the Bruce Lee Store!