Beyond life and death : the way of true freedom / Jet Li.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Martial arts legend and international movie star Jet Li distills ten powerful insights from his iconic career, his personal life and philosophies, and his thirty-year Buddhist practice

Jet Li's story defies legend. Born into extreme hardship, he fought his way to become the youngest national martial arts champion in Chinese history at twelve years old, dominating opponents twice his size. He then became one of the first internationally renowned movie stars from China with films including Once Upon a Time in China , Hero , and Fearless . These films redefined martial arts for the modern world, making him a household name.

But behind the glory lay a deeper battle: a search for meaning beyond fame, fortune, and physical skill. After a near-death encounter in the 2004 tsunami, Li turned inward, deepening his study of Tibetan Buddhism and dedicating his life to philanthropy, though he was at the height of his Hollywood career.

For the very first time, Li shares the ten insights that have guided his life, in which anyone can find wisdom, guidance, and power, including:

life is movement; the secret to self-defense; separate the bitterness from the pain; be a grandson to the world; and learn from everyone.
Li invites readers to share his interior life, to hear untold stories from his martial arts and film career, and to meditate with him on the nature of spiritual awakening. If you look deeply, you can see Li's life philosophy in many of his movies, and in Beyond Life and Death he fully links his own story and spiritual journey with ten actionable insights that anyone can apply to live a healthy and happy life.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Actor and martial artist Li chronicles his search for spiritual meaning in his inspiring debut. Already a martial arts champion in China by the time he was a teenager, Li landed his first major film role in 1982's The Shaolin Temple, when he was 19. He went on to star in more than 20 international martial arts movies throughout the '90s. As his fame increased, so did his desire for deeper meaning, pushing him toward philanthropy and a rigorous study of Buddhism and Taoism. Li's narrative unspools at a leisurely pace, intertwining explanations of spiritual concepts with accounts of the death of Li's mother in the late '90s and his harrowing experience surviving the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. His reflections on aging ("Taoism teaches me to age like a tree--shedding leaves naturally. Buddhism reminds me not to mourn them") and nonviolence ("If you love everyone, there is no offense or defense") are especially potent. Readers willing to tune into the book's meditative wavelength will be rewarded with a touching account of one man's quest for inner peace. This is a balm. Agent: Marc Gerald, Europa Content. (May)

Booklist Review

The immensely talented martial artist and actor Li nearly didn't make it into this world, as his parents had initially intended to terminate his mother's pregnancy. His maternal grandmother, Li Lianjie, predicted an illustrious future for the child, foreseeing that his talent and skills would provide for his family. By the age of 12, Li would come to dominate martial arts competitions, and by 19, he was starring in his first motion picture. Despite the money and the fame, success felt hollow to Li, which led to a deeper study of Buddhism to gain spiritual enlightenment. As Li's education in Buddhist teachings continued, he would discover the significance of a balanced body and mind and the correlation between health and happiness. Beyond Life and Death is a transformative memoir delving into Li's life both on and off the big screen. The journey that Li's life has taken has involves both highs and lows, yet Li has taken it all in stride and has emerged with an unabashed spirituality and love for life, which he relates in this well-composed and thoughtful work.

Kirkus Book Review

The quiet side of a man of action. In the preface to his book, Li writes that despite his worldwide success as a martial-arts master and action-movie star, he never allowed himself to enjoy his triumphs for too long: "My desires and fears ruled over my mind like the cruel tyrants I'd face off against in my martial arts films; they were my boss, and I was their employee." Li was still a teenager when he became a star in China and Hong Kong withShaolin Temple (1982); before the movie's release, he suffered a gruesome leg injury that nearly derailed his career. He persisted, though, becoming a bankable star in Asia, and later, the U.S., after he made his Hollywood debut inLethal Weapon 4 (1998). Li doesn't spend much ink on his career in film, instead focusing on the spiritual insights he gained along the way. In the late 1990s, he became "passionate" about Buddhism, and he draws from it extensively in the book, with a particular emphasis on zi zai, which he describes as "not a concept--it's the embodied experience of being perfectly at home in the universe, unburdened and utterly alive, yet beyond self, beyond life, and beyond death." He writes movingly about surviving the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which nearly killed him and his family, and about his struggles with injuries, stomach illness, and hyperthyroidism. It's a lot like reading a book by an all-star quarterback that focuses not on his Super Bowl victories, but on his various muscle strains, fumbles, and incomplete passes--and that's what makes it such a fascinating read. "Life is a constant dance of mastery: balancing effort and surrender, wisdom and compassion, the child's wonder and the sage's perspective," he writes, and he makes a startlingly effective argument in this self-effacing and enlightened book. There's ample food for thought in this action star's reflections. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.