The Daily Stoic - Jet Li on Inner Peace, Ego, and What True Strength Looks Like

Episode Date: August 29, 2026

Behind Jet Li’s martial arts mastery and international fame is a deeply personal journey to understand purpose, ego, and freedom. In today’s episode, he sits down with Ryan to discuss the three levels of martial arts, how surviving the 2004 tsunami changed his life, and what he believes is the highest form of strength.Jet Li is a martial artist, actor, philanthropist, film producer, and author. He became the youngest national martial arts champion in Chinese history at twelve years old and went on to become one of the most internationally recognized Chinese film stars of all time, with roles in Shaolin Temple, Once Upon a Time in China, Fist of Legend, Hero, Fearless, Romeo Must Die, Lethal Weapon 4, The Expendables, and Disney’s live-action Mulan.Beyond film, Jet has spent more than thirty years studying Buddhism and has devoted much of his life to philanthropy. After surviving the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami with his family, he founded One Foundation, a charitable organization focused on disaster relief, mental health, and grassroots giving. His new book is Beyond Life and Death: The Way of True Freedom.Follow Jet Li on Instagram | @jetli📚 Grab signed copies of Beyond Life and Death by Jet Li at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is coming to a city near you! Grab tickets here |  https://www.dailystoiclive.com/🎙️ AD-FREE | Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/🎥 VIDEO EPISODES| Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos✉️ FREE STOIC WISDOM | Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail--Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/DAILYSTOIC and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, designed to help bring those four key stoic virtues, courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom into the real world. One of the great misunderstandings of martial arts is that it's about fighting, that it's about speed and power and dominance and the infliction of pain, that it's ultimately about winning, about destroying or incapacitating someone else. But the deeper tradition has always been, well, something deeper. Not just self-mastery and discipline, control, self-control, but also stillness, wisdom, peace, tranquility. This goes back to Musashi.

This goes back to the martial artists and samurai who wrote haikus and made watercolors. They understood that martial arts was something physical, but it was also primarily, about the mind, that it was also a metaphor. I think the Stoics would have understood this. Certainly the Stoics wrestled and boxed and fought. This is why we see these metaphors pop up in Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. Marks Ruehius says, you know, life is not a dance. It is more akin to the role of the wrestler.

You have to be dug in and ready for sudden attacks. And that's why I was really excited to talk to today's guest, the great Jet Li. One of the most iconic martial artists and film stars in the world, Shaolin Temple once upon a time in China, hero, fearless, Romeo must die, lethal weapon four. He was also in the expendables and Disney's live action version of Mulan. He was a national martial arts champion in China at like 12 years old. He helped bring Chinese martial arts cinema to the world. And he spent decades talking about this deeper connection between martial arts, between philosophy, between Buddhism and training the mind.

And that's what we talk about in today's episode, his childhood, what it was like to be great so young, how he met President Richard Nixon, who asked him to be his bodyguard or at least choked about it. You know, and I wanted to know whether this martial arts thing was something he loved or he was pushed into. And in fact, Jett spent more than 30 years studying Buddhism and one of the big sort of pivot points in his life was the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which sort of drove him not just to a reckoning about his mortality, but to be more charitable. He built this great organization called The One Foundation. I think this also ties into the title of the book, Beyond Life and Death. The Way of True Freedom is a lot about him and his daughter, who was there.

She helped do some of the translating and they had a lovely relationship, and clearly she helps him. him sort of navigate, not just the language barrier, but the culture barrier and make his way in the world. It was very sweet. She sort of hung out in the studio with us when we did it. I thought the new book was great. I was really good. I've worked with his agent before. So when he suggested that I might like to talk with Jetli, I was like, are you serious? Of course. So this is a convo where the martial arts and stoicism meet, ultimately centering around this very stoic idea that freedom is in the only place that it really can't exist, which is within. Thanks to Jett for coming out.

You can follow him on Instagram at Jet Lee, and we've got some signed copies of Beyond Life and Death at the Painted Porch, which you can grab. I'll link to that in today's show notes. Let's just get into it. Every time you look at your phone, there's another chaotic headline. You almost feel like you have to be glued to your screen to keep up.

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materials without the markup. If you're still hanging on to the same worn out basics, Quince makes it easy to upgrade. And if you want to upgrade your everyday, download the Quince app for app exclusive offers or go to quince.com slash stoic to get free shipping on your order and 365 day returns, now available in Canada and the UK. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash stoic. I thought the book was really good. I was reading about your boyhood. It feels like there was basically pressure on you from day one. Yes.

Yes. How did that feel? Was it heavy? Or did you get used to it? I used to it because when I was a little boy, I don't know anything about. You know, I was two years old. My daddy passed away. So family very poor.

My mom only 34 years old. To rethink my two older things. to older brother, me, five children, you know. So very heavy. Yeah, the family. Then from my remember, I already say, I need to try my best. Yeah. To helping my mom, helping my mom, you know, that's why I quite naughty, you know,

I have led with this. And then eight years old, I started learning martial arts. Then I tried my best. And then you got a little money. Yeah. Then you can help mom. It's very important. Very important.

Then I know if I can keep, get a champion, and I can get more money to take care of the family. I tried so hard in 1970s. I got a five-year champion martial art in mainland China. And also, it's nice things if I'm doing a good job, and I can represent mainland China to, you know, travel around the world. In 1974, I come states the first time. Yeah.

I did a, you know, the Kung Fu demonstration in many cities, include the White House doing the Kung Fu for President Nixon. And each time you represent China people, now you've got more money, a lot of money. I heard Nixon asked you to be his bodyguard. Yes. And when I was 11, he said, in the White House, Rose Garden, I think. Yeah. It's not there anymore.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I got rid of it. Yeah, at Kung Fu, you know, after I did show the Kung Fu, and he said, wow, your Kung Fu pretty good. You grew up. You can become a bodyguard. Of course, they translate to me. And I say, no, I want to protect billion people, not one.

That's the case, just thinking that way. Yeah. Did you love martial arts or was it for you, like, a way out, a means to an end? Like, like, did you love doing it, or was it the pressure that's putting you there? In the beginning, I don't know anything about martial arts. I don't love it. I don't know. Just the first degree in the summertime, you know, send all the children.

They go to sports school. And if you're tall enough, you can play basketball, you know, volleyball. Some people are running so fast. Now you go to there. I'm quite short. They say, oh, this group people are learning martial arts. Okay. So you're getting funneled into different.

sports based on how old were you? Eight years old. And they're deciding your future at eight years old, basically. Yes, but my master tell me later on, he says, my normal school teacher already said they have a one boy. He said, good look in the physical, very good control, and he must learn much hard. It's good.

So after one month, summer school, so there have a thousand students. So my coach only pitched me keep in the martial art team. Wow. And then, you know, after a year I got quite good, then I slightly, slightly love martial arts because they have a very strong philosophy. Well, that's what I was going to ask. Do you think the coach saw your physical potential, or do you think he saw something in you mentally and spiritually?

Like, what do you think he saw in you that made him think this is the kid you got to train? I think both ways. When is you control your body, you know, also they look, you're thinking. I'm the case like independent thinking. Yeah. A lot. Not only you tell me two thousand times, thousand times, I just follow the rule. I don't want to.

Yeah. I say, why I just do 700? Better than thousand. Yeah. What's the key words? I always thinking, always thinking. Then also, you know, learning martial artists, they have three key words. how to say,

Jing Qi-sen. Just like you have energy, you can come down, concentrate, then you use internal energy, show you physical. I have a special three words. Yeah. They thought I have that quite special

with the same age, all the children's. Where do you think that came from? Is it biological? Like, is it genetic, Or is it something you were taught as a kid? Like, where do you think it came from? At that point, when I was young, I don't know.

But later on, when I study, you know, specially, I'm special, study Buddhism. Yeah. Then there, I believe, there must be something in the past. Yeah. That's why you learn everything faster than normal age people. Right. And you have a very familiar controlled body to show different way. Yeah.

And I think I believe so. Do you know what Patton was, the American General? There's a famous movie Patton about him. He's a famous World War II general. But he wrote this poem where he believed, he fought in World War II and World War I. But he wrote this poem where he believed that he was the reincarnated spirit of every generation of warriors.

Like there's a famous scene in the movie, but it did happen in real life where he was at, in real life he's at a civil war battlefield. And he's like describing it to the historian. And the historian's like, no, that's not how it went. And he says, no, no, I was here as a boy, which he wasn't. But he felt that he was. And then an actual civil war veteran comes to the scene.

And he's, no, no, he's right. That's how it went. He had this sense that there was generations of sort of past fighters in him. Do you feel like you have some? Yes, I think so. Because in mainland China, martial art is Chinese tradition. Yeah. Yeah.

And I think last year they calculated again is almost 80 million people learning. Wow. Still there. Yeah. When I was later, you're still talking about 80 million were 100 million people learning martial arts. How can you're so young boy, you have a special. And you're doing the same movement, same coach. Yeah.

But you learn it faster. You're faster, your different style. Everybody saw you, then they say, wow, this guy must have talent. Yes. They only use that world. Oh, maybe he's two talent. Yeah. So they're learning.

And also, you know, later on, I learned Tibetan Buddhism or Buddhism, you know, I figured out why I'm so special, why people like me in the movement on the screen, on the real, you know, fighting, different style. Maybe, you know, the people like me, maybe in the past I helped more people. I help a lot of people. Using martial arts. Yeah. Helping people.

But maybe I did some mistake. Heard wrong people. That's why I got a lot injured. You know? Yeah. You take the good. Yeah. You take the bad in the reincarnation.

That's why I didn't complain a lot right now. Yeah. But in the 30s, I always think, I am so unlucky. each movie I make it and I broke my arm, broke my leg you know, why? Nobody like me, you know, always get injured.

Then, what, more than 35, I'm learning Buddhism. Then I said, hmm, maybe I help a lot of people. That's why people love me. Yeah. Maybe I do something wrong. In a past, like you also committed some crimes.

I heard of some people. That's okay. Then I take it. If I have energy, I can control. I can, you know, pay it back. It's good. So the study of Buddhism

came later for you? Yeah. Well, I was 34. I studied. Become really Buddhist. But at the beginning, I made my first movie called the Shalding Temple.

Yeah. That is a big hit in Ming and China in the whole Asia. Make me career changed become an actor. But when I went to the temple, I just saw very peaceful, very happy.

Yeah. Just something else. I come before, you know, familiar days, this, this, this. Yeah. There was something about it that spoke to you. Yeah. But how long between that movie and your study? Many years?

17 years later, I become Buddhist. Yeah. But in the beginning, because I learning martial arts, I also very like Taoism. Yes. Because they call in and yang, you know, your tech, you protect, you know. Yeah. But that philosophy makes me.

independent thinking are more or more because, you know, different age, different area in the world, people have a different kind of thought. Yeah. So that's why you think, oh, maybe I think black or white, you know, a different way. Maybe I like cold water, people like hot water. That's why this is different. So you need to understand nothing 100% equal or something there. I feel like in the modern West, there's kind of a distinction between philosophy and, say, martial arts or sports, right?

Like there's brain and brawn, as they said, you know, like, but it seems like in the East, historically and in a more modern sense, the philosophy and the martial arts are more intertwined. Yes, much deeper. Because at our school, there are different kinds of sports, right? Yeah. The people, if they learn basketball, you know, volleyball, whatever, they just physical control, concentrate only. But martial art, we need to learn why you attack this way, why you attack away, how to protect yourself, how to revenge something this.

Of course, later on, you know, I start becoming actor. Marshall art movie always there have some more strong philosophy. Yeah. You know. If there's something meditative about, martial arts, I feel like that's maybe different than golf or more philosophy, more thinking. Because they use not an external physical part. You need the internal, they call the chi, you know, how to use, how to sharp, how to concentrate. Also, they believe not just you can really easily to beat up someone.

Yeah. But you never change their mind. So how to convince them, stop them violent, and change become good person? Yeah, that is interesting. If only the support, sports, you just beat them up. You win, your team champion, that's good enough. Yeah. But martial art is always not that simple.

Yes. Yeah. What's that word? You use a word in the beginning of the book. I thought it was interesting. Zizai? Zizai. Yeah.

What does that mean? On the philosophy part, I think everything we describe a yin and yang. Yeah. Like a cold, hot, this, and this. So when I talk about freedom, that means something costs, not freedom. Sure. You think, I need freedom because I'm not freedom. That means at the same time.

Yes. I want this because you don't have it. That's why you want. Yeah. So you think you get this, you will be happier. Yeah. more freedom, more power, more many, and be in this. But it's really the next way.

That sample is much easier. But when I grew up, you see a lot of people maybe there are more power, more stronger, more many. But they have their problem. They have their suffering. So if you have a goal, you always have a problem. You always have. There's something you don't have that you want. Yeah.

So that's why. And I think more zizai talk about what we need and what we want is two things. Everybody afraid about life and young and old, even death. So everybody tried to secure it. They want more. They only need that much. Sure. They want that much.

You know, then they, even me, I am confused, what I want, what I need. Yeah. Always miss up. So later on, if you truly understand life, then you will know what you need. That's very important. Yeah. After that, just what you want doesn't mean anything. Because the end of the day, you cannot keep them go.

Yeah. You need to leave them to the world, left to the next generation. Yeah. So they're not white, not black. So they have something made of words. Because the words is too limited. Too limited. Cannot describe.

Yeah. Because if I say, I have more freedom, that means before you're less freedom. No, this is everything okay. Okay is okay. Not okay. It also okay. The result, you see, everything results.

You respect. And I think you said it's clear. connected to the idea of presence, which is just being in the moment that you're in not wanting or regretting or worrying or. Yeah, like a so be it. That's why my daughter and I. So be it. So be it.

Oh, just come out. Sure. Okay. Okay. Everything okay. Yeah. Because people, just like I'm making movie in the past, you always think you try your best, then the result must be best.

Oh, yeah, especially with movies. Yeah. Yeah. You try your best. Sometimes work. Sometimes so-so. Well, that would be interesting, right? Because, yeah, you're the actor in a movie, so you could do a great job.

Yeah. But you don't control the other actors. You don't control the director. You don't control the marketing. Also, you cannot control the audience. Right. Yeah, exactly. Somebody like it.

Yeah. It's a part. Sure. Somebody that like that part. Sure. So that's why I think the result, probably three things can describe good, bad, so-so. If I respect three things. Yeah.

No problem at all. Sure. But the problem is I only care about the good. You want one, which means that if the other two happen, then you're upset or disappointed or angry. Yes. Or someone can take good from you by ruining it. Yeah. And you're vulnerable.

But this natural. If you have this, probably people have this idea, you know, just a percentage. Maybe this is more than 50% is good. Yeah. You cannot ask people 100% like you. Yeah. No one. In the world, 100% people support you.

So when you understand more things, not just so be it, you hate me, I know, understand your angle, you like me, I appreciate, I understand your level, you know, your thinking in the middle, say so-so also I understand. So if you open your heart, you respect, everything, you don't complain, you know, it's okay. So one of the Stoic philosophers, his name is Epictetus,

who I write quite a bit about, he would talk about how we're all actors in a play. Yes. Right? We don't get to choose the role that we're cast in. We're cast in a role. And then we have to act that part as well as possible. We don't control if it has a lot of speaking parts or only a few speaking parts,

if it's the villain or if it's the celebrated laugh line. Like all we can do is play our role as best we can. And we have to detach from the results a little bit because sometimes the audience loves you and sometimes they don't. Yeah. For my understanding right now is not just making a movie. The life is a big movie. Yes.

You're the actor. You're the writer. Right. You're the performance. You just direct everything because the result, only you will take it in the future. And look, sometimes you can be a good actor in a bad movie. Yes. And what you don't want to be is a bad actor in a good movie.

Yes. Everything you can understand Lange's acting. You know, you try to, what I learn is training the mind is important. You need to help more people understand them. Yeah. So now you open that so be it. Everything, okay, I understand. Yeah.

I hope you're happy. I hope you healthy. That's the way. Well, and how can you make sure that the goal that you have when you go into a project? This is something we Stokes talk about too. He says, the other metaphor he uses, he says, if you only run races where winning is up to you, you will always win. And so his point is like if you go into a movie and the goal is this has to make a certain amount of money,

well, that might not happen, right? Other things impact whether that happens. But if you go into a movie or a project or a conversation and you say, I want to do my best, I want to have fun, I want to learn something, you know, these are all things that you get to decide whether they happen or not. Yes. And so deciding what the goal is in trying to root that goal into something that's not based on other people as much as possible. Yeah. You know, they have a different age, the audience, different age, different languages, maybe religion.

So they like something, they don't like something. Just like all the material put on the table. So here's the coffee, here's the water. It's a wine. Take it one right. It doesn't mean this right, this wrong. Sure. So then I think most important for me is I training martial arts through my almost the whole life.

Yeah. Control the body, move the body. That's I call it's a healthy part. Yeah. Healthy. I thought Western, a lot of people learning how to keep their body running, you know, feet look good. But I think mentally training is also very important. It's the part of life.

Yeah. Happy is the mental. Yes. Healthy is the physical. Healthy, I think more important. That's why I want to share. I read Chinese book. This is the first English book and try to share how to training.

Well, a lot of people go to the gym. They run on the treadmill. They lift weights. But they do no mental training whatsoever. But if we don't do the mental training, you don't know how to control the happy. Who calls you or not happy? Sure. If you know why is called?

you're happy, then you solve that. Sure. Then you can become more happy. Also, because technology improves a lot. In the near future, maybe five, ten, ten, twenty years, healthy is not a big problem. Maybe people can go 200 years old. Sure. But if a mental not strong and enough, you lose balance.

You put your mind in the 200 years. Then you say, wow, I need a lot of movie to make it, a lot of working to do it. What happens? Sure. Yeah. If suddenly everyone lived to be 100, but we didn't make any improvements as far as the mental side of things. That just means you're unhappy for longer. Yes.

That's worse. Yes. A lot of things, even we don't like it. They're coming. Yeah. You know, the machine, everything, you know, take AI, everything, take your job, take your, how to handle this? If you're an anxious person, that's 30 more years of anxiety. If you're a fragile person, that's 30 more years of having your heartbroken or, you know, getting stressed out all the time.

So, yeah, the idea of health being fixed is really only part of the equation. If you're out of balance with the mental, if you don't have resiliency and, you know, all the things that you train the mental side for. Yes, because I'm learning martial arts. That's why I always thinking, especially in China, we say 5,000 years history, what you learned is. You do make a same mistake in your 100 years' life. But you never know the future so long. A lot of things happen will. You didn't prepare.

Then you will easily get hurt, get something in the future. Yeah. There's a line from an American president that I like. He says, the only thing new is the history you don't know. Yeah. And so, yeah, when you look at 5,000 years of tradition, sure, there's some technological advances, but basically people have been struggling with the same things for 5,000 years. Yes. The emotion part. Yes. Mental part, same thing. Love, family, children, husband, you know, wife, you know, how to work, how to work, yeah, whatever, sake, that.

Yeah. But the material may have changed before you run the horse. You know, later on, you have a car. Now you have a different kind of car. You don't need to drive. In the future, maybe you have clothes, everything, you go to New York. Sure, sure. Easily. So the material change. The mental is similar.

Love story, family, take care, you know. This emotion didn't change a lot. That's why we need. I think in the near future, my is more important than this part. This part, technology, a lot of company, of people already doing it. Yeah. Well, and yeah, as as society becomes more prosperous and you're not a subsistence level farmer, actually the emotional stuff becomes more important because there's more room for it. If you're spending 14 hours a day in the field, you don't have a lot of time to

stress about some of these emotional and mental things. But as that takes up less and less time, in a weird way, the other stuff takes up more space. Yes. And you think about it. I work, I think 15 years ago, I work with UN health two terms. I each turn two years, ambassador, you know, try to promote things. Then that time they already tell me, you know, the heart attack to cause human death is the number one. And cancer number two, mentally, maybe number three. But they say 10 years later on future, mental will be number one. Sure.

Because you can cure the other things. Yes. the heart, you know, technology, AI, they can, sure. Maybe in next 10, 20, 30 years, cancer maybe can cure, you know, and that of things. The mental is very important. So people right now, I think a lot of people, especially city, a lot of young people take maybe 30 minutes, every day training in their body. Then I want to share, say, wow, what about three minutes to take care of your mental training? Every day from the little, little, little, you know, concentrate.

You know, the mind is training. What does your mental training look like? What do you do? Why I was a little boy, you know, just like an athlete. You need to focus, you know, you go outside to performers. People like you. You don't. How do you tune it out?

You don't think about it. Yeah. If you're yelling at you, you know, through something, you know, do your best. Yeah. If it too hard, you need to try harder hard. harder, harder. Also, simple training.

But, you know, later on, you know, making movies, you have a philosophy training, and especially I become Buddhist, then training you, then you will understand more.

What cause you're not happy? Yeah. What cause you're suffering? Right. And it's us. We're the cause. It's never out here. Then you need to understand the people say something.

They like you where they don't like you. Why you be happy? Why are you? Yeah. The sound where you come from? How to work inside? Yeah. You look something, you're happy.

Why you look at something happy? The flexion change your mind. How do you end happy? If you can find all the problem, how can cost? Yeah. Then you can solve them. You can clear it. One of the ideas from the Stoics, I'd be curious what you think.

This also comes from epititis. He says, it's not things that upset us. It's our opinion about things. Yes. Right? It's out there, but it's when it comes through and we process it through here. That was offensive. That was mean.

That was hurtful. Yes. That was amazing. You said all that's our interpretation. Yeah. Then your deep training, because they have six sense, how to, you know, communicate with the outside, what you're here, what you smell, what you think, thing. And the Buddhism, they have seven and eight involved.

Seven is your opinion. different with the others. Everybody seven is different. Eight is maybe learn something put there. I'm so familiar or something, you know, reincarnation. Oh, sure. Usually I saw that, you know, you have a cell phone. Just like your body, you change all your cell phone every two years, three years.

But the data is insane. The data is still there. Right. Who's your friend? Who's the same thing? Yes. That's the software. So that's why I say both sides.

We need to understand how to work. Yeah. And make you understand. When you see everything, it's possible, then you're not disappointed because you respect already. And you're not surprised. Not surprised. Because you knew that was one of the outcomes. Yeah.

That people, sometimes you grew up, you're crazy. You only see these things. After this, too bad, you cannot say, wow, I'm unlucky. Oh, too special. You wouldn't open it. And see everything. Okay. Seneca, who's another one of the stoics, he said, the reason you want to think about all the things that could happen.

Mm-hmm. So you're not surprised at them. He says the analogy is that the unexpected punch hurts more, that the unexpected blow lands heaviest. Yes. And so the analogy, I guess, for fighting is you want to think, well, they could hit me from this side. They could come from over here. Yeah, yes. Right?

And it's not to make you paranoid, but it's so you don't get caught off guard. It's when we're surprised. When we didn't even conceive of someone not appreciating. what we're doing or that they could laugh at us or whatever. Then when it happens, we're devastated. Yeah. That's why in the book, I write down, my English is not good enough. I try to explain, you know, there I have a small jet lead in the beginning.

Just like everybody work myself, like a center. I do martial arts, make money, take care of my family. I do something. I'm special. Everything is me, me, me, me, me, me. It's a lot of suffering, a lot of struggling, pressure. And I hit a tsunami in 2004 with my whole family, you know, almost died. Maldives, 2004.

Oh, okay. Asian. That's a big one, right? Yeah, the big one. Yeah, yeah. You were there. You were on the beach? I'm in the Maldives.

Ah. More than 800 miles there. But one hour later, we get hit. So the water is here. My data, my little girl, one years old, take the bad water. I hold my older four years. old sister, nothing to do. Even people think, you're the

martial guy, you know, the physical. But in the nature, when they come. You can't fight a wave. You cannot. You cannot fight. So since then, I changed, say, I need to do something, helping the society. People luck me, give me the big name. I want to help them. So I started a foundation in China

to help more people in the disaster. So I ask everybody donate Wen Yuan per month. like $12. $0.20 per month put it together. So after 18 years, we helped 62 million people.

Wow. We, reaching fund is almost 5 billion R&B, 5 billion. So help more people. Just everybody a little bit, little bit together.

There's change. But through that journey, I'm so happy, but also more painful, more suffering. Yeah. Because you have a goal. You help million.

You want to help two million. Sure. You do the same thing. Same thing. Yes. Even they say, I'm not work for Jet Li, not work for me, but you're doing the same thing. You're competing with other people. The other foundation, the other things.

So it's some thing. That's big JD also suffering. So that's why end of the day, in the past maybe 10 years, I studied strongly, study Buddhism, Buddhism, and then try to figure out, know me. know me. To take you your ego out. Know me. If know me, everything is suicide.

Yeah. That's come from. That's okay. They don't like Jedi. They like Jedi. They put a stone in the water. There's ripples, yeah. You can feel it.

You're angry, but you don't want revenge. But later on, now I try to learn is you threw the stone in the air. The air doesn't matter who. Yeah. Be careful. He loved people.

Be careful. The stone back. hurt you because there are no point. Yeah. Then just less happy, less suffering. Less everything. Both sides. Then that's called the Zizai.

And do you have a meditation practice? Do you meditate? Yes, 30 years. Meditation is the one kind of skill. But meditation is not a goal. Right. Go is if you're in the learning beginning, you have a different kind of meditation,

different kind of class. normally people think meditation just do nothing do thinking. They have a lot of things to do. Yeah. You know, step, steps, step. There's a lot of stuff you've got to clear out first. Yeah, clear, clear, clear.

What cause until later on is different kind meditation can help you a different kind goal. Yeah. It really depends the goal. Where you want to go, then you learn what kind of meditation. Then there have many, many skills. I call the mini, many tools. Yeah.

You can use ear to meditate, listen. You can look in meditation. It's walking meditation. Walking meditation. Yeah. Drinking meditation, many, many ways. Yeah. Then that is the sample, easy to understand and using for daily life.

Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And I feel like more in the martial arts world, like, again, we, in America, it's like, big and tough, you know, the athletes, but like, you know, there were samurai warriors that like to do the little, the gardening or the painting or the tea ceremony. There's something kind of slow and meditative about it traditionally that is very beautiful, which is a meditative experience, right? The trimming of the bonsai tree or the haikus, you know, the different kinds of sort of artistic means of getting to that quieter, calmer place.

For I learning martial arts and the first step is a physical skill. Yeah. Your internal, external, angry, everything, revenge, whatever you want to get a goal. Yeah. You need a physical become very high level. Yeah. Sometimes we talk about your sore. You're holding the sore.

Soar is your body. Yes. Soar and you and together. Yeah. Amazing together. They become one. become one. Next level,

you don't need a sore. Yeah. You need a physical very strong and before fighting you try to stop them. Yeah. Don't fight me.

Yeah. Don't fight me. I will get you. Yeah. I will get you. I will hurt you. So that level, that level better than hurt people.

Yeah. The second level is heart, you'll still have a sorrow. Yeah. Heart. But not physical. Yeah. Sort.

In the third level, you don't have a sore inside. in the heart you don't have a state. You try to help more people. You try to convince this way, keep balance. Everybody be friends. Everybody, you know, this way. It's quite close to highest philosophy or religions,

helping each other. We're not easy. Living in the earth, helping brothers. Don't fight. Do you think some of that comes from confidence, right? So it's like you know you can and then you realize you don't need to. And then you realize that actually your highest, use is of service.

Yeah, of course. You know, also different age. Young have a lot of energy. Hard to do that at 20. You really want to get this. I try to prove difference. I am so strong. Yeah.

I want to get something. Yeah. Then you get more confidence, more understanding life, 30s. You think about it. Wow, they have reason. You have reason. Yeah. Until later on, you think, wow, why don't need that much?

you know, three mil a day went bad, could cover, raining, good enough. I don't need that much. Don't put a want become neat. Right. A lot of people still confuse want and need. And it's also, I think it's easier to have that clarity when you've gotten a lot of the things that you've wanted

because then you realize it wasn't that great. And you also, I think you have the confidence that you're like, I did it. You know, like there's something about, Like, if you were 20 and you were like, I don't need anything, you're not actually saying that from a place of knowing. There's like, you know the story about sour grapes, like where you're like, oh, I didn't want it anyway. There's something like until you've had it or you've gotten up close to it, you can't really know that you don't need it. Yes.

Because it's not based on experience. Something, yes, something maybe not. Yeah. Because I'm 34. I'm quite okay in Asia. You know, actor, same as action actor. You got something you want. Yeah.

But you look up American. There's always another level. There are many, many levels to go. So after entertainment actor, I have a lot of businessmen, saw market, a lot of rich people. You never go that high. Yeah. So doesn't mean you need to go that high, you understand.

Yes. There, you need to think about, wow, what do I need, what do I want? If I don't understand, then end of the day, 70 years old, I'm still saying I want more. You shouldn't have to conquer the entire world to know that it's not that important. Yes. I think your point is right. Also, right, is secured what do you need. Yeah.

That's very important. Secure, say, wow, that's what I need. I need to this. After that, I need to think a big picture. Yeah. If you don't understand, if you are a billionaire, billionaire, you still think, I want more. I'm struggling, right? It's still there.

Yeah. That's why I think need to understand where living the earth. Yeah. That's maybe three dimensions and good and bad. In philosophy and in meditation, oftentimes, if you're an ambitious person, a lot of what you're wrestling with there is how to turn that volume down, not off, but down a little bit. Yes. maybe just

sometime you kick back your reincarnation thinking come back look at it yeah yeah yeah if you go to that journey end of the end of the day you're still suffering

you need to understand that you think about that you'll find a different you the book can help you maybe movie something you got more information

more book to understand living and death what's the end where to come from where to go how to solve these lifetimes. When you through that journey, until one day you want to say,

wow, I hope more people understand earlier. Like my daughter, you should understand earlier, less suffering in life, right? Be happy, understand. That's why we share, we want to share. Sure. Then we don't know really can help more people or not. Doesn't matter.

I think, unless I say to my teacher, say if the book can help one person too, Three, I'm so happy. Yes. Even more, I'm also happy. Yes. I don't need a goal. Right.

You have to go back to the beginning. Yeah, more than zero, but it doesn't have to be a certain number. Yeah, that's, I'm not a good teacher. I don't want to teaching people. I just say, I'm like a you normal boy, I threw my life journey learning the physical part, mental part. I want to share my experiences to everybody. Yeah. If you like it, take it free.

If you don't like it, it's okay. There's a different will to see our life and include future. The technology will hit us very quickly. I did this book a couple years ago about ego. And a friend of mine who trains in martial arts was saying something that I thought you might like. He was saying that ego is like a floor. You sweep the floor. You get it clean.

as we're always trying to push ego away, and then a week later it's dirty again. You have to always be sweeping the floor. You have to always be sort of doing the spiritual practice to get the, as you were saying, to take the me out of it. It's not something you do once. You don't meditate once and go, hey, I don't need to be the center of the universe. It doesn't last. It's a constant process. From my learning, that's one kind of philosophy.

Yeah. Even Buddhism have that kind. Just say you'll need all the time, always clean. You know, just like a big tree. You have too much. To trim the branches. You need to always, you know, every season, you need to change. Fix it.

Keep them healthy and good. That's one way. Yeah. Also have it the other way, say, to figure out, cut a tree. Sure. Even no tree. Yeah. Why you care about?

Every season, see the kind of leaks. Sure, sure. So that's two different way. This is slightly, slightly, slightly to understand relative truth and what? Universal something. Yeah. One is direct. Go to the end.

They'll have a mirror. You need a clean mirror every day. If you're dirty, you cannot see your face. Yes. Then the other teacher says, where is the mirror? If no mirror, why you care about the clean mirror? clean one line. Yeah.

There's two kind of way to learn. Really depends the person wants to slightly, step by step, what quickly wins. Where do you come down? I learn boats. I learn both. This is safe. Yes. Everything clean is safe.

Yeah. But that way I also learn. But that means on the other maybe talk about the reincarnation. Yeah. You never know how many times you already learned. Sure. Maybe this is the last time. Yeah.

That's why you quick, use no mere, no tree. How do you know your 100 or your 50s? Yeah. So if 50s, it better use this way. If you're already lacking in that way, this work. Also, if the tree is ego and you think you've cut it down and you have no ego, that's kind of egotistical. Yeah. But not a tree.

Trish is explained ego. Where is ego? Yeah. In our body. Right. There's the ego. It's not meditating, you know, just put your hands here. That's jelly?

No, that's a hand. Put all the pieces. Yes. Where is it? Who's suffering? Which part? Yeah. Then you change, change.

Not until you cannot find that really, really have jelly. You need to put everything together and they have jelly. Yes. Now use the same philosophy. We talk about a car. There's a car. Really car? We put all the pieces.

Say, there's a wheel, this, this, this, this. we cannot find the car. Yeah. If you slow down, slow down, I don't know the, like, Liang's liege, yeah. You're kind of smaller, smaller, smaller, smaller. Even their yuenz. To the atoms.

The islands, then smaller islands, smaller items, everything becomes the same. Right. Then where's you? Where's me? That level. So my English is not good enough to explain that. Yeah, Chinese.

No, I get it. Chinese I can explain. If that's way you cannot find you, that outside no trade, outside nothing. Yeah. So what I learned is very good. And from all the masters, they teach me compassion. Yeah. And also they teach me wisdom.

Yes. They say if you do only compassion, you help lots of people. That's why you suffer. You need wisdom because no one can help the world, everybody, every corner. Yeah. You need their perspective. Yeah. respect, a lot of things there.

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And mention Stoic for a 30-day risk-free trial, Scribe. Dot how slash stoic. Talk to me about anger. I think sometimes people think anger is like a good fuel, especially in combat sports or in fighting. Like anger is tough. But you sort of make the opposite argument in the book, that it's dangerous. Yes. you're angry, you want to do something.

And the result may be making you more angry. Right? Then you cannot solve outside the problem. You'll hurt your inside. So you're changed. If you're less angry, if angry can solve all the problems, then I say everybody's angry. Yes.

But angry cannot solve all the problems. You angry, the other people are also angry. So both angry are more, more convinced. maybe a thousand years still they hate each other. Also, it's like you see in sports, why do people talk trash in sports? Like, why do people try to get inside the other person's head? Because they know if they insult you or hurt your feelings and you get angry, you'll make mistakes.

You'll hurt yourself. Yes. Then we're like, no, but my anger's good. It's like, no, you see it in someone else. You see the damage it causes. You should be very nervous about it in your own self. Yeah. So if you don't angry, you understand that.

Where the angry come from, you're soft angry, then you become stronger. Yes. You, I'm standing there and then you say, hey, Jack, your book is shit, sucks. You're something. You're stupid. I'm just yelling. Okay. Because I train you, it's okay.

Respect. Thank you, your opinion. Thank you. Thank you. Then make you you're angry. So maybe you try to find other words to make me frustrated. But if I'm okay, everything okay, then you do need revenge. You just open it.

Yeah. It's a form of strength to not be triggered. Yeah. Or if people can't upset you, then you have strength. Yeah, you understand everything because they want something. Yes. They use that words, want to give some respect. Yeah.

People like you, they want to respect something. So it's open. So angry, hurt yourself. That's why I say, don't hungry, you know. Yeah. If angry can help, then we can't agree. You know, don't help. Then just keep it.

Yes. You can change you or yourself. Then you see the world totally different. Yeah. That's what I learned. Yeah. And it's almost like the more stressful or frustrating or difficult the experience, the more you need to be in calm to it.

Yeah. Because it's complicated. Yes. A lot of people I heard, you know, people say, Wow, I was so tired. Recently the work. you know, work 24 hours or 18 hours, a lot of work, I complain, complain.

And say, listen, why we need to work? Work just solve problems. If no problem, we don't need work. Right? Everybody working just solve problems. If it's like the company, perfect, company, no problem. Why they need you? They need a lot of machines.

It's good enough. So work, we need to appreciate it. So, wow. Yes. A lot of things I need to do today because there's a lot of problems. Machine cannot solve. I need to solve. So it still work.

Yeah. Still a hour. Really depends on how are you thinking. Mm-hmm. You can enjoying this whole day, eight-hour. Well, you can anger eight hours. Sure. So which way better for you.

Yeah, you can laugh or you can cry about it. Yes. And also forgive yourself. Yes. In the past, I tried so hard. I never give myself. made the mistake. Yeah.

I can angry myself, you know, something. Then you look back, just say, hey, 5,000 years, a lot of people made the mistake. Everybody make a mistake. Forgive them. You are not the perfect guy. Sure. You need to say good and bad mistake, all your life experiences. Yeah.

All the experiences make your life. Yeah. That's why I need to appreciate it. Yes. Appreciate a mistake. If you don't have a mistake, you do know success. You can't learn. You success every day the whole life.

Then you thought it's boring. Well, some of the mistakes you talk about in the book, you talk about growing as a parent. Some of the mistakes you made as a parent. That must have been fun to write about. Yes. Because, you know, I'm traditional Chinese people. I don't have experience how to be father because I don't have father have idol to see that you should do that. Also, traditional Chinese people just think, you know,

you work hard, make a lot of money, then give them good education and teacher helping good money, go to the hospital, take care of healthy, take care of students. That's good enough. Yeah. Then go, you know, I just threw that journey until one day I realized I have a lot of problem. The money cannot solve all. Yes. And they can solve some problem, but not all the problem. And that's why maybe my daughter, they need something. I forgot.

So the first trick is my daughter. She got some mental problem. I just do nothing. I don't understand that kind of what caused that sickness. You didn't know how to help. I don't know how to help. Then I saw, oh, you're jelly, you're learning Buddhism. You know a lot of mental training.

But now they close the door. They don't want to talk to me. It's how how are I doing it? suddenly think I need to learn, I need to recover everything. So I turned down a lot of work. And then through this journey, try to everything I can with my daughter, become listener, become their friend, roommate. Because usually, I don't know American culture,

the parents always still say, oh, you should do this. Absolutely. Yeah, you're the general. They're the soldier. Like that way. Yeah. But I thought it doesn't work. So I slightly, slightly need to change, change,

and become their buddy, become their roommate, become their friend, and talk to them. They teach me a lot, you know, how to be parents, how to be shared, they want to say something. Sometimes I need to learn, just here. Don't give opinion. Sure.

So I learned a lot journey. And of course, learning this can help me, ego has less and less, self-centered and less. And they become my teacher also. It's like wherever you need to be challenged the most, that's where your kids end up needing. Do you know what I mean? Like I feel like with my kids, like it's all the things that I struggle with the most that they are perfectly lined up to like put the most pressure on. Yeah.

Yeah, well, I still remember one day, you know, four years ago, maybe one day my two daughters come, you know, where I met in Los Angeles, I thought I'm a goodest, training my mind, very calm, very done, very good. So you have something, you know, you don't like me, some part, talk about it. And they say, wow, you're a self-centered, your ego, hey. Yes. I heard ego is become evil. Yeah. I say, I'm not evil. I try work so hard in my life to protect you, girls.

I can bring my heart to give to you everything. Why I'm ego? Wow, I'm so angry. So, all they're struggling. And I say, see, see, see. You learn no self. This is a big ego. Yeah.

I really think, wow, I'm not good enough. So I learn and learn. Next day, next day, two days, maybe take me two days. Like this, all right? I'm not good enough. Yeah. I need to learn. So two years later,

they say the same thing, they just smile. I said, okay, even I'm unhappy, I'm a smile, but four years later, they say something. I say, wow, good.

What are you talking? Yeah, that guy, Jenny is selfish. Jeannie is self-centered. It's good. You can see growth. Yeah, also grow. Yeah.

Because they become my teacher, my buddy, my roommate. I'm so happy I have a two-daughter, four-daughter. Yeah. But these two, they have a little bit, especially Jeddah study, Buddhist also,

we have the same conversation or philosophy. Well, each one of your kids has a different parent, right? Because you're growing, like they, like especially the older one, you're the least experienced with the oldest. Yeah. You're a little more experienced with the next one and a little more. So like just as we're growing and changing,

our kids are getting different versions of us because we're in different places on our journey. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I'm a normal guy, normal person. Yes, with the same. Yes.

Well, yeah, you talked about in the book that, like, you thought it was like, hey, I'll check in when you're 18. Yeah. But a lot was missed. Yes, because when I'm working, you know, during 30 years, 40 years, I'm working a lot. My wife take care of them and say, I work for them, you know, you go to work. After 18, you'll take care. Yeah. Before 18, I already have a big problem.

I try to work together. Yes. And later on, later on. Now is. And is that kind of how it was when you were. growing up is, I mean, obviously, I know you lost your father early, but it can be hard when you're like, well, this is how it was when I was a kid. I don't have father passed away, you know, mother didn't take care of it because I'm living

in the school. Yes. So you didn't really have any, either parent. No. You were in the system. Yeah, the school. Only have the coach, the coach, like, how to use the bad words, you know, just punish, punish, doing it, doing it, doing it, doing it.

Right. So then you think. your life is just doing it, doing it. Then before, you know, later on, we'll become friends. They talk about it. So, Dad, you know, when I was 11, I got my injured in the sports class. And then I go back and I'm so hurt.

You tell me, say, no problem. I hurt a lot more than you. Do it. Stronger. Next day, you know, months later, you'll become strong again. I just say, father, family, family come back. Finally come back.

You need to say, say, oh, sorry, Dr. You will better. You tell me, like, tough, tough, your training. I said, wow, that's what I learned for my master. It's hard to give what you didn't get. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't have that, not experiences.

So that's why I'm not good enough. I learn. I still learn. Yeah. Right now, right now I'm learning every day. Yeah. You see? You see?

Now it's better. Well, look, I have a book in there. I want to give you. I think that's the interesting, like, like there's something even about Buddha. Like Buddha has a kid. Yeah. And he leaves to go get enlightenment. Yes.

And I don't think anyone, I mean, maybe that was okay 5,000 years ago or whatever. But I think if that's what enlightenment takes, it's not like it. That is not the only way. Yeah. For sure, it's one way. Yeah. The whole country is his, you know, everything. You got all the human wants to get everything.

You say that cannot help. Yeah. sakeness, younger, it cannot help. Even you have power, money cannot have that. So he tried to find another solution. Finally,

he's likening, helping a lot of people. But today, you know, yeah, what it was 35, 30, 40, around there, I want to study,

become really, really life, likening. Yeah. When I tell my master, I want to go to the mountain, retreat, you know,

something. Then feel, master. Say, get out of here. go back. You doing this way, you will destroy Buddhism. And so how can you need good students?

I'm so good. I can training three years, you know, five years until I'm lightning. It's like, good, good, good, good, get out. Why? You see, look at modern days. People look at you like an idol, good guy. And you have a wonderful wife, daughter, you know, pretty good life. You're a pretty good life.

You help the society. Suddenly, you're through, you don't care about your daughter and wife, you go to the mountain to study. Sure. A lot of parents will say, that guy, mental problems, jelly mental problems. Yeah. You know, he don't care of, take care of a wife. Children, they go there to learning some strange stuff. Don't learn in that.

Whatever he learned. Right. If it involves forsaking your obligations and your loved ones, what kind of enlightenment is that? Yeah. doesn't mean anything. So then they say, you go back. You need to continue. Even monsters say, go back, continue, make a hero.

I say, I don't want to hurt people. Even I'm working on the side, I'm struggling. Why I beat him? You know, why I beat him? Say, don't put your likening Buddha. You're just a human. Beat up them, become hero. Then in a normal day, you show your compassion, you show your stuff to people.

There have meaning. You're a real person Have meaning If you're too far away People say get out of here You thought you needed to go to a temple And learn from a teacher But actually she was your teacher

And you're like Yes yes That's that's that's I mean in the mountain Never learning that Yeah Never learning you every day You go out

Even I say Yeah Recently I read I read a Chinese book Then still there Some people like the book A lot of people say Help

Some people say his mental problem. Why just continue make a movie? Make a movie, make money, make something. Why hate learning this? Yeah, you need to understand. It's respect. They're thinking.

Can I show you the bookstore? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's do it. Good. Thank you.