How Buddhism shaped Bruce Lee

What philosophy did Bruce Lee teach?

Intercept the fist to disarm the opponent

Jeet Kune Do (Chinese 截拳道, Jyutping, lit. "Stop Fist Way" or the "Way of the Intercepting Fist," abbreviated JKD) is Bruce Lee's hybrid martial art, which was conceived of, practiced, and taught by Lee.

It centers on the principle of counterattacking an opponent in order to impede that opponent's offense [12, 13].

As an eclectic martial art, it relies on a fighting style heavily influenced by Wing Chun, tai chi, taekwondo, boxing, fencing, and jujutsu [14, 15].

Hah, Bruce Lee, you're not so tough!

Bruce Lee beats up all the students of the Japanese martial arts school at once | Fist of Fury

China's "Three Teachings"

Jeet Kune Do, which Lee intended to have practical life applications without the traditional routines and metaphysics of conventional martial arts, incorporates a set of principles to help practitioners make quick decisions and improve their mental and physical health [13, 16].

Lee based JKD on his experiences in unarmed fighting and self-defense, as well as on his eclectic, Zen Buddhist, Confucianist, and Taoist philosophies... More

In a conversation with the abbot of Shaolin Temple, the abbot asks what Lee thinks about when he faces an opponent. "There is no opponent," Lee answers, "because the word 'I' does not exist." That line echoes one of the Buddha's central teachings [anatta, the impersonal nature of all existence and phenomena]. The fixed idea of "me" that "we" [the aggregates] cling to so tightly falls apart the moment you look for it closely [systematically through satipatthana].

Bruce Lee: White men can't fight, Chuck Norris

(Binge Society) Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris in The Way of the Dragon (Return of the Dragon)

Did Buddhism shape Bruce Lee’s martial arts philosophy?

Enter the Dragon (Bruce Lee)

(Buddha's Wisdom) 🥋 Was Bruce Lee a secret American Buddhist [partial to China's Three blended spiritual Teachings]?

The man behind the saying, “Be water, my friend” reportedly said he had no religion at all, like most Americans. Yet ZEN, Taoism, [Confucianism] and the Buddha’s teachings (or Dharma) run through his life, his films, and his own blended philosophy he called Jeet Kune Do.

And one famous “Bruce Lee quote” actually traces back to Chinese Zen Buddhist Master Linji (Linji Yixuan), who passed away in the year 866.

Let's follow Bruce Lee from a rowing boat in Hong Kong Harbor, where he punched the sea, to the Oakland, California (next to Berkeley) fight that made him rebuild his art, the back injury that put him in bed for months.

Let's culminate with the Hollywood movie set for Enter the Dragon, where Bruce Lee refused to show up until his Buddhist-Taoist-Confucian philosophy scenes were put back in.

Along the way, we separate what the record shows from what the legend claims.

💡 DISCOVER

• Why Lee punched the sea—and why “Be water” begins with a Taoist image
• How a disputed 1964 fight made him question his fighting style.
• The Buddha’s Parable of the Raft, and how Lee rebuilt his fighting style
• Why Lee insisted on philosophy in Enter the Dragon and the Buddhist image in one of its most famous scenes
• The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path hidden in Bruce Lee's sickbed notebooks

Fat Happy Budai (Hotei) pointing at the moon

• 

  What, the hand, that hand that points?

  The Buddhist roots of “Don’t think, feel” and the finger pointing at the moon (Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra)
• The Zen master whose words ended up under Bruce Lee’s name

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• Matt, Buddha's Wisdom, AI. Oct. 17, 2026; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

First to summit Mt. Everest: Tenzing (film)

TENZING (2026 film)

Now at NoHo7, LA, and soon on Apple TV

Based on true events, Tenzing chronicles the little-known story of Tenzing Norgay (played by Genden Phuntsok), a gifted Himalayan Sherpa climber who, alongside New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston), was the first to summit Mt. Everest.

Encouraged by his wife Dawa (Thinley Lhamo), Tenzing finds an ally in expedition secretary Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe). Together, they persuade Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) that Tenzing belongs on the British climbing team, rather than merely serving it.

Whereas Western climbers see Mt. “Everest” as something to be conquered, Tenzing and the other indigenous Sherpas revere Chomolungma (lit. “Head in the Sky” or more loosely “Goddess of the Sky”) as the sacred Mother Goddess. The Tibetan name for Mt. Everest is Qomolangma (ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ, lit. “Holy Mother”).

Tenzing (2026 film) Hollywood, USA

What follows is an ascent defined as much by the tensions between backgrounds, classes, and competing ambitions as by the perils of the mountain itself.

But high above the world, empire, rank, and aspiration fall away, leaving two outsiders bound by mutual respect and trust — and for Tenzing, the fulfillment of both a life-long dream and a spiritual calling.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Peedom, Tenzing is a story of greatness that refuses to be diminished — and the human love that makes it possible. Source. NOW SHOWING:

• Laemmle's NoHo 7, North Hollywood
• Tasveer Film Center, Seattle (Laemmle)

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE (Laemmle) 

Sir Edmund Hillary and his guide Sherpa Tenzing Norgay climb Mount Everest, 1953 (archive video)

The world may argue who was first, but as friends we would never squabble over it.

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Tenzing Himalayan Mountaineering Inst

(The Guardian) May 29, 2013: VAJRAYANA BUDDHIST NEPAL, Himalayas - There exists an archive newsreel with footage that shows how New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa climber Tenzing Norgay became the first humans in recorded history to climb to the summit of Mount Everest, allegedly the highest (not tallest) peak on the planet.

Edmund Hillary and his best Sherpa friend and guide Tenzing Norgay, circa 1953

.

• 

  Tibetan lamas mapping Mt. Sumeru in sand

  There are allegations that K2 in Pakistan is in fact higher. That this can be questioned in modern times is not in spite of technology but because of it. Past attempts to determine their heights has been hampered by snow layers and politics. The Hawaiian giant Mauna Kea is no doubt taller but seated on the ocean floor so as to not be higher; and the mythical Mt. Sumeru of Buddhist cosmology and lore, supported by Vedic, Hindu, and Jain cosmologies, if such a peak is confirmed to exist as a tangible rock and soil mountain would be both far taller and far higher up. See also List of tall mountain peaks by prominence.
• 1953 British Mount Everest expedition

Who are these mysterious animistic-Buddhist Sherpa people of the Himalayas?

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I owe it all to my Sherpa porter

Their achievement came two days after a British expedition, led by John Hunt, came within 100 meters (330 feet) of the summit. On Wednesday, May 29, it will be the 60th anniversary of Hillary and Tenzing's conquest of the world's tallest mountain.

The Guardian (UK) publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► bit.ly/3biVfwh. Website ► theguardian.com. Facebook ► theguardian. Twitter ► guardian. Instagram ► guardian. #Everest #Nepal #TenzingNorgay #Climbing #EdmundHillary #MountEverest

Yeah, but could they conquer K2?

The Last First: Winter K2 — Ambition, Tragedy and the Fight for K2

Statue of mountaineer Edmund Hillary looking up toward peak of Mount Cook

• Jennifer Peedom, Tenzing; Laemmle; CC Liu, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

International No Bra Day (10/13) 😱

How can this be legal? Moobs (man boobs), male breasts in public with exposed nipples Rated G

I don't need this bra! It's so restrictive, oppressive

(Saturday Night Live) Weekend Update: National No Bra Day; the price of the American Dream rises to $5 million; oldest men in the country

Do I really need any underwear?

No Bra Day is an annual observance on October 13th when women are encouraged to go braless as a means to encourage breast cancer awareness.

No Bra Day was initially observed on July 9, 2011, but within three years it had moved to the 13th day of the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is October.

Users on social media are encouraged to post using the hashtag #nobraday to promote awareness of breast cancer symptoms and to encourage gender equality.

• Free the nipple (campaign)

I'm just doing my part.

Some users on social media sites also encourage women to post pictures of themselves not wearing a bra.

Some women embrace No Bra Day as a political statement, whereas others prefer the comfort of discarding what they view as a restrictive, uncomfortable garment.

The observance has spread worldwide. The event was spun off a medical event in Toronto, Canada, that encourages breast cancer survivors to consider reconstructive surgery.

I'm the new Parton. I should be spokesperson

First held on October 19th, 2011, the medical event was named BRA (Breast Reconstruction Awareness) Day. It was adapted by an anonymous individual who conceived of No Bra Day as a way to encourage women to enjoy being braless and to become knowledgeable about breast cancer symptoms.

The day is controversial as some see it as sexualizing and exploiting women's bodies while at the same time belittling a serious disease. More

(Hollywood Chuckles) 18 minutes of Sydney Sweeney and Aubrey Plaza making everyone

Free the nipple campaign

Free the Nipple: for equal rights

Free the nipple is a topfreedom campaign created in 2012 during pre-production of a 2014 film of the same name [1, 2]. The campaign highlights the general convention of allowing males to appear topless in public while considering it sexual, suggestive, or indecent for females to do the same and asserts that this difference is discriminatory, contravening women's rights. The campaign argues that it should be legally and culturally acceptable for women to bare their nipples (a mammalian feature everyone has) in public [3]. More

Like Ariana G, we got it, we flaunt it: moobs (man boobs)

Hollywood destroying world with vapid stars?

Huh? What was the question? Could you repeat it, I don't understand. Where's my PR agent?

• SNL, Oct. 9, 2026; Hollywood Chuckles; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen B., Ashley Wells, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Sacred Path powwow, LA's Griffith Park (11/7)

Where's the powwow? It's at LA's enormous central park Griffith Park next to Hollywood.

What is Griffith Park? - It is a giant wilderness area with free roaming lions like P-22's cubs.

Danza Azteca, Indigenous Los Angeles

Sacred Path at The Autry Museum. The big Los Angeles Pow Wow 2026 is scheduled for Saturday, November 7th, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. (Grand Entry begins at 1:00 pm).

The Autry Museum is in Griffith Park, Los Angeles (between Hollywood and Glendale). It is appropriate for ages 13+, families, seniors, and admission is FREE and open to the public. More info

Griffith Park is also home of Indie Shakes

Independent Shakespeare Co. Bridge Centennial Celebration, Oct. 10, 2026 (IndieShakes)

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Why do powwow dancers gather together?

ABOUT: Join The Autry (next to the LA Zoo by the Shakespeare Festival) for a full-day celebration of Indigenous/Native culture with traditional powwow dancing, food, and vendors. The event features:

• 

  Shaman medicine man healers?

  Traditional dancing and songs led by Northern- and Southern-style drummers and singers
• Indian tacos and traditional toxic (acrylamide soaked) frybread
• Vendors selling traditional and contemporary Native American arts and crafts
• Native community information booths
• Diverse Native languages, customs, and dances

Will there be any arts and crafts for sale to commemorate all the tribes and traditions of LA?

Visit sacredpath.org

SACRED PATH: The Autry is pleased to announce a new partnership with Sacred Path Indigenous Wellness Center. Sacred Path is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving urban Native communities, offering a variety of programs and services designed to promote cultural connection, community engagement, and overall well-being. For more info, please visit sacredpath.org.

What is a powwow?

What must the extraterrestrial visitors the tribes remember have looked like? (wiki)

The Autry Museum of the American West

A powwow is a Native American gathering that brings together Indigenous communities to celebrate their culture, heritage, and spirituality. It includes traditional regalia, intertribal dancing, singing, and Indigenous foods and crafts.

What NOT to do at a powwow?

• 

  Is it a Native Quinceañera?

  Don’t touch dancers’ regalia (and please refrain from calling it a "costume")
• Don’t take close-up photographs or video without permission.
• Don’t walk through the dance arena or close to dancers, drummers.
• Don’t interrupt sacred traditional ceremonies, dancing, or singing.
• Don’t drink alcohol or consume drugs at this family-friendly event.

What to do at a powwow?

• Be respectful.
• Stand quietly during prayers and flag songs.
• Follow the instructions of the emcee and arena director.

Land Acknowledgement

Cherokee Land Acknowledgement

The Autry Museum acknowledges the Tongva/Gabrielino (Kizh) peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles Basin and Southern Channel Islands). We recognize that the Autry Museum and its campuses are located on the traditional lands of Tongva/Gabrielino peoples and we pay our respects to the Honuukvetam ("Ancestors"), ‘Ahiihirom ("Elders"), and ‘Eyoohiinkem ("our relatives/relations") past, present, and emerging.

• EVENTS | The Autry Museum
• Autry Museum of the American West
• 4700 Western Heritage Way
• Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
• (In Griffith Park across from LA Zoo)
• MAPS AND DIRECTIONS
• PARKING

White man's powwow (slam dance mosh pit)

DO NON-NATIVE YOUTH EVER GATHER FOR TRIBAL DANCING?

• Genetic study places Indigenous ancestors' arrival near the end of the Ice Age
• Autry.org; Xochitl, Crystal Q., Dhr. Seven, Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly