'Whether he was teacing, acting, writing, or speaking, Bruce was able to...'simply and honestly express himself.' Superficially, this couild be called 'charisma,' but on a more profound level this ability to bare the soul should be called 'artistry.' Just as Michelangelo chipped away at a block of marble to reveal David, so did Bruce peel away the layers of his inner soul to ravel his true self to the world.'-Linda Lee Cadwell, from the Foreword

'The Bruce Lee Library stands as the definitive presentation of Bruce Lee's magnificent legacy. Each volume belongs on the bookshelf of every serious martial artist.'-Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Nucleus

Bruce Lee was an intense man with such sheer concentration of energy that no one who encountered him, on screen or in person, could help but be drawn to him and his enthusiasm for life and knowledge. A voracious and engaged reader, Lee wrote extensively, synthesizing the thought of East and West into a unique personal philosophy of self-discovery. Bruce Lee, Artist of Life explores the development and fruition of Bruce Lee's thought about gung fu, philosophy, psychology, poetry, jeet kune do, acting, and self-knowledge. This volume from Bruce Lee's private notebooks is capped by a selection of Lee's letter that eloquently demonstrate how he incorporated his thought into his actions and advice to others. Also included are multiple drafts of select compositons, showing how Lee's thought evolved and was refined over the years and how the ideas he was reading and writing about were reflected in his work and everyday life.

John Little is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on Bruce Lee, his training methods, and philosophies. Little was the first person authorized to review the entirety of Lee's personal notes, sketches, and reading annotations.

Contents

Foreword by Linda Lee Caddwell
Introduction
Part 1: Gung fu
The tao of gung fu: A study in the way of the Chinese martial art
Gung Fu: the center of the Oriental arts
A moment of understanding
Reflections on gung fu
Teach yourself self-defense
Psychology in defense and attack
How to choose a martial art instructor
The unity of gentleness/firmness
My view on gung fu
Part 2: Philosophy
Why I took to philosophy
Regarding human understanding
Living the oneness of things
The unity of firmness and softness
Taoism
Yin-yang
Wu-hsin (No-mindedness)
Wu wei (Non-action)
The letting go
On Western philosophy
Plato
Plato's 'Gorgias'
Socrates
The nature of humankind
Moral conduct: Relative versus absolute
Objective and subjective judgments
Rene Descartes
Descartes 'Meditations'
Descartes-An opinion
On Descartes 'Cogito'
Part 3: Psychology
Notes on Gestalt Therapy
The relationship of the orgainisim to its envrionment
Three types of philosophy
Self-regulation versus external regulation
The top dog and the underdog
The four basic philosophical approaches
Thinking is rehearsing
Learning
The process of 'Centering'
Process
Sticking point (Impasse-Phobic layer)
Hesse on self-will
Toward liberation
Part 4: Poetry
Ran, black clouds
Down the Western hill
the dying sun
Love is a friendship caught on fire
Once more I hold you in my arms
All streams flowing East or West
Boating on Lake Washington
For a moment
Walking along the bank of Lake Washington
Night rain
Our togetherness is like a sweet dream
The surroundings utter no sound
It is spring
Things I see
The humming bird
The frost
The falling leaf
Though the night was made for loving
The silent flute
Since you left
Parting
Part 5: Jeet kune do-The liberation
Jeet kune do: The way of the 'Stopping fist'
Jeet kune do: Toward personal liberation-I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII
Notes on jeet kune do
More notes on jeet kune do
Additional notes on jeet kune do
The ultimate source of jeet kune do
The theme
True mastery
Martial art
Obstacles in the way of knowledge
An objective evaluation of the combative skill of bruce Lee-By those who now what it is
Part 6: Acting
What exaclty is an actor?
An actor: The sum total
Self-actualization and self-image actualization in the art of acting
Another actor speaks his mind
Part 7: Self-knowledge
The first article I write in Hong Kong
In my own process-I, II, III
In my own process-IV: In search of someone real
In my own process-V
In my own process-VII
In my own process-VIII
The passionate state of mind
Part 8: Letters
'The true meaning of life-Peace of mind'
'Use your own experience and imagination'
'Who am I?'
'Turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones'
'It's all in the state of mind'
'Art lives where absolute freedom is'
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments