Bruce Lee Podcast

We had our first live taping of the Bruce Lee Podcast last Thursday, July 20th celebrating the podcast's one-year anniversary and honoring the 44th anniversary of Bruce Lee's passing. When we started the podcast a year ago, on July 20th, it was to commemorate that day with a beautiful remembrance of Bruce Lee and the gifts that he left behind for all of us. The podcast format allows us to discuss Bruce Lee's philosophy more in-depth and share his legacy with everyone for free. Special guest Osric Chau joined us for the event and shared his experiences completing the Bruce Lee Podcast Challenge, shared his thoughts on Bruce Lee, and gave an #AAHA shout-out. Osric Chau was born in Vancouver, his father is from Hong Kong and his mother is Malaysian. He trained in Wing Chun for many years and wanted to be a stuntman, but was discovered and his first film was Kung Fu Killer (2008) with David Carradine. Since then he's been in 2012, What Women Want, The Man with the Iron Fists, and was in recurring roles in Supernatural and now on Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. We were lucky to have Osric join us for the evening before heading down to Comic Con in San Diego. For the podcast challenge we asked people to complete three action items (listed at brucelee.com/podcast-challenge) We asked Osric to complete the challenge and he graciously said yes. He said this about his overall experience: "I loved it, this was probably one of my favorite things I've done in recent memory. It literally changed my life and I think it will continue to change my life." He's decided to incorporate the challenge into his life and continue doing the action items! Osric shared with us some of his affirmations: - "Today's my day, tomorrow's someone else's. I will make the most out of every minute to the fullest of my capabilities." - When confronted with an obstacle I will see it as a challenge to accomplish my goal in a better and creative way; it's an opportunity to think outside my box." - "Smaller Goals. I will focus on and set smaller goals for today, goals I can start and accomplish today. Smaller goals that lead to my larger and more ambitious goals." For the "I would feel better in my body if…" action item, Osric thought at first he didn't have anything to improve since he already eats well and exercises, but then realized he hates stretching. Realizing this is his weakness; it took Osric all week to remember to do stretches, but then after thinking about it often he found himself stretching while watching TV or doing something else. This is similar to how Bruce Lee would do his stretches, while reading or doing something else. In the final action item, the Harmony Challenge, "Letting others be," Osric thought it would be easy since he considers himself a cheerful, kind person, but then he realized how much he enjoys gossip. When sitting in the makeup trailer people enjoy gossiping and he used to join in, but during this challenge the extra awareness made him step back and not participate in the gossip. Instead of wanting to put others down, he wants to raise people up Thank you so much Osric for joining us for the live event and for participating in the podcast challenge. We know that just by sharing your challenge experience you'll inspire many people out there with your vulnerability and sharing your journal and experiences. #AAHA Osric's Awesome Asian and Hapas nomination goes to Pakistani-American actor Kumail Nanjiani. Kumail is known for being on Silicon Valley and stars in the movie "The Big Sick," (in theaters now!) which he co-wrote with his wife Emily about their relationship. It's possibly the first movie to star a Pakistani actor in the lead role and it's getting excellent reviews. Osric says he's seen it once already and loved it and is thinking of seeing it again. Kumail, we think you're awesome! Share your #AAHAs and #BruceLeeMoments with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

We are having our first live event tonight, Thursday, July 20th, at 6pm at the Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles. It's first come first serve with limited seating so try to be there by 5:30pm! This episode marks our one-year anniversary for the podcast! We created this podcast to honor and celebrate Bruce Lee's philosophy and share it with the world. Thank your for listening and going on this journey with us. We wanted to celebrate the one-year anniversary and recognize the 44th anniversary of Bruce Lee's passing by completing the Bruce Lee Podcast Challenge for two weeks. When we shared the challenge, we worried that people might not participate, but so many of you completed it. We got such an overwhelming response to the challenge that it's taking us much longer to go through all the entries, and we won't be able to pick just one winner. Your accomplishments, roadblocks, and leveling up have truly astounded and moved us; you blew us out of the water. We applaud you Bruce Lee Podcast Community! Since we can't pick just one winner, over the coming weeks we will pick several winners. Each winner will receive the prize, a conversation with us, and a chance to be on the podcast. Even if you don't win the prize, we read so many wonderful Bruce Lee moments you should stay tuned into future episodes because you might hear your name on the podcast as our Bruce Lee moment. Shannon and Sharon both did the Bruce Lee Podcast Challenge, and shared their experiences on this episode. Shannon's Affirmations: 1."Be": Rather than striving for some perfect expression, or impression, in each moment I will simply be. I can fill the space with my energy by radiating my being-ness because I am enough as I am. 2."Natural Action": Knowing that I am easily tired by forceful actions, when I do act I will take the most organic and natural route for my soul, so that I may flow with rather than against my own stream. 3."Intention": Knowing that my soul is fed when I am purposeful, I will imbue my actions and plans with meaningful intentions, so that no matter what I am doing, whether resting or working etc., I am doing so with deliberate awareness. These three affirmations work together. Shannon used all of the action items together, the "I'd feel better in my body if…" and "Letting others be," and they became affirmations as well. Shannon's second action item was "I'll feel better in my body if I meditate everyday." She also had a second one: "I'll feel better in my body if I were to slow down and eat more thoughtfully, and chew my food more thoroughly." Sharon's Affirmations: 1."I love my body! It's the source of creativity, connection and outrageous pleasure!" 2."I am so blessed. I am so loved by the love of my life. My children are healthy, happy and flourishing. I am free to create anything I want. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" 3."Today will be a day of abundance, magic and joy. All green lights and delights!" Sharon's second action item of "I would feel better in my body if…" was based off a quote by Michael Pollan: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." Sharon adjusted the quote to be personal to her: "Eat delicious food, mostly plants. Taste each bite and enjoy!" Her other action item was "Move my body once a day in a joyous way!" Harmony action item: "Letting others be." The last action item of "Letting others be," was challenging and illuminating. You expend energy when you judge, rant and rave, so when you minimize those thoughts, you actually conserve energy. When you get anxious and stressed about other people's choices you amp yourself up into a frenzy of negative energy. If you just turn the volume down and let them be, you can save energy and feel better. Just meditating on the simple idea of letting others be provides you with great relief and freedom. We're honored that you are listening, participating and growing with Bruce Lee's wisdom. Thank you for co-creating this show with us. Much love, Shannon & Sharon

Gentleness was key to Bruce Lee's philosophy of life and practice as an artist. Bruce equated gentleness with his idea of emptiness, non-resistance internally, the place in which the moment can happen and where spontaneous action springs from. Gentleness equals life. Gentleness is strength. "The essential unity of the universe, the leveling of all differences, the relativity of all standards, and the return of all to divine intelligence and the source of all things – from all this naturally arises the absence of desire for strife and contention and fighting for advantage. A peaceable temper is bred in man that emphasizes nonresistance and the importance of gentleness." Gentleness is the coming together, not the coming a part of things. "The assimilation of the tao has its foundation in tenderness and quietness." Bruce Lee personally struggled with having a temper, but he researched his own experience. He was able to be neutral about examining himself and recognized that he needed to cultivate his gentleness. "Because a man can yield, he can survive." Yielding is an action. "Act spontaneously without prearrangement, ensure the spirit of harmony with nature, see no violence done and have the result of peace and freedom from disturbance. Nourish the spirit so it can find stability." "True stillness, is stillness in movement." There's always action, always things happening, but if we can remember our gentleness then we can be more content. "You cannot hurt that which is formless. Nothingness cannot be confined; the softest thing cannot be snapped." "Patience is concentrated strength." To have discipline is to have patience, is to have endurance, and is to keep moving one step at a time. "I must give up my desire to force, direct, strangle the world outside of me and within me in order to be completely open, responsible, aware, alive." Take Action: How can you re-envision gentleness as strength? Where can you "allow" instead of force? Practice hitting the pause button this week instead of reacting with anger, impatience or negativity. #AAHA This week our #AAHA is from a listener nomination: The awesome Asian/Hapa that I'd like to share with you and the world is my cousin Arus Ubeque Manning. Arus is Blasian (half black half Asian) and was raised in Oakland California but now lives in Dallas TX with is beautiful wife and 3 children. He works for NBC as a video/graphics art designer for our local channel 5. When my cousin Arus was about 6 I remember hanging out with him as a young adolescent myself and Arus being so inquisitive about EVERYTHING! "Why this and why that?" A torrent of questions and discovery was always in flow with him. Two years ago his dad passed away after a bout with lung cancer and I looked at the man he has become and could see so many quiet, satisfactory inaudible answers emanating from that same curious kid! He is the embodiment of peace, happiness and 'cool.' I wish the world knew the man that I admire and love... My Hapa, Arus Ubeque Manning." #BruceLeeMoment This week's moment comes from Richard B.: "In 2000 I was an officer in an Air Force cybersecurity unit. A top-tier book publisher saw me speak at a conference and asked if I would write a book on detecting and stopping hackers. I considered this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I declined. I did not feel that I was prepared to authentically express myself in written form. I spent several years refining my thoughts, and in 2003 I sent a detailed outline to the publisher. They accepted it, and in 2004 "The Tao of Network Security Monitoring" arrived in bookstores. I named it after Bruce Lee's most famous book because I felt that I was expressing myself through my philosophy and practice of network defense." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

What is the meaning of life? "The meaning of life is that is to be lived." What he means by this is that life is meant to be engaged with, present in, taking action toward; it is not to be conceptualized or only thought about, but actually participated in. Water was Bruce's metaphor for life, always moving, always changing, always flowing, and you want to be right in the flow of it. "You can never step in the same water twice, my friend. Like flowing water, life is perpetual movement. There is nothing fixed." "Realize the fact that you simply live and not live for." "Living exists when life through us- unhampered in its flow, for he who is living is not conscious of living, and in this is the life he lives." It's important to fully feel the bad or difficult experiences so that you can let it flow through you and you can let go the negative energy. If you don't let it flow through you then you end up holding on to and internalizing that pain. "Be pliable, when a man is living he is soft and pliable, when he is dead he becomes rigid. Pliability is life, rigidity is death, whether one is speaking of one's body, mind, or spirit." When you are rigid about something it actually becomes easier to be hurt. "Since life is an ever flowing process one should flow in this process and discover how to actualize and expand oneself." There is freedom when it is ok to take risks, when it's ok to fail, when it's ok to have unlimited joy. Have the attitude "Well, let's see what happens," because when you're pliable whatever happens you can bend and recover. "Remember, my friend, to enjoy your planning as well as your accomplishment. For life is too short for negative energy." Success is not a destination; it's in the journey. You can have your plan and your goals, but you must engage in the process and be open to change. Don't engage in negative energy or feelings because they can trap you along the way to your goal. "We realize that manipulation and control are not the ultimate joy of life – to become real, to learn to take a stand, to develop one's center, to the support of our total personality, a release to spontaneity – yes, yes, yes!" "To spend time is to pass it in a specified manner. To waste time is to expend it thoughtlessly or carelessly. We all have time that we can either spend or waste, and it is our decision what to do with it, but once it has passed it is gone." Take Action: How can you let go of negativity? How can you be more present? Try not to trap life in a box, but live it moment to moment. How can you flow? "The primary reality is not what I think, but that I live." #AAHA This week our #AAHA is Californian Filipino Victor Diaz Zapanta. Victor has worked in tech, politics, and political activism. He's an advocate for Asians getting represented properly in media. Victor has used his skills as a digital producer, researcher, news media, and user experience designer, for a number of government organizations such as Data.gov. He organized Google Hangouts in Asian languages, it was the first hangout aimed at educating Korean Americans how to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act, and other topics aimed at Asians making sure they have proper access to different government programs. Victor has great style and is skilled at writing haikus. Victor, we think that you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment "I was water. I flowed in the stream of life, carving my own path. Sometimes I crashed, but I continued to flow. As I became older, I began to make choices that froze me. I became a piece of ice, drifting in the stream. Gone are my choices and freedom. Now I am frozen with debt and restriction, only flowing where the stream takes me. Paths I wish to take pass by as I am no longer able to flow where I wish. When I pay debts I melt, ever so slightly." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

What does it mean to "hack away the unessentials"? "It is not daily increase but daily decrease, hack away the unessential. The closer to the source, the less wastage there is." Bruce Lee applied this primarily to his martial art, but also in life, heading towards simplicity of movement, thought, and being. "Avoid the superficial, penetrate the complex, go to the heart of the problem, and pinpoint the key factors." "Do not beat around the bush. Do not take winding detours. Follow a straight line to the objective; simplicity is the shortest distance between two points." This doesn't mean take the shortest route, but ask in real life what is unnecessary. "Scratch away all the dirt your being has accumulated and reveal reality in its nakedness." We accumulate this dirt as protection and security, and it's not easily shed. There are so many distractions clothed as things to make your life easier, but they distract and clutter instead. "It is not difficult to trim and hack off the nonessentials in outward, physical structure. However, to minimize inwardly, is another matter." Practice minimizing inwardly by clearing your physical space and then taking that practice inward and clearing your mind of negative thoughts. "To obtain enlightenment means the extinction of everything which obscures the "real life." At the same time it implies boundless expansion." "The spirit is by nature, formless, and no "objects" are to be harbored in it. When anything is harbored there, psychic energy loses its balance, its native activity becomes cramped, and it no longer flows with the stream. Where the energy is tipped, there is too much of it in one direction and a shortage of it in another direction. But when the spirit harbors nothing in it, nor is it tipped in one direction, it transcends." Take Action: Examine your life and ask, "Am I living the life I want to live? Where are areas where could I have more joy?" What can you let go of? How can you be more direct? How can you un-clutter your environment? #BruceLeePodcastChallenge The challenge ended Monday, and we are now accepting your entries until Friday evening, June 30th, 2017. Enter here: brucelee.com/podcastchallenge #AAHA Sumi Jo is a Grammy Award-winning South Korean lyric coloratura soprano. In 1983, Jo decided to leave SNU in order to study music in Italy at the Academia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. In August 1986, she was unanimously awarded first prize in the Carlo Alberto Cappelli International Competition in Verona, one of the most important contests, open only to first-prize winners of other major competitions. In 1986, Jo made her European operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto at the Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste. Simple Song Number 3, written by David Lang, performed by Jo, and featured in Paolo Sorrentino's 2015 film Youth, was nominated for an Academy Award in 2016 in the Best Song category. Jo was invited to the ceremony and attended, but she was not invited to perform the song. Jo and Lang voiced their disappointment with the producers' decision to exclude the song, indirectly referencing the controversy relate to that year's Academy Awards lack of racial diversity. Thank you for sharing your talent Sumi Jo, we think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment From listener Francisco: "My Bruce Lee moment was when I got tattooed "Be like water" in my arm. It was a time when I was going through a lot of things in my job, my relationships and my vision of the world that is very vicious and dangerous…This quote helped me to be flexible, adapt and not react but understand other's people intentions and where they come from and build confidence and mindfulness in my relationships with the world that I used to see as harsh, but now I see it as an adventure and daily challenge that makes me better." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

The three stages are of learning, technique, and cultivation, have all been touched upon in previous episodes, but this week we dive deeper into each one. The three stages of learning: 1. A punch is just a punch 2. A punch is no longer a punch 3. A punch is just a punch Three Stages of Technique 1. Synchronization of self 2. Synchronization with opponent 3. Under fighting condition "Within all the training thrown to the wind, with the mind perfectly unaware of its own working, with the self-vanishing nowhere, anybody knows where, your art attains perfection." Three Stages of Cultivation 1. Partiality 2. Fluidity 3. Emptiness "All technique is to be forgotten and the unconscious to be left alone to handle the situation. Technique will assert its wonders automatically or spontaneously. To float in totality, to have no technique, is to have all technique." "Pride is a sense of worth derived from something that is not organically part of us. While self-esteem is derived from the potentialities and achievements of self." Bruce Lee used martial arts to learn about himself as a human being. When we learn something new, then we learn more about ourselves. "A fateful process is set in motion when the individual is released "to the freedom of his own impotence" and left to justify his existence by his own efforts. The individual on his own, striving to realize himself has created all that is great in literature, art, music, science, and technology. This autonomous individual is a breeding ground of frustration and the seed of the convulsion that shakes our world to its foundations." Take Action: Try an experiment: Go out and decide what you want to learn. Have these stages in mind to use as a vehicle to learn, but also to know oneself. If you're looking to break through from stage 2 to stage 3, look for your points of frustration to find the things that you need to work on. #BruceLeePodcastChallenge We are in the 2nd and final week of the Bruce Lee Podcast Challenge! We've been making a daily practice of three action items from previous episodes and we've invited all of you (our listeners!) to participate. We're really looking forward to sharing our experiences and hearing from you. It's not too late to join us for the last few days. Entries aren't due until June 30th and you can find more info at Brucelee.com/podcastchallenge #AAHA This week our #AAHA shout out goes to Nellie Wong, poet activist for feminist and socialist causes. Wong was born in Oakland, California in 1934, to Chinese immigrants. The interment of her Japanese American neighbors left a profound impact on her intellectual development, sensitizing her to issues to racism and concerns of Asian Americans. While in her mid 30s, Wong began studying creative writing at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and began to write and publish her poetry. In the 70s, Wong co-founded the Asian American feminist literary and performance group Unbound Feet. She has recited her poetry globally. She has received awards from the Women's Foundation, and University of California. We love and celebrate you, Nellie, for releasing your passion out into the world and thank you for being such a brave and great role model for other Asian women! You're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment From Luke K.: "I had a workout regimen I did for about 3 years, and it made a huge improvement on my body. However, after doing this for so many years it has become a bit tedious and boring to a point that it was hard to work out. I started to ask myself why I want to workout. What is it that I want to improve on my body and why. Like Bruce I was starting to more at a function body than just having a ripped one. Now I'm doing a variety of workouts to improve my punching capability, gain a higher kick, and over all have more energy and stamina." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Intuition is often described as your "gut feeling," but Bruce Lee defined intuition in many different ways--as body feel, the root, the creative tide in us, natural instinct, guidance, and free movement of spirit. "What we are after is the root and not the branches. The root is real knowledge; the branches are surface knowledge. Real knowledge breeds "body feel" and personal expression; surface knowledge breeds mechanical conditioning and imposing limitation and squelches creativity." "The superior man lets himself be guided." "Don't think – feel. Feeling exists here and now when not interrupted and dissected by ideas or concepts. The moment we stop analyzing and let go, we can start really seeing, feeling – as one whole." A truly awake person is using their mind, body, and heart all at once. "Here is natural instinct and here is control. You are to combine the two in harmony. If you have one to the extreme, you will be very unscientific; if you have another to the extreme, you become a mechanical man and no longer a human being." "Trust the life-giving force within." Bruce wrote a letter to his friend Pearl when he was 21 where he discusses this feeling and he writes about all the things he wanted out of life and wanted to do with his life. "I feel I have this great creative and spiritual force within me, that is greater than faith, that is greater than ambition, greater than confidence, greater than determination, greater than vision, it is all these combined. And my brain becomes magnetized with this dominating force which I hold in my hand." At this young age, Bruce is becoming in touch with this inner energy and recognizing that if he can combine it with his dreams and what his mind wants, he can accomplish anything. "Sharpen the psychic power of seeing in order to act immediately in accordance with what it sees." Often we can be too analytical about a situation letting our minds decide everything for us. Bruce was able to accomplish so much in his short life because he sharpened this ability to see the truth and then to act immediately in accordance with that. "Freedom lies in understanding yourself from moment to moment. If you look within yourself and know you have done right, what do you have to fear?" Take Action: Listen to your whole body and follow your gut. Journal about it and create an awareness of repeated themes. Try a test of following your gut and see how it works out for you. Does following your gut work out to be the right choice for you? #BruceLeePodcastChallenge We started the Podcast Challenge on Monday, we're doing it and you should do it too! It's for two weeks and it's not too late to join us. We're excited to have our friend actor Osric Chau participating in the challenge too! Find the rules at Brucelee.com/podcastchallenge #AAHA This week our #AAHA is Indian director Shekhar Kapur. He's known for directing "Elizabeth" which was nominated for 7 Oscars. In 1975, Kapur started his career in film as an actor in the movie "Jaan Hazir Hai" and later moved to directing with the movie "Massom" in 1983. In 1994 he directed the acclaimed "Bandit Queen," and in 1998 he received international recognition for the Academy Award winning film "Elizabeth". Shekhar Kapur, we respect your true artistry and think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week's moment comes from listener Grant: "I realized that I had allowed myself to enter the pattern and I was punching the water repeatedly and allowing my frustration to build because the results were always the same and that I needed to find a different way. I realized that the place I wanted to be was simply enjoying what time I have with my family and that I was choosing to step aside from that to focus on a sideshow aimed at making me unhappy." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Meditation has been around for thousands of years, but it's recently become popular with a broad audience. Modern people need it to create peace from a frenzied world with unrelenting distractions and demands. Typically, mediation is thought of as the practice of sitting still in the crossed leg position, for an extended period of time to quiet the mind. Bruce Lee practiced meditation through movement, such as running, practicing punching, on his exercise bike, or just walking around his backyard in quiet contemplation. He used natural movement as a way to meditate and connect to himself. "It is not a technique of introversion by which one seeks to exclude matter and the external world, to eliminate distracting thoughts, to sit in silence emptying the mind of images, and to concentrate on the purity of one's own spiritual essence. Meditation is not a mysticism of "introversion" and "withdrawal." It is not "acquired contemplation." To think that this insight is a subjective experience "attainable" by some kind of process of mental purification is to doom oneself to error and absurdity." "We do not arrive, we are. Don't strive to become, but be." "Do not separate meditation as a means from enlightenment as an end." When we're in our normal, everyday headspace, we are often in "list" mode, thinking about all the things we have to do or fix. In the moment of meditation you don't need to be goal or purpose oriented. "Any effort the mind makes will further limit the mind." When we are meditating we are the unattached observer, existing without concentrating on any particular thing. In meditation, just letting something "be" is the practice of being non-judgmental for a short time. "A simple mind is one that functions, that thinks and feels without motive. Where there is a motive, there must be a way, a method, a system of discipline. The motive is brought about by the desire for an end, for a goal, to achieve that goal there must be a way, etc. Meditation is a freeing of the mind from all motives." Take Action: Try meditating for a week, five minutes a day or longer if you want. Try different types of mediation to figure out what works for you—sitting, walking, bathing, dancing—whatever connects you to this effortless space where your mind is free of motives. Notice how it feels in your body to connect to this calmness. Podcast Challenge: Starting this Monday June 12th, 2017, join Shannon and Sharon in a 2-week Action Challenge to practice Bruce Lee's philosophies. One winner will be picked to be a guest on the Bruce Lee Podcast and receive a Bruce Lee gift bag! Find the rules and challenges at Brucelee.com/podcastchallenge #AAHA Our shout-out goes to English actress Jessica Henwick. She's the daughter of a Singaporean Chinese mother and a Zambian-English father. In 2009, she was the first actress of East Asian descent to play a role in a British TV series when she was cast in the lead role of Bo for the BBC show Spirit Warriors. She went on to be in Game of Thrones, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Iron Fist. Her acting chops continue to be praised and she's become a fan favorite. Jessica, you're doing great work and we think you're awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week our moment is from listener Thom: "I wind up with a philosophy degree plan after some soul-searching, but before I could complete my final year, I suffered a stroke. I don't remember what or how it came about that I landed on "Just Remember to Breathe, " but when I say that to myself I recognize my thoughts are just that, thoughts. All the possible outcomes of my day boil down to one, my emotions are reined back, my mind clears a bit and I recognize the past can't be undone, the future is unwritten, so what's left? Now. It's all we got. Time to act." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

The Art of Soul is about living the artist's life and mastering the art of living as a whole human being. "The ultimate aim of the artist is to lay hold of the art of living. Be a master of living for the soul creates everything." Bruce had a clear vision about what it took to be an artist of life: "Requirement to be an artist – purity of heart." "The aim of art is to state in aesthetic creation the deepest psychic and personal experiences of a human being." "An artist's expression is his soul made apparent. Behind every motion, the music of his soul is made visible." Bruce Lee believed that we are each artists of our own lives. We don't have to create creative artifacts or achieve the status of an artist in society in order to be an artist. "Art is the way to the essence of human life. The aim of art is not the one-sided promotion of spirit, soul and senses, but the opening of all human capacities – thought, feeling, will – to the life rhythm of the world of nature." This is about co-creating your life with the world and revealing your soul. Everyone has their own expression of artistic activity, whether it's in your relationships or actually an artistic creation. This is the personality as a reflection of our soul, not our social persona we put on for show. "The artless art is the art of the soul at peace." When you start to cultivate what makes your heart sing and you start to flow with that, that brings a sense of centeredness and peace which is fully self-generated. "All vague notions must fall before a pupil can call himself a master." These vague notions hold you back and cause you to drift in a place of uncertainty. "The true artist has no public. He works for the sheer joy of it, with and element of playfulness, of casualness. Art reaches its greatest peak when devoid of self-consciousness. Freedom discovers man the moment he loses concern over what impression he is making or about to make." There is true freedom in being yourself. Be as weird as you want to be. "Simplicity is the last step of art and the beginning of nature." When we simply and honestly express our soul, we become more natural—closer to nature. Take Action: What makes your heart sing? How could you share that? How could you unfold your personality and make who you are more visible? If you're just starting this, it doesn't have to be the world, it can just be one trusted co-conspirator who won't judge you who you can be honest with. #BruceLeePodcastChallenge: June 12, 2017 - June 26, 2017 A 2 week action challenge to integrate Bruce Lee's philosophy into your daily life. One winner will be picked to be a guest on the Bruce Lee Podcast! Go to brucelee.com/podcastchallenge for more details! #AAHA Our shout-out goes to Korean American actor and musician John Cho. He's best known in his role in the Harold and Kumar movies, and plays Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek reboot film series. Cho is open about experiencing racism in his career in Hollywood and purposely pursues roles that break Asian stereotypes. He has said that one of his biggest frustrations is how Hollywood seeks to follow trends and acts like followers of culture rather than starting and leading social trends or artistic movements. We think you're awesome John Cho! #BruceLeeMoment This week's moment is from listener Thomas N.: "Long days of study were overshadowed by frantic thoughts of whether I could be approaching the task in a more efficient or intelligent way. Bruce says: "Like everyone else you want to learn the way to win, but never to accept the way to lose. To accept defeat—to learn to die—is to be liberated from it! So when tomorrow comes, you must free your ambitious mind and learn the art of dying." That was it. I had to accept the possibility of failure, stop trying to find ways to weasel myself into success, and simply do." Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

The six diseases of the mind are obstacles that you will confront on your path to wholeness and fluidity. The Six Diseases: The desire for victory The desire to resort to technical cunning The desire to display all that has been learned The desire to awe the enemy The desire to play the passive role The desire to get rid of whatever disease one is affected by All of these diseases occur when we seek outside validation. The desire for victory is the desire to win at all costs, usually at the cost of someone else. Wanting to win is not a bad thing, but when it overtakes you and blinds you to everything else is when it becomes a problem. It becomes not about the victory itself, but about coveting and becoming attached to that outcome. The desire to resort to technical cunning is the desire to outsmart, to be overly clever, to the exclusion of other tools of success. This is being showy, flamboyant and attached to form. The desire to display all that has been learned this is the desire to appear super knowledgeable and "wow" people with your knowledge. Essentially, this is a desire to be a know-it-all and be better than everyone else in the room. This creates no space for anyone else's opinion. The desire to awe the enemy this is the desire to have your enemy to look at you with fear and wonder. This is an intimidation through show of force. The desire to play the passive role this is the desire to be unaccountable or to be the martyr. This is a desire to appear easy going, but it can be used as a weapon of guilt. The desire to get rid of whatever disease one is affected by. It is good to want to get rid of your disease, but you don't get rid of it by denying the disease, you get rid of it by being with it. By integrating it you see that you are participating in this disease; the desire to get rid of the disease is a fantasy of being perfect without working through it. "Any technique, however worthy and desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it." Desire can quickly lead to obsession and can keep away from your real life. "The deluded mind is the mind affectively burdened by intellect. Thus, it cannot move without stopping and reflecting on itself. This obstructs its native fluidity." "We should not seek knowledge, but discover the cause of our ignorance." Take Action: Any tool becomes a problem if you rely too much on it. How much do you rely on outside validation? What changes are you resisting? Are your moods based on outside validation? Create a list of the times where you experienced each of the Six Diseases. #AAHA This week our #AAHA shout out goes to Chinese contemporary classical composer, Tan Dun. He's known for doing the scores for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, " and "Hero" and composing music for the 2008 Beijing Olympics medal ceremonies. A lot Dun's music incorporates organic materials such as paper, water, and stone and is often inspired by traditional Chinese theatrical and ritual performance. Tan Dun won an Academy Award for his score of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Dun continues to create audio-visual masterpieces, experimenting with theater, film, and opera. Tan Dun, thank you for your work and we think you're awesome. #BruceLeeMoment This week our moment comes from listener Tony P.: "For Christmas several years ago, my wife bought me The Artist of Life. I could not put it down. For someone who could not finish even a short book before, I completed this book in record time. I also began to love Bruce for the philosophy and wisdom that he had. I have worked on putting his passion and commitment to excellence to work in all areas of my life. I now pick a couple of things I want to work on and I put my all into it. As Bruce would say, "I make mind up to do and I am going to do it, man!" Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at [email protected] Read full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast