Great Martial Arts Movie Characters

#1 Po from Kung Fu Panda: The first time I saw this movie in the theater with my kids it was great and I willingly went back again for a second viewing. The third time I noted reluctance and faint aversion. Then the kids got the DVD (pirated) and continued to watch it over and over again, without seeming to lose enthusiasm.  When I would just fall sleep, my kids would happily use me as backrest or even stretch out and lie on top of me horizontally as if I was a mattress.

Po is adorable - and besides Jack Black's great voice, Po points to many lessons for us on the path. 

#2 Aang from Avatar: Aang the hero is the last Airbender and has a very graceful movement style. He is a vegetarian and does not want to hurt anyone else. A very interesting dilemma he faces is how to save the world from the destruction of the Fire Nation but without having to kill the Fire Lord or anyone else. Actually a lot of substance here in terms of morality, power, friendship, personal and spiritual development. Pretty cool for a 12 year old kid who is expected to save the world. My kids and I are bummed out about the whole movie thing though...Sad and strange this is still an issue decades after David Carradine was chosen over Bruce Lee for Kung Fu.

#3 Uncle Iroh: Despite appearances, Iroh is no slouch and besides being able to kick butt with style is also down to earth, wise, patient and modest in appearance and behavior, things we can all aspire to be. He likes tea, playing Pai Shō and the simple pleasures in life. When we talk about who in our family resembles which Avatar character, this is who my kids say I am but unfortunately I think they are referring to physical appearance rather than character.

#4 Jet Li as Wong Fei Hong in Once Upon A Time In China: This movie was like magic when I first saw it from the dramatic opening music and panorama to Jet Li's grace, finesse and restraint and the acrobatic finale. Loved the cinematography and fascinating historical backdrop of China starting to be influenced by the West and the struggle between tradition and the drive to modernize. 

#5 Donnie Yen as Ip Man: This movie was a lot of fun and the choreography was great too. Highlighting the positioning and timing of the throws was a personal favorite. Lots of humor too. My kids love to rewind and watch over and over the part where the guy gets his pants pulled down. Some parts were too brutal and not suitable for viewing by children but pretty much standard for this genre - complete with anti-Japanese rivalry and wounded Chinese nationalism and honor in need of avenging.

#6 Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon: Bruce Lee was my gateway into martial arts and martial arts movies. Spent way too much time with nunchakas as a teenager... In many ways he was the original or forerunner of MMA that is so popular today. Bruce Lee was disdainful of tradition and wanted martial arts to be based on effectiveness and efficiency, something of a similar debate to that in Buddhism today between Asian Buddhism and Western Buddhism.

Not really sure where I stand on either debate and not sure that it matters. I have often chafed under the limitations and restrictions of tradition and in general tend towards "pragmatism" but as I get older there is much more appreciation for tradition and style as the vehicle or container for preserving science or knowledge whether martial or spiritual. There is something comforting and rooting knowing that you stand as a very small point in a long continuum. Perhaps its not an "either or" question, a debate that doesn't need to be resolved. It is the discussion itself that is of use to all involved. Tradition exists in a context and is inherently dynamic, reinterpreted and reapplied with the passing of time. Often self proclaimed, most "conservative" movements have the most radical reinterpretation or analysis given how much society has changed since their historical referents.