The philosophy of Bruce Lee is more about the power of love than “kicking ass”, says Shannon Lee, daughter of the legendary ‘70s martial artist and actor.
Bruce shirtless, mouth, in pose, tournament fight, on Han's Island, action shot in ETD. Students, extras, flags, stone wall in background. Iconic portrait, punch behind. Photo: Genesis Publications
She has written joins a new book, In My Own Process, a definitive tribute to the life and work of the iconic martial artist, actor and philosopher.
Described as more than just a retrospective; it is a tribute to Lee's enduring spirit and his timeless message of self-discovery and empowerment.
“He did what he loved. He pursued what he loved. He attempted to cultivate himself because he loved himself doing things at the highest quality, which means the highest care, the highest attention that he could give, which is also all about love,” she tells Jim Mora.
Writer and actor Shannon Lee - daughter of the martial artist and actor Bruce Lee Photo: Courtesy of the Chicago Humanities Festival
Born in San Francisco in 1940, Bruce Lee grew up in Hong Kong as a child actor and gifted martial artist fighter. In his early 20s, Bruce Lee moved back to the United States and studied Asian and Western philosophy at the University of Washington. In the ‘60s and early ‘70s he taught martial arts and performed in action films, including the highly influential Enter the Dragon (1973).
“I've already made up my mind that some authentic portrayal of an Asian man is going to be seen in Hollywood”, Lee stated in a 1971 interview. Enter the Dragon - whose script included changes made by Lee - premiered in August 1973 just one month after his sudden death at 32.
Martial artist and actor Bruce Lee in the 1973 action film Enter the Dragon Photo: Capital Pictures
“Gossip” is what Shannon labels the theories about her father's death in a Hong Kong apartment 51 years ago.
“The truth of the matter is that he took a pain medication that he had never before and that he had a reaction to. It caused his brain to swell and he died.”
Even though Lee’s movies have aged to a certain extent, decades on the man himself still “sparkles” when he’s onscreen, Shannon says.
Martial artist and actor Bruce Lee with his daughter Shannon Lee Photo: @therealshannonlee
“That dynamism that he had, you can feel it. When you watch his performances, he is magnetising.”
In his short life, Lee was always curious and always on the go, she says.
“He was such a natural, kinesthetic human being, you know, and, but he was a deep, deep thinker and highly self-educated. He was super inquisitive and curious and he always wanted to know why people did the things they did and why one thing was better than another.”
Despite his philosophical convictions, Lee did not see himself as a spiritual leader, Shannon says.
“He once said “I personally am no teacher. I merely represent a direction that you can take. Don't get caught up in the distractions that are pointing in all different directions.
“Really put your heart all the way forward up into that heavenly, beautiful, glorious space and see where your heart will lead you.”
Photo: Genesis Publications
“Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. You put water into a cup; it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend” - Bruce Lee in a 1971 episode of the American police drama Longstreet.
Shannon Lee is the author of Be Water, My Friend: The True Teachings of Bruce Lee.
