Be Water, My Friend

This book "Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee" by Shannon Lee has so much to offer whether or not you are a Bruce Lee fan. Prior to reading this book, I'm not a Bruce Lee fan. I've never watched his movies and I don't know much about his life as a martial artist, actor and philosopher. I've only heard of his famous saying "Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. You put water into a cup; it becomes the cup. You put water into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. You put it into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. Now water can flow, or it can crash! Be water, my friend." That's about it. After reading this book, I am in awe of Bruce Lee's teaching. In many ways, this book reads like a self-improvement or spiritual book but it is also a partial memoir of Shannon's life. Many of Bruce Lee's abstract ideas are explained through Shannon's personal experiences or grounded examples. This book is carefully written to deliver a good punch (pun intended) to the readers. This book starts with the introduction of Bruce Lee's famous "Be Water" philosophy. This philosophy can be applied to both life and martial arts. The idea behind it is that you want to be like water as a person. Water has characteristics of readiness, and it is moving and flowing in all directions when it is not obstructed by something. To imbue water's characteristics into one's life, one needs to be "in the flow", in part, being present (by choosing to live life consciously, purposefully, and intentionally); be pliable (by not being rigid to one's circumstances and surroundings); have appropriate tension (so that one can be present, pliable, and engaged when the floodgates open); and be purposeful (by embodying an idea, practice, value, or concept into one's being). This forms the foundation of the "Be Water" philosophy. After learning the "Be Water" philosophy, Shannon takes a deep dive into other parts of Bruce Lee's philosophy - The Empty Cup (Chapter 2), The Eternal Student (Chapter 3) and Knowing the Opponent (Chapter 4) of which I won't go into any details but I found them to offer great paradigm shifts to my thinking. One of my favorite chapters is The Tools (Chapter 5), where Shannon shares the tools to integrate Bruce Lee's philosophy into our lives (It is important to note that the focus of this book is to become the best version of ourselves and not to become Bruce Lee-like). The six tools she described - Take Aim, Take Action, Affirm, By Symbolic, Journal and Get Physical, are prescriptive and practical. For instance, affirmation can be challenging because self-doubts will always creep in. However, Shannon suggested affirmations to be framed in a way such that they just aren't true yet. Along the same vein, she suggested that we write down our affirmations by framing them as something we're working on: instead of writing "I'm a good writer", write "I'm writing everyday to become a good writer." This way we're authentic with our affirmation, and it is something we can trust and fall back on - like faith. I dare to say all six tools can be applied to other philosophies and doctrines which makes this chapter incredible to read. The Rainstorm (Chapter 7) is another favorite of mine. I felt Shannon poured her heart into this chapter. Shannon was vulnerable by sharing her struggles and chronic depression after she found out her brother, Brandon Lee, died. Eventually, Shannon was able to pick up her feet when she found hope through her dad's writing. The last chapter, My Friend (Chapter 10), is a chapter where we learn about Bruce Lee, as a friend. I'm sure all citizens of this world can appreciate this chapter because Shannon goes in depth of Bruce Lee's teaching of friendship and inclusion. As Bruce Lee once said "If every man would help his neighbor, no man would be without help. I'm not one of those guys that can brush people off. Besides, I feel that I can just take a second to make someone happy, why not do it?" Shannon added "We hear the words “compassion” and “empathy” and “unconditional love” a lot, and they are good and noble words, but maybe if we start more simply and with something more common that we all have access to, like the word “friend,” it could be a path that would eventually lead us to those noble qualities more easily." All in all, I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to self improve and/or who wants to learn about Bruce Lee's legacy. Not everything you read in this book is applicable but I also believe all books speak to us differently in different seasons of our lives. For this reason, I will reread this book again in the future.

I have bought this book before and I liked it so much that I am buying another !!! Ricardo Roybal

I am so glad that I got to read this book now I understand his practices and more of him as a person.

Water is known as the "element of life". It sustains us, cleanses us, and purges toxins from our bodies. It is a similitude of our capability and potential as human beings. This is exactly why Bruce Lee tells us to "Be water, my friend". In her book of the same name, Shannon Lee (Bruce Lee's daughter) shares with us an inside perspective as to what drove her father and how he adapted to adversity in his short life. His life wasn't measured by the time he spent on this earth, but by what he did with that time. His writings are broken down by Shannon so that we can better understand and relate them to our lives and implement his practices in a more practical way; adapting and overcoming. We all have trials in our lives. None of us are immune. However, it is how we choose to face those trials that define who we are. Will you be like the stone, still and immovable? Or will you be water and adapt, working your way around obstacles as one of the most powerful forces in nature? Read this book and learn how to be water, my friend.

Shannon lee book managed to write a book that mixes martial arts and self help. Having never liked the self help genre it's a huge compliment to say that what Shannon Lee has done on this book is definitely the exception. Top read well worth reading through from start to end.

I thought it would be Mr Lee's teachings, instead I was surprised when I heard his daughter going on. I gave it a few to listen and couldn't be more thankful. You actually end up with a mix of her sharing hers and his in ways. It's a double blessing. Loved it!

Great information from a defined leader in martial arts.

Well-written, easy to understand. I have been on the spiritual path for most of my life (with the usual upheavals here and there, wrong turns, etc.) and this book is filled with wonderful guidance. It was helpful for me to see how deeply I already practice what is taught in this book. I shall pass it on to just the right person when they appear.

Excellent book, got one each for my sons.

The book arrived in excellent condition. Contextually, it is as described.

Além de ótimo acabamento e diagramação de extremo bom gosto, o livro é uma obra fidedigna da "filosofia de Bruce Lee". Não se trata da história de um "lutador", e sim de um "pensador", cujos ensinamentos servem para todas as situações que vivenciamos no dia a dia. Sua filha Shannon não produziu um livro, mas uma obra de arte tanto para apreciadores de Bruce Lee como para os jovens que "ainda" não o conhecem (se é que isso é possível!). Alex (Rio de janeiro) @gastrolex

I am a Bruce Lee fan since I am a little child. My older sister was also a fan of Bruce Lee and she liked to be called “Siu Lung” and I didn’t know why until I read this book. Siu Loong means “Little dragon”. I really think that my passion for Bruce Lee began from what she said about him. He was a true legend, a philosopher, a generous and kind man. Shannon described him very well and this is a very interesting story about his life in Hong Kong and California. One of my favorite quotes about him is: “There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” I am a martial artist and he is a true inspiration in my life. He lived between two worlds “Being Chinese and being American”. I really felt this because I am deaf but I don’t sign, I talk, my family are all hearing but didn’t want to learn sign. In this world, there’s the hard of hearing, the hearing and the deaf/mute. I needed to choose where i identify myself the most and it was always been hard. But what I can say is that I am a human being and I have a place in this world. Bruce Lee preferred to be identified as a human being instead of his difference with others. We all are unique and we deserve to live a life of passion, happiness and peace.

I would like to thank Shannon Lee for writing this book. I really took my time with it & have just finished it 6 months after purchasing it. I have loved and admired Bruce Lee for many years & wanted to read this specifically as Shannon Lee is a direct living link to Bruce Lee. There’s a lot packed into this book I could write a huge essay (but won’t ) . It gave me insights into Bruce Lee’s life & philosophies. Theres a huge treasure chest of practical & spiritual Wisdom. Also things that I never knew about this great human. Enormously helpful to anyone regardless of their culture, gender etc.. it’s Universal which to me is what Bruce Lee represents. It’s written beautifully with insight , humour & integrity. It will be a book I will return to for the rest of my life. Thankyou 🙏♥️⭐️✨