# The way of the Tao?



## jkd friend (Jan 26, 2007)

Bruce lee was a taoist but some of the things I here he was into did not sound like the way of the tao. Like drinking blood and things of that nature if you studied bruce lee's you have come across some of these things. but if they true is it the way of the Tao?


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## CoryKS (Jan 26, 2007)

jkd friend said:


> Bruce lee was a taoist but some of the things I here he was into did not sound like the way of the tao. Like drinking blood and things of that nature if you studied bruce lee's you have come across some of these things. but if they true is it the way of the Tao?


 
Before trying to find out if it's the way of the tao, it would be best to find out if it's true.  Somebody tells me something like "so-and-so drank blood", I'm reaching for the salt.


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## jkd friend (Jan 26, 2007)

CoryKS said:


> Before trying to find out if it's the way of the tao, it would be best to find out if it's true. Somebody tells me something like "so-and-so drank blood", I'm reaching for the salt.


 

I did my research just looking for more insight my friend!:asian:


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## Xue Sheng (Jan 26, 2007)

jkd friend said:


> I did my research just looking for more insight my friend!:asian:


 

Bruce Lee was a Taoist!?!?!?!?!? 

Bruce Lee drank blood!?!?!?!? 

Sources please.

Bruce Lee being Southern Chinese I wouldn't doubt he ate Blood Tofu, hell I have. (you can find it in any good Southern Chinese Dim Sum place, and of course in Southern China), and they tend to eat some pretty bizarre stuff in Southern China and some of that stuff has blood in it. Pretty much if it came form the animal they eat it and waste little or nothing. But it is cultural not religious and as long as a Taoist or Buddhist in China is not a vegetarian it would not mean much at all. 

So I am not sure what you are getting at here.


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## pstarr (Jan 27, 2007)

Never heard anything about Bruce Lee being a Daoist.  He spouted off some fortune-cookie Daoist sayings but I don't think he was a practicing Daoist anymore than he practiced ballet...


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## jkd friend (Feb 2, 2007)

pstarr said:


> Never heard anything about Bruce Lee being a Daoist. He spouted off some fortune-cookie Daoist sayings but I don't think he was a practicing Daoist anymore than he practiced ballet...


 

In some of his early books like the tao of gung-fu he spoke of taoism.


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 2, 2007)

jkd friend said:


> In some of his early books like the tao of gung-fu he spoke of taoism.


 
And I speak about Taoism too but it doesn't make me a Taoist, I have read Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu even visited Taoists temple and I have trained Tai Chi for 12 years and I am still not a Taoist.

In Bruce Lee's books he uses both Taoism and Buddhism. But that is not surprising he comes form a country that is mainly Buddhist and Taoist. I know several Chinese people that can tell you a WHOLE lot about Taoism and Buddhism and they are neither. I also know a devout Chan Buddhist that can tell you a whole lot about Taoism and they are certainly not Taoist either.


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## Steel Tiger (Feb 4, 2007)

Didn't Bruce attend Xavier College as a youth?  Not sure about Hong Kong, but in Australia, a college with a name like that would be of a religious nature - either Catholic or Anglican.  Is it possible that Bruce was actually a Christian of some degree?


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## JadecloudAlchemist (Feb 12, 2007)

Found this searching for Bruce Lee and religion it is from the book The Warrior within by John Little:When asked by journalist Alex Ben Block in the summer of 1972 what his religious affiliation was, Lee answered: 'None whatsoever.' However Bruce lee did incoprate religious idea in his teachings from Chan Buddhism,Taoism and also Lee enjoyed the Hindu Philosopher teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti stated in his book Tao of Jeet kun do. These are sources I found how credible they are I don't know...


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## bushidomartialarts (Feb 12, 2007)

i suspect it would be hard for anybody raised in china to completely divorce his/her thinking from taoist thought.  just like anybody raised in america is going to have to do a lot of sledding to separate his/her thinking from a christian slant.


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 12, 2007)

bushidomartialarts said:


> i suspect it would be hard for anybody raised in china to completely divorce his/her thinking from taoist thought. just like anybody raised in america is going to have to do a lot of sledding to separate his/her thinking from a christian slant.


 

This is true, I know a lot of people form China that claim not to be religious but if you go to their house there is at least 1 Buddhist and Taoist symbol, generally more.


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## SifuPhil (Mar 4, 2007)

JKD Friend, I'd think one point you'd want to be clear on is whether Bruce was a religious or philosophical Taoist - there's a big difference.

To my mind and what little I know of him he wasn't a religious Taoist, but many of his ideas certainly seemed to contain a philosophical Taoist base.


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## Cruentus (Mar 4, 2007)

It is important to understand that many people from China are influenced by Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucianist philosophy. This is similar to how we here in the U.S. are heavily influenced by greek, euro-western, and christian philosophy. One may not be religious, or even theist, and still be culturally influenced by these different ways of thinking. This occurs without even knowing it. Did you know that the "golden rule" actually came from confucius? 

Also important to remember that most forms of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism are not _theist_, in that the philosophy does not encompass a belief in an active, personal god.

So, it would be very common for a person who studies and even practices to some extent Buddhism or Taoism to answer, "none whatsoever" if asked what religion is followed, because they may not hold the same theist beliefs that someone from the west would interpret as a "religion."

Don't know anything about Bruce Lee's personal beliefs other then from his book "Tao of JKD," to shed any additional light in that department, though.


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## MBuzzy (Mar 5, 2007)

SifuPhil said:


> JKD Friend, I'd think one point you'd want to be clear on is whether Bruce was a religious or philosophical Taoist - there's a big difference.
> 
> To my mind and what little I know of him he wasn't a religious Taoist, but many of his ideas certainly seemed to contain a philosophical Taoist base.


 
Exactly - If you read the Tao Te Ching, there is no reference to any god or deity.  It is simple...as the name states, The Way.  It is the way to happiness in one man's opinion basically.  It has over the years become a religion, but at its base, it is only a philosophy.  Therefore, it is very normal in Asian countries to be both Buddhist and Taoist.  In fact, Taoism does not preclue one from having religious beliefs.

Also....I've had many dishes made with blood here in Korea.  Most are quite good.  Ox Blood Soup....YUM!


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## heretic888 (Mar 5, 2007)

Cruentus said:


> Did you know that the "golden rule" actually came from confucius?



The "golden rule" didn't _come_ from anybody. Its a natural product of human sociomoral reasoning and is a common precept in numerous religions and philosophies, regardless of their cultural origin.


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## LawDog (Mar 6, 2007)

The Golden Rule, what is it?


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## CoryKS (Mar 6, 2007)

LawDog said:


> The Golden Rule, what is it?


 
He who has the gold makes the rules.


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## LawDog (Mar 6, 2007)

That is to funny and oh so true.  Thanks


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## Shaderon (Mar 9, 2007)

MBuzzy said:


> Also....I've had many dishes made with blood here in Korea. Most are quite good. Ox Blood Soup....YUM!


 

The UK, the USA and Germany the same blood product, in the UK it's called Black pudding, in the USA, Blood Sausage and in Germany Blutwurst... I love it, it's really nice.


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## Xue Sheng (Mar 9, 2007)

Shaderon said:


> The UK, the USA and Germany the same blood product, in the UK it's called Black pudding, in the USA, Blood Sausage and in Germany Blutwurst... I love it, it's really nice.


 
From southern China, where Lee was from...

Blood Tofu... it's not bad actually

*EDIT*
There is a saying in Southern China

"They eat anything with legs except tables and chairs". And that was told to me by someone from Guangzhou


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