62-year-old “Kung Fu Emperor” Jet Li has acted less in recent years, focusing instead on dedicating himself to the study of Buddhism. Because of this, he has come to terms with life and death. In a recent media interview, he said that after understanding the principle of life and death, he has mostly stopped attending the funerals of friends and relatives in recent years. When others criticize him for being “too cold and lacking in humanity, forgetting friendship,” he responds with high EQ.
Jet Li has often been spotted at Buddhist temples in recent years. In a recent in-depth interview with Sanlian Lifeweek, he was asked about how he has changed since studying Buddhism. He admitted that he now regards all impermanence as a basic phenomenon of nature. When asked whether he had ever felt especially regretful about the passing of any artist, friend, or senior, he replied with a rhetorical question: “Why would I feel regret?” and remarked that feeling pain over life and death is “something only people who are stuck in the ‘game’ do.”
Jet Li explained: “In dramas, you always hear lines like ‘Oh, you died, and I didn’t see you one last time. You said you wanted to buy a bag, and I never bought it for you…’ From ancient to modern times, dramas are always like this. When people around me die, I suppose everyone is used to it now. I don’t attend funerals. People say I am too heartless, that I lack friendships; I tell them, ‘Bro, there is no one who won’t lose loved ones in their lifetime.’”
Jet Li added that when his (younger) daughter was 19 and suffered from depression, she often had suicidal thoughts. It wasn’t until she came out of that dark period that the two of them sat down together to openly discuss life, death, and inheritance planning. Neither of them felt superstitious or uneasy—“We were just very honest, because this is something absolutely certain.” He believes that having frank discussions while alive and explaining your own thoughts in advance means there won’t be any regrets. However, most people live in a state where they’re afraid to be honest and forget that “we’ve already been born, and we will inevitably die.”
Source: China Times News Network