It had been a year since Tenzin had joined the monastery, he thought back about his life before climbing up the mountain and starting his new life as a Buddhist monk.

Tenzin had been born to humble parents in the village of Gyalpo. His family had been devoted practitioners of Buddhism for generations. Tenzin’s earliest memories were of prayer and the comforting presence of the nearby monastery. His parents, recognizing the spiritual interests of their son, encouraged him to explore the teachings of Buddhism from a young age.

As a child, Tenzin was drawn to the temple. His curiosity came out in the form of many questions posed to the village monks and visiting pilgrims. The elder monks, seeing his earnest desire for knowledge, began to guide him in the basic teachings of mindfulness and compassion.

One day, as Tenzin explored the village outskirts, he encountered a wandering monk named Kelsang. The old monk, with a flowing white beard and eyes that sparkled with ancient wisdom, recognized something special in Tenzin. Kelsang saw in the young boy a kindred spirit yearning for a deeper understanding of life.

Over a simple meal of tsampa and butter tea, Kelsang shared his own journey to enlightenment. He spoke of the challenges he faced, the lessons he learned, and the joy that accompanied a life devoted to mindfulness and compassion. Tenzin hung on to every word.

In that moment, Tenzin decided to become a monk like Kelsang. Kelsang offered to guide him to the monastery high in the mountains. Tenzin’s parents knew they would miss their son, and Tenzin knew he’d miss them, but they recognized the calling within Tenzin and gave him their permission to start the journey.

Under the guidance of Kelsang, Tenzin made the difficult hike to the monastery, where he was welcomed with open arm. 

Tenzin focused back on the present moment, waking in the monastery. He stretched, yawned, and noticed that his friend, Lhakpa, hadn’t awoken yet.

“Hey, it’s time to get up!” Tenzin said, shaking Lhakpa’s shoulder. 

“Ok, ok,” Lhakpa said groggily. His head was shaved just like Tenzin’s and the other boys.  

“I’m getting up.” Their other friend, Sonam, was already up, getting dressed and preparing for the day. 

Together, they walked across the hard wood floor to the dining room where other boys sat around a low table on the floor. They enjoyed a simple breakfast of tsampa, a traditional Tibetan staple made from roasted barley flour. As Tenzin ate, he listened to the rhythmic chants of the monks from the nearby monastery, a sound that echoed through the valley like a soothing melody. After his meal, Tenzin and his friends headed to the temple where he would spend the day learning the way of mindfulness and meditation.

The temple, perched on the mountainside, overlooked the village below. Its weathered stones and ancient prayer wheels told stories of generations seeking wisdom and enlightenment. The temple’s exterior was adorned with intricate carvings depicting scenes from Buddhist scriptures. Tibetan prayer flags, vibrant and fluttering, adorned the eaves, imbuing the air with a sense of sacredness. A pair of heavy wooden doors, marked the entrance. Above them, a gilded canopy sheltered a trio of prayer wheels, waiting to be set in motion by the touch of a devoted pilgrim. 

Together, the boys entered the temple with a sense of reverence and anticipation. Inside, the air was thick with the earthy scent of incense. The flickering butter lamps cast dancing shadows on the walls, creating a setting of peace and tranquility. Their teacher, Lama Dorje awaited them. He was a wise and gentle monk with a flowing red robe. His head was shaved like the boys, his eyes were dark and piercing, and he always had a smile of his face. Lama Dorje lived the teachings of compassion and patience. His goal was to guide the minds of the young boys toward the path of enlightenment.

The morning rituals began with prostrations, a humble gesture expressing devotion and humility. Tenzin, Lhakpa, and Sonam bowed to the images of Buddha, their bodies moving in a fluid rhythm. The repetitive motions served as a physical expression of their dedication to the spiritual journey ahead.

Following the prostrations, the boys engaged in mindful breathing exercises. Lama Dorje instructed them to focus on each in breath and out breath, grounding their minds in the present moment. Tenzin closed his eyes, feeling the cool mountain air fill his lungs. And as he exhaled, he released the any stress from within.

After the morning session, the boys gathered for a simple lunch of lentil soup and steamed vegetables. The act of eating itself became a practice in mindfulness, with every bite savored and appreciated. The boys shared stories and laughter, fostering a sense of friendship that would support them on their spiritual journey.

In the afternoon, the boys explored the temple’s garden. Colorful flowers decorated the landscape, and the smell of blooming jasmine filled the air. They stood still and listened to the gentle rustling of leaves and distant chants from the temple. As they strolled along the winding paths, Tenzin embraced the beauty of the moment around them, practicing what he learned every day about fully living in the moment and appreciating what was happening in the now.

The boys walked a little further to the center of the garden to a Bodhi tree. This was the same type of tree Buddha was said to have received enlightnment. Under the shade of the Bodhi tree, Lama Dorje guided the boys in walking meditation. With each step, they connected with the earth beneath them, giving them a deep sense of gratitude for the interconnectedness of all life.

As the sun dipped below the towering mountains of Tibet, the boys returned to the temple for the evening session. Lama Dorje led them in a chanting ritual, the vibrations of the bell and their voices resonating through the ancient walls. The words carried prayers for the well-being of all living beings, the core Buddhist belief in compassion.

The day ended with a meditation session overlooking the majestic mountains. The boys sat in silent contemplation, their minds settling like a calm mountain lake. The fading sunlight painted the landscape in shades of lavender and indigo.

As they opened their eyes, Lama Dorje shared a simple yet profound teaching: “In the stillness of the mind, one finds the path to enlightenment. Embrace each moment with gratitude, for it is a step closer to understanding the nature of existence.”

Tenzin and his friends left the temple that evening with hearts full of inspiration. The teachings of mindfulness and compassion had taken root in their young minds, shaping the foundation for a life dedicated to the pursuit of inner peace and enlightenment.

In the quiet of the night, Tenzin stood on the temple balcony, gazing at the starlit sky above the mountains of Tibet. The vastness of the universe matched the depth of his new understanding. The journey was long, but with each step, Tenzin walked a path illuminated by the wisdom of the ancient teachings, a path that led to the serenity of the mind and the boundless compassion within the heart.

The post Finding Peace: A Buddhist Monk’s Journey appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

With a deep breath, Jackie leaps off the building, defying gravity as he soars through the air. Time seems to slow down as he executes a flip and slides down a rooftop.

As Jackie lands safely on the top of a moving truck. The satisfaction of nailing the stunt fills his veins, reminding him why he has dedicated his life to this craft. But there is no time to rest, the movie demands more. He swings himself into the front seat of the truck and continues a thrilling car chase through a narrow alleyway the final climactic fight scene against his most dangerous enemy.

With unwavering determination, Jackie embraces each challenge, pushing himself to the limit. He throws himself into fight scenes with unmatched energy, combining his martial arts skills with a touch of humor that makes audiences fall in love with him. Every punch, every kick is meticulously executed, leaving no room for error.

Being Jackie Chan in a blockbuster movie means embracing fear, defying gravity, and giving everything for the sake of entertainment. It is a journey filled with adrenaline, skill, and an unwavering dedication to creating movie magic. And for Jackie, there is no greater reward than seeing his hard work and breathtaking stunts come to life on the big screen, inspiring generations to chase their dreams, just as he has.

Kong-sang Chan, later known as Jackie Chan, was born on April 7, 1954,  in Hong Kong, China to Charles and Lee-Lee. At the time his parents were a cook and a housekeeper. They were poor at the time and worked for a French diplomat and lived in a small house in the back of his house. From a young age, Kong-sang’s father taught him to exercise and practice martial arts. Kung Fu was the popular martial arts style where he lived and used lots of kicks and acrobatic movements. Because they were poor, Kong-sang and his father had to find simple ways to exercise rather than going to a typical dojo.

Kong-sang struggled in school. He didn’t like to sit still and often got in trouble when he got restless. He often got into fights in his neighborhood and at school. Instead, he wanted to be outside and play which is natural for children! Fortunately, Kong-sang’s parents were attentive to his needs and started looking at other options for his school. They found a nearby school called The Chinese Drama Academy, which prepared students for Chinese opera and might be a good fit for a more active child like Kong-sang.

Kong-sang was surprised when he visited the school. Rather than sitting at desks and doing traditional school work, children at this school were doing kung fu and dancing around during the day. Kong-sang thought it looked like a pretty good school and his parents decided to enroll him for ten years! Little did Kong-sang know, what a challenge the Chinese Drama Academy would be! The masters of the school were very strict. Some of the kids made fun of him. He had to sleep on the floor at night and during the day they worked his body very hard. Every minute of the day they were busy running, kicking, punching, doing handstands, and cleaning. When students misbehaved, they got hit with a stick. And to Kong-sang’s surprise, he still had to do schoolwork on top of it all! 

Kong-sang missed his parents and only saw his mother once a week. Life at the Chinese Drama Academy was very hard, but he was determined to stick it out. When he saw other children performing on stage and being applauded, he wanted to work hard, be just like them, and get the same attention. Eventually, he got to perform on a stage and received his first role in a film called Big and Little Wong Tin Bar. 

By the time Kong-sang graduated from The Chinese Drama Academy, the opera wasn’t as popular so he knew his best would be to find a job in the movie industry. He auditioned to be a stuntman and got his first job. A stuntman is used in movies to do the dangerous work that actors avoid so they don’t get hurt. They might jump out of moving cars, off tall buildings, or take a punch to make the action look more realistic. Over time, Kong-sang got better and better at being a stuntman, but his real dream was to be a movie star not just someone who did the difficult work but that no one recognized. His next job was a stunt coordinator who helped direct all of the stunts. 

Finally, he got his first chance and was given a small role in a movie called Hand of Death. It wasn’t a big role, but it gave him hope that someday he might be a big star. He dreamed that he might be as popular as Bruce Lee, the most famous Chinese kung fu movie star. Unfortunately, movies weren’t as popular at that time in China and Kong-sang had to move to Australia where his parents now lived. He worked many different jobs to support himself. At one job, instead of using his real name, he introduced Kong-sang as “Jack.” His co-workers started calling him “Jackie.” 

Around this time – we’ll call him Jackie now – got a message from Hong Kong asking him to come back and star in a new movie, a remake of Bruce Lee’s Fists of Fury. He would be paid well and best of all, he’d be a star and be acting! Jackie hurried back to Hong Kong and starred in the new movie. Jackie had all of the moves and could do all of the stunts, but he was different than Bruce Lee. He liked being funnier rather than serious. At this time, he wrote his own movie and starred in it. It was called Half a Load of Kung Fu. Rather than trying to be just like Bruce Lee, Jackie wanted to be his own kind of action hero: a funny one who the audience would be impressed by but also laugh at.

Jackie Chan’s first big movie using his own style was Snake in Eagle’s Shadow about a kung fu student who is better than his own master and learns his moves from an old man on the street. The movie was a huge hit! Jackie was happy to know audiences enjoyed his funny action-hero persona. Drunken Master was his next big hit turned him into a popular movie star all over China. 

Jackie’s next job took him to the United States, to film a new movie in Texas. Unfortunately, Jackie struggled with English and didn’t feel as comfortable acting because of the language and the style that which U.S. films were shot. Next, he returned to Hong Kong and was able to continue his acting as a celebrity there. 

In Hong Kong, Jackie continued acting and doing dangerous stunts. It was one of his favorite parts of the job even though it was very dangerous. During one stunt he fell from a 50-foot-tall clock tower, through two cloth awnings, and to the ground. Another time, he slid down a 21-story building. A few times he was hurt very badly, but Jackie continued acting and doing stunts because it was his passion and he didn’t care about the risks.

In 1995, Jackie took another shot at filming in Hollywood and his first breakout American film was Rumble in the Bronx. He did some dangerous stunts and plenty of kung fu, and the film became a big hit. His next big film was a buddy-cop movie starring alongside comedian Chris Tucker. The name of the film was Rush Hour and ended up being a huge hit earning over $140 million dollars. Jackie was finally a star in the United States as well as Asia. 

For the next several years, Jackie continued to film hits in Hollywood including a second and third Rush Hour movies, Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights with Owen Wilson, The Tuxedo, Around the World in 80 Days, a new Karate Kid film, and also did the voice for Master Monkey in Kung Fu Panda. 

Later, he also started a stunt school for aspiring young actors and started his own coffee shops, restaurants, theaters, clothing lines, and other businesses across Asia. 

Not only has Jackie become known for his acting, kung fu, and stunts, but also for his charitable donations around the world. He’s taken his success and with gratitude used it to help others in need, which includes building schools and curing illnesses.

Like Jackie, you can remember the importance of physical exercise. Even when Jackie was poor and didn’t have access to a real gym or sports clubs, he ran through the neighborhoods near his home, used heavy objects to strengthen his muscles, kicked, and practiced his acrobatics. You can work through hard things even when they are difficult and continue to practice whatever it is you are passionate about. Jackie of often turned to humor when life was hard and even though everyone wanted him to be like Bruce Lee, he found his own way in the world, a unique way of acting that he made his own. 

Take a moment and think about how you can apply what you’ve learned about Jackie Chan to your own life.

Jackie once said, “If everyone does some good, think of what a good world this will be.”

When asked how he accomplished great things, Jackie said, “I do small things. I try to do good things every day.”

And finally, “Do not let circumstances control you. You [can] change your circumstances.”

The post Jackie Chan Story for Kids appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

Have you ever heard of Super Mario Brothers or the Legend of Zelda? Have you ever played these games on Nintendo? Nintendo is a household name across the world, but it didn’t start out that way. And most people don’t realize the Nintendo company has been around for over 100 years — long before video games were invented.

Early Beginnings of Nintendo

Our story begins in 1889 in the large city of Kyoto, Japan. In Kyoto lived a man named Fusajiro Yamauchi. Fusajiro had a wife and a daughter and was an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is someone who has big ideas and starts new businesses. And Fusajiro had an idea to start his own shop to sell playing cards which were used to play a Japanese card game called “Hanafuda.” His playing cards were hand-painted and he decided to name his business “Nintendo Koppai.”

Fusajiro’s playing cards were very popular in Kyoto and soon he didn’t have enough time to paint all of the cards by hand. When an entrepreneur has this problem, which is a very good problem, he hires more people to help him — and this is exactly what Fusajiro did! He hired assistant and taught them how to paint playing cards like he did. With more playing cards to sell, the Nintendo company grew and grew until Fusajiro opened a new shop in Osaka.

For 40 years Fusajiro’s company grew and grew, they designed games other than Hanafuda and eventually became the largest playing card company in Japan. 

At the age of 70, Fusajiro retired and his adopted son-in-law became the new president. But little did Fusajiro realize what would become of his playing card company.

Hiroshi’s Contributions to Nintendo

In 1927 a boy named Hiroshi was born in the same city of Kyoto. When he was little parents were unable to take care of him, so he went to live with his grandparents. His grandfather was the President of Nintendo. Hiroshi started school when he was 12 and planned to go to college, but when World War II started he had to wait on college and instead worked in a factory making weapons for the war. When the war ended he started college to study law and was also married at that time.

In 1949 Hiroshi grandfather, the President of Nintendo died and Hiroshi was next in line, so he became the president of Nintendo. Hiroshi was only 22 and no one thought he’d be able to run the company. But he proved everyone wrong by being very firm and taking control of the company. And  he would go on to lead Nintendo and help it grow for the next 53 years! 

As the new President of the company, Hiroshi was interested in selling Nintendo playing cards in the United States. In the United States he made a deal with Disney to allow Nintendo to use Disney characters on their cards and eventually sold 600,000 packs in one year. With all of the new money coming in, Hiroshi began to look at new ways for Nintendo to make money. They tried many different ventures such as a taxi business, restaurants, and toy making. While many of the ideas failed, toy-making seemed to be their best bet. 

Gunpei and Nintendo’s Light Gun

One day while Hiroshi was in the factory, he noticed one of the engineers playing with a device he had built that could stretch out and grab things like a hand. The engineer’s name was Gunpei Yokoi and his normal job was to repair machines in the factory. But Hiroshi liked the device he built so much that he decided to turn it into a toy. They called it the “Ultra Arm” and sold over 1 million of them. With the Ultra Arm’s success, Hiroshi asked Gunpei to help design toys instead of work in the factory. Gunpei went on to design several other toys for Nintendo such as the first solar-powered light gun, later called the Nintendo Beam gun. 

In 1972 the American company Magnavox released one of the first home video game consoles and called it the Odyssey. Magnavox used Nintendo light guns with the Odyssey. Not long after the Odyssey’s release, Nintendo started creating its own arcade games using the light gun. Their most popular arcade was called The Laser Clay Shooting System. 

Shigeru Miyamoto and Donkey Kong

In 1977 Nintendo hired a young artist named Shigeru Miyamoto. Shigeru was born in Sonobe, Japan and from a young age loved exploring the natural world around his home, including forests, lakes and secret caves he found. He had a big imagination of loved to draw. He later went to college to become an artist. At Nintendo Shigeru did artwork for an arcade game called Sheriff and worked with Gunpei Yokoi, the designer of the “Ultra Arm” on other new games.

One of their big ideas involved a carpenter, his girlfriend, and a gorilla. The carpenter, also named Jumpman, ran up ramps and jumped over barrels the gorilla threw at him until he reached the girl at the top. When Sherigu finally decided on a name for Jumpman he named him “Mario” after the man who owned their building. They named their game Donkey Kong and it eventually it became one of the most famous video games of all time.

Nintendo and Gunpei Yokoi’s next big invention was a hand-held gaming device called the Game and Watch, which included a simple game and a clock. The Game and Watch was very popular and gave Nintendo more money to invent other new devices. Their next big device was called the Famicom (or Family Computer) and was their first gaming console. It sold over 500,000 units, but many of them had issues and had to be recalled from the stores.

This was very costly for Nintendo, but in 1985 they fixed the system and renamed it the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES. Nintendo was known for its quality games, which had to receive its stamp of approval before being released. The NES ended up becoming wildly popular in the United States. 

The Mario Brothers

Shigeru Miyamoto, the artist with the big imagination, also created Super Mario Brothers featuring his Mario character from Donkey Kong and added a brother named Luigi. They changed Mario from a carpenter to a plumber and gave him superhuman abilities. He could fall from any height and with his hat and thick mustache worked his way through a wild world full of fantastic monsters and underground sewage pipes. 

Legend of Zelda

Designing his next video game, Shigeru remember his childhood of adventure and wonder exploring the natural world around his home in Sonobe. He remembered finding a dark cave and exploring it along with the hillsides and lakes. He decided his next big game would try and capture that wonder he felt as a child. In his game The Legend of Zelda, an adventurous elf named Link would explore an open video game world in search of the Princess Zelda. The Legend of Zelda also became very popular and many sequels have been created under Shigeru’s direction. 

Enter the Gameboy

Nintendo’s next popular device was the Gameboy, designed by Gunpei Yokoi. It was a handheld device and was known for being sturdy with quality games like Tetris, Super Mario Land and Pokemon. The Game Boy eventually sold 118 million units!

SNES and the Wii

The next version of the Nintendo was called the Super Nintendo or SNES with new and improved graphics and a host of new games. At this time, Nintendo began to face competition from the Sega Genesis gaming system, which included wildly popular games like Sonic the Hedgehog. The Sony Playstation and later Microsoft’s Xbox gaming system also competed with Nintendo, which later released the Nintendo 64 with 3D graphics, the Game Boy Color, then the Game Cube and later the Nintendo DS, and Wii.

The Wii became the best selling game console of all time, selling 10 million units with hit games like Wii Sports, Super Mario Galaxy, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Wii U was released next and finally its current console, the Nintendo Switch. Even with all of the new competition over the years,

Nintendo found ways to reinvent itself and make its game systems different. With the Wii, Nintendo invented the hand-held pointing devices or nunchucks. With the Switch it designed a console that could be played on the TV or on the go. Nintendo also continued to create wildly imaginative, colorful and family friendly game franchises such as Zelda, Mario Kart, Metroid, Star Fox, and Pokemon. 

In the end, Nintendo was successful due to the business sense of its President Hiroshi Yamauchi and the creativity of designers like Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi.

Entrepreneurs

Would you like to be an entrepreneur some day? Remember an entrepreneur is someone who is creative and comes up with ideas for new businesses. If you’ve ever held a bake sell or sold lemonade you’re practicing the skills to become an entrepreneur. Remember, Fusajiro was an entrepreneur when he started his first playing card shop called Nintendo.

Do you like to draw or have a big imagination like Shigeru and Gunpei? If you created your own video game like Shigeru what would it be about? What would it look like? When you find the time, write out your ideas, draw a few pictures and plan out how it would work. Creativity, like other skills, requires practice. Take some time to think about how you can exercise your creativity muscles and invent imaginative worlds like Shigeru did with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

The post History of Nintendo: Fusajiro Yamauchi, Hiroshi Yamauchi, Gunpei Yokoi and Shigeru Miyamoto For Kids appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

Have you ever made up a magical creature in your daydreams? What would your creature be like? Would it be gentle or fierce? Friendly or unfriendly? Would it have magical powers? Maybe it would have a mix of parts from different animals, like the body of a bull, the head of a lion, and the feet of an octopus. 

Okay, that would be pretty weird! But people all over the world, for all of human history, have imagined strange and magical creatures. And oddly enough, cultures from every part of the world have all come up with legends of fierce, snake-like creatures with magical powers. Some of these creatures are even gods. Many have wings and claws. Some are benevolent and helpful, some are evil and destructive. Some hoard treasure and breath fire. 

Of course, I’m talking about dragons, and other, similar mythical creatures. Dragon-like creatures come up again and again in stories from different parts of the world, from ancient Babylonia, to China and Southeast Asia, to medieval Europe, and from the Americas, both ancient and modern. These different dragons have different features, but all are snake- or lizard-like with parts of other animals squished into one. Some are good, some evil, but all are fierce, strong, and magical.

Dragons in Various Cultures

Folklore in India, Malaysia, Thailand, and other Southeast Asian cultures tells of Nagas – snake-like dragons that usually have no arms or legs, some with many heads.  The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl was a feathered serpent, and looks a lot like a dragon in some artwork. The Ancient Egyptians had many snake-gods, as did other African cultures. And the powerful Hawaiian goddess Kiwahawine is a dragon with reddish hair who sometimes shape-shifts into a human woman. 

Ancient Greece had its share of dragon creatures too. One of the more famous is Ladon, who Hercules fought  in order to steal the golden apples he guarded for the goddess Hera.

Later, in ancient Rome, a naturalist named Pliny the Elder passed on the knowledge that a dragon could strangle an elephant with their tail. No one knows where he heard this, but he may have gotten confused by second-hand stories of pythons, snakes that can squeeze their prey to death. 

Philostratus, a Greek philosopher from the 3rd century CE gave descriptions of several kinds of dragons. Mountain dragons are fast and fierce, he says, with glittery golden scales. He claims they have a longer tail than plains dragons, along with bushy beards. Marsh dragons he describes as sluggish and lazy, with black scales on their backs. He was convinced that India was full of dragons, and that Indians knew how to enchant dragons by weaving magical cloaks and lulling them to sleep. The eyes of a dragon were supposedly made of stone, and rings set with this stone would have magic powers.

But the best-known dragon legends today are probably the ones based on Chinese and medieval European stories. Early natural scientists in both Europe and China wrote about dragons as though real but still magical. Chinese scholars grouped them with other animals that had scales, like snakes and lizards. 

Misunderstandings About Dragons

Like unicorns, dragons were also subject to cases of mistaken identity. In the past, people who unearthed dinosaur bones often thought they were dragon bones. This was before scientists were careful and methodical about reconstructing skeletons and dating them, which made them realize they were real, non magical, but extinct animals. It’s easy to see why people might confuse dinosaur bones for dragon bones though: both have sharp teeth and claws, long tails, and an overall shape similar to a lizard. Still, in ancient Chinese medicine, these “dragon bones” were used to treat madness, kidney problems, and diarrhea, among other ailments

Other animal fossils were also mistaken for dragons. From the middle ages on, the town of Klangenfurt, Austria was home to legends about a “lindwurm” – a dragon–that once lived in surrounding marshes. This dragon roamed the countryside, picking off people and farm animals. The local king ordered his knights to kill the dragon, and after several valiant attempts, they finally did. The skull of the dragon was put on display in the town hall. Centuries later, in the 1500s, a sculptor commemorated the event by creating a statue of the dragon, based on this skull. Only later did people realize that the skull actually came from an extinct ice age creature, the elephant-like Wooly Mammoth!

There are slight differences between dragons in legends from different areas–wyverns have two legs and wings, while knuckers have four legs and lived near water, but European dragons mostly follow the mold of the Klangefurt dragon: menacing and powerful. The early medieval English poem Beowulf kicks off this trend, telling of a dragon who burned down homes with his fiery breath. The “wurm” part of the name “lindwurm” comes from an old English word that meant dragon or snake. Maybe this is why medieval Europeans often associated dragons with snakes and evil. In Christian teachings, the devil appeared to Eve in the Garden of Eden as a snake. 

Tales of knights fighting dragons who have been terrorizing towns and farms, like in Klangefurt, were popular throughout the middle ages in Europe. Another famous story tells of St George, the dragonslayer. In a typical plotline, a dragon was terrorizing a village, breathing fire on people and farm animals. The villagers decided to sacrifice one sheep each day to the dragon, to keep him happy, but eventually, they ran out of sheep. Next, they started choosing a child at random each day to give to the dragon. One day, the king’s daughter was selected to be that child. Lucky for her, St George was passing through town that day, and was horrified to learn what was happening. He offered to slay the dragon so that no more children would need to be sacrificed. As he struggled against the dragon, he noticed a weak spot in its armor. He plunged his sword into this spot, under the dragon’s arm, and killed him, saving the princess. 

This story was probably made up by Christian soldiers called crusaders long after the real St George was dead. It’s very similar to other dragon stories of the middle ages, and dragon tales were very popular at the time. They were on coats of arms for many kingdoms and countries, banners, and coins, as a symbol of strength. And some people believed they were real for a long time: a scientist from the 17th century describes dragons winging throughout Africa, bludgeoning other large animals to death with their tails. My guess is that this guy never actually went to Africa, just like Philostratus probably never traveled to India. 

The dragons of Chinese folklore are a bit different from European dragons. Though they are fierce and magical, Chinese dragons, called “lung”, are benevolent and helpful. These four-legged creatures with scales, horns, claws, and fiery eyes, lived near water, such as streams, rivers, and oceans. In fact, lungs were originally divine beings who controlled water and rainfall. 

Other accounts from Chinese authors talk about four types of dragons. The Celestial Dragon, Tianlung, guards the home of the gods in heaven. You can see Tianlung as a group of stars coiled around the north star at night. In the west, this constellation is known as Draco, which also means dragon. Then there are the Dragons of Hidden Treasure, who guard buried treasures, creating volcanic eruptions when they burst out of their underground lairs. The Earth Dragon controls waterways, while the Spiritual dragon controls rain and winds. The Earth and Spiritual dragons were especially popular. In later folklore they morphed into “Dragon Kings” who lived in the oceans, sending rain, and protecting ships at sea. 

Modern Dragons

In modern times, dragons have remained very popular. You can still see an ancient ritual in many places around the world where people hold Chinese New Year’s parades: the dragon dance. People line up, holding a colorful and elaborate dragon costume above them as they wind and dance their way along the parade route. 

Many books, movies, and comics also feature dragons. Maybe you’ve read The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien, where Bilbo Baggins helps defeat the dragon Smaug, in a way very similar to St George; or the Chronicles of Narnia, where a character learns an important lesson when he is accidentally transformed into a dragon. More recently, series like Tui Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series and How to Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell, put a more modern spin on traditional dragon lore. The dragons in these series may look like medieval European dragons, but they aren’t all evil. Wings of Fire has dragons from different tribes, each with its own customs and powers, learning to cooperate, overcome their fears, and solve big problems. How to Train your Dragon follows a Viking boy and his dragon as they team up to overcome challenges, with plenty of silliness along the way. 

If you were making up your own version of a dragon, what would it be like? Helpful and benevolent, like the lung from ancient China? A fire-breathing terror who guards a treasure hoard, like the ones from medieval Europe? Or one of the more modern versions? What magical powers does it have? So many people throughout the ages have imagined different versions of these fascinating creatures. As you go to sleep tonight, try to imagine what your dragon-friend would be like!

Sources

https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/dragons/european-dragons

https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/dragons/natural-history-of-dragons

https://www.britannica.com/event/Crusades

https://www.britannica.com/topic/long

https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/draco-constellation/

https://www.livius.org/sources/content/philostratus-life-of-apollonius/philostratus-life-of-apollonius-3.6-10/

https://www.stgeorgessociety.org/news/2018/3/30/saint-george-the-man-the-myth-the-legend

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dragons_in_mythology_and_folklore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C4%81ga

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Close your eyes and imagine you are in a beautiful, Japanese garden. You see a small stream leading to a calm pond covered in bright pink flowers and water lilies. The green grass around you is cut short and all of the plants and shrubbery are neatly trimmed. Flowering trees are above you. You see a wooden footbridge and cross the pond to an open area with a grand temple in the middle. It’s designed in Japanese fashion with a peaked roof. Surrounding the temple are men and women holding wooden swords. A teacher is showing them how to use the sword, swinging it upward and then down. They all follow his instructions at the same time in a coordinated dance. Then they kick and swing the swords again. Past them, in the temple, you see a group cross-legged and meditating. You suddenly realize you are observing a group of Japanese samurais in training.

Have you ever heard of a “samurai”? A samurai was an ancient warrior in the country of Japan. You could compare them to the knights of Medieval Times, because they were warriors who wore armor, fought in battles, and lived a code of honor. But they were also different from knights in other ways which we’ll talk about today.

If you saw a samurai today they’d be wearing armor, a helmet, and carrying a long sword called a “katana.” They were known for their great strength and skill and speed and their incredible use of the katana sword. The first Samurai fought on horseback. For a long time, the soldiers in Japan were peasants – simple people who farmed the land and weren’t trained to fight. So when they fought in a battle, they weren’t very effective because their job was normally farming not fighting. At the time in Japan, some of the wealthier citizens had horses and decided they might be better warriors than the peasants. Horses gave them an advantage and using a bow and arrow from the back of the horse, these wealthy Japanese became very dangerous fighters. Soon, instead of peasants fighting, more and more of the soldiers became Samurai, fighting with swords and bow and arrows from horseback.

As the samurai trained harder and from a young age, they became known for their excellent skills with the katana sword. They disciplined themselves. Discipline means to have self-control. Daily they practiced riding horses, using the katana, and doing things that were very hard but made them stronger because they pushed their body and mind to their limits. They were similar to Spartan warriors in this way, too.

Some of the legendary samurai were women, too. Tomoe Gozen fought bravely during the clan wars. She was a skilled archer and swordsman, “a warrior worth a thousand” the legends say. She was a strong horseman and could ride down steep hills. In battle, she was sent out as a captain in the best armor and the best weapons to lead the other samurai – and “performed more deeds of valor than any of the other warriors.” 

Another well known general at this time was female samurai Hangaku Gozen. Female foot soldiers were also known to fight alongside the men during clan wars.

In the Pacific Ocean, Japan is an island located off the coast of China. At the time, a powerful people called the Mongols ruled China and wanted to rule Japan, too. In 1270 A.D. Kublai Khan, the leader of the Mongol army,  decided to attack Japan. He sent 40,000 soldiers and 90 ships to invade the island. But for many years, the Japanese Samurai had been preparing and training to defend their country. When the Mongols invaded, they were met by the fast and powerful Samurai who used their skills to defend Japan and stopped the invasion. 

For a time, Japan was also divided into power clans, or groups of people sort of like small cities or towns. The clans were ruled by a leader called a “daimyo” (dime-yo). The daimyo hired samurai to protect their clan. Often clans fought against each other for more land so many of the samurai battles over the years were between competing clans. Samurai became distinguished for their honor in battle. Honor meant their commitment to the samurai code or set of rules known as the “bushido.” They strictly followed the rules of a samurai or “bushido” which included courage, respect, self-control and righteousness, which means doing the right thing. In battle, the Samurai were taught to never surrender or back down, to continue fighting even when they were losing and to have courage even in the most fearful moments.

In 1582, a man named Oda Nobunaga was born to a powerful daim-yo in the Owari region. Growing up, Nobunaga was trained as other samurai to fight with the bow and arrow, sword, and learned to discipline himself after the “bushido,” the way of the samurai. After his father passed away, Nobunaga and his brothers fought to rule the clan and Nobunaga became the new leader. But he wasn’t content leading one clan, he wanted to grow the clan’s power and began conquering other clans nearby. He was a skilled military leader and organized his soldiers and samurai in a way that continued to win until he ruled many other clans. Nobunaga also made alliances with other powerful clans. An alliance is an agreement that they will work together. And eventually Nobunaga’s clans and alliances brought all of the clans together. Nobunaga eventually became the leader of half the clans in Japan, also called a “shogun.” He built a beautiful castle on a lake and lived there during his rule. From there he continued to organize and strengthen his armies and make laws that he believed were in Japan’s best interest. The rule of a powerful Japanese leader was called a “shogunate” and his rule was followed by powerful leaders such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa. Under Hideyoshi, all of Japan was united under a single leader or “shogunate.” This led the way for a unified Japan up until the single country it is today. 

Back to the samurai – with Japan united, the different clans and their dime-yo leaders no longer fought for control. Because there was peace between clans, the samurai weren’t needed for fighting. Also, gunpowder and guns were introduced to Japan, so the army became made up of regular soldiers and swords were replaced with guns. The samurai became workers for the new Japanese government. They still followed the code of the Samurai but weren’t needed for battle and taught others about the “bushido” code and how to have self-control and respect for others. 

Some of the samurai who didn’t want to become peaceful government workers and who no longer were needed by the clans became leaderless. These wandering samurai became known as “Ronin” (row-nin) who often became bandits or soldiers for hire. In one of the most famous Japanese stories, 47 of these Ronin lost their master after he was murdered. They band together and seek after his murderer until they get revenge. This legendary story was made into plays and later movies and comic books called “47 Ronin.” 

As we’ve mentioned before, the way of the samurai, the special code they followed that made them samurai was called “bushido.” Without bushido, they wouldn’t have had the discipline to train and act with courage during the toughest moments of battle. Even though you aren’t a samurai, you can take the best things from the bushido code and apply them to your own life. As we talk about the principles of bushido, think about how you might use them each day.

The first principle of bushido was rectitude or justice. This meant to act in a way that made sense, was rational, even when it was very hard to do so. Also, to treat others with fairness and honor.

The second principle was courage, which means acting on what is right even when it is hard. A samurai was determined to act even under difficult circumstances. If you’ve ever done something hard, when it wasn’t easy, you’ve demonstrated courage. And courage doesn’t always come easy, it takes practice! Next time something challenging comes your way say to yourself, “I can have courage, I can do it!” With each courageous step you take, it can become easier.

The third principle of bushido was mercy. This means showing love to others and being able to forgive.

Fourth, politeness. To treat others with respect, have good manners, and say kind things. 

Fifth, honesty. We all know what that means. Telling the truth even when it’s not easy.

Sixth, honor. This meant showing personal respect. Respecting yourself and having patience. This means taking a deep breath when you might get upset and finding ways to work through problems by keeping a cool head, rather than getting angry and losing ones temper. 

Seventh, loyalty. To the samurai this loyalty to their leaders, usually the daim-yo. For you, this might mean listening to your parents or sticking up for your family, siblings, and friends, and being there for them when they need your help.

Finally, eighth, self control. One of the most important because it helps with all of the other principles. This means being able to manage your wants. There might be something you really want, but you can ask yourself if you really need it. It’s important to be able to tell the difference between wants and needs. Needs are things you do need, like good food and sleeping each day. Wants might be a toy or watching a movie, which can be fun at times but aren’t really necessary all the time. Next time you want something, but don’t really need it, try saying “no.” And you’ll find each time you strengthen that part of your brain that has self-control. Also, eating healthy and getting good sleep help with self-control. 

Those are the principles of bushido, the way of the samurai. Like I said, think of ways you can incorporate these good teachings and others into your own life to have the strength of a samurai!

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Who was Siddhartha Gautama?

Imagine you’re a prince or a princess, living in a giant, luxurious palace. There your parents make sure that you have everything you could ever want or need: lots of toys, fine clothes, and the best education. You’re surrounded by beautiful gardens and expensive things. You have servants to clean up after you, bring your food, and help with everything. When you’re not learning from private tutors, you spend your days swimming, practicing archery and swordsmanship, and riding horses. The palace is so massive, it’s your entire world and you never even need to leave. 

Now imagine you decide to give that all up. You’re not happy with that life. You wonder if life has a greater meaning. You wonder if possessions can ever make people truly happy and content. This was the life Siddhartha Gautama found himself in. You might have heard of him: now, we call him Buddha. 

What was the Buddha’s real name?

The story of how Siddhartha became Buddha begins even before his birth. Siddhartha’s father was king of a small kingdom in northern India in the sixth century BCE over 2,500 years ago!  Several years before Siddhartha was born, the king was visited by sages, or wise men, who told him his son would be either a great king or a great holy man. Of course, Siddhartha’s father wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and be a great king.  So when Siddhartha was born in 567 BCE, his father decided to shelter his son from the world, so he wouldn’t know about suffering and death. He thought that if Siddhartha never saw bad things in the world, he wouldn’t want to fix them, and so he wouldn’t want to become a holy man. 

Buddha’s Early Life

So Siddhartha grew up surrounded by all the comforts and privileges money could buy. When he became a young man, he married a woman named Gopa. He seemed to have it all, but the plan Siddhartha’s father made for him to become a great king was about to fall apart. Instead of accepting the life of luxury that he was given, Siddhartha grew restless living in the palace. One day, he asked his father to let him go on a chariot ride to see the city around the palace. His father agreed but told the chariot driver to stay in the richer parts of the city, close to the palace, to avoid letting Siddhartha see people who were poor or suffering. 

Siddhartha set out in the chariot with his driver. Before long, they saw an old man, slowly hobbling along the road, looking as if he might fall over at any moment. Siddhartha had never seen such an old man, and he asked his driver what was wrong with him. 

His driver replied, “He is very old. His body has grown weak with age. You too will grow old someday. All people do.”

Siddhartha was disturbed but asked him to drive on. Later in the ride, they saw a sick man lying by the side of the road. He was groaning and looked very unhappy. Again, Siddhartha asked what was wrong with the man. 

His driver replied, “He is sick with a terrible disease. Everyone gets sick sometimes. Someday, you will get sick.”

Siddhartha felt terrible, seeing this man suffering, but they continued their ride through the city. 

On their way back to the palace, they came across a funeral procession. People were crying and moaning. For a third time, Siddhartha asked his chariot driver what was happening.

Again, his driver replied. “Someone has died, and these people are his friends and family. They are mourning for him.”  

When Siddhartha returned home, he could not stop thinking about the old man, the sick man, and the funeral. He thought about these things happening to his father and mother, to his wife, and to himself. He realized that all the treasure in the palace, all the servants waiting on him, and all the beautiful things surrounding him, could not prevent him or anyone else from the sad things he said. He realized that he wanted to find a way to help people overcome suffering. 

Siddartha’s Personal Journey

Once he realized these things, Siddhartha knew he could no longer live an easy life in the palace. So one day, he said goodbye to his family and set out to find the cause of suffering. He cut his hair and lived as an ascetic – someone who chooses to live in poverty and simplicity. He studied meditation with great holy men and discussed the problem of suffering with them, but after many years of living this way, he still didn’t know why it happened, or how he could prevent it.

Finally, he decided to sit and meditate under a bodhi tree. He vowed not to leave until he had the answer to the problem of human suffering.  Siddhartha sat meditating day and night, still and calm as a statue, for six days. On the sixth day, he opened his eyes and realized he understood the nature of suffering. He became enlightened and from then on was known as Buddha, which means awakened one. 

Buddha’s Four Noble Truths

For the rest of his life, Buddha traveled throughout India, teaching others about what he had discovered. He taught people the four noble truths he had realized about suffering.

The first truth is that everyone suffers and has hard things happen to them. It’s just part of life. 

The second truth is that we suffer because we are always wanting more, and trying to hold onto what we have. This might sound surprising. Didn’t he start his quest because he saw people who were suffering because they were old, sick, and dying? Buddha thought that the real reason we suffer is not that bad things happen to us, but because we allow negative feelings and desires to take over our thinking. If we’re sick, we lie around feeling sorry for ourselves and wishing we were well. But then when we’re healthy, we think of other things we want but don’t have, and we still suffer. 

Think about a time when you really wanted a new toy or game. It probably felt very unfair that you didn’t have it, and then, if you did get it, you might have been happy for a short time, but then you were just back to normal and wanted something new. We become attached to things, or even ideas of things, and those things are not permanent. This keeps us spending all our time wanting things we don’t have, and worrying we’ll lose what we do have. He taught that things like toys and games and other things we might buy don’t really make us happy deep down and any happiness we do feel doesn’t last.

The third truth is that we can overcome suffering. Once we overcome suffering, Buddha thought, we could reach a state of nirvana, or perfect peace and happiness, just as he did when he meditated under the bodhi tree. 

Finally, the fourth truth tells us how to overcome suffering. The way Buddha thought we overcome suffering is by following what he called the “eightfold path.” I won’t go over all eight parts of the path, but basically, to follow the eightfold path, we must always try to improve ourselves: this means being kind and honest; try not to harm anyone or anything; and acting with compassion. We must also learn to pay attention to our own thoughts. As we pay attention to our thoughts we can better understand the thoughts that make us feel sad. This helps us think in a new way. This paying attention to our thoughts is called meditation.

Karma

Buddha taught that following the eight-fold path creates good karma.  Karma is the idea that everything you do has a consequence, whether good or bad. Kind actions tend to have positive consequences, and unkind actions, have negative consequences. This isn’t a consequence like a reward or a punishment – it’s just a thing that happens as a result of an action. He taught that by building up a lot of good karma, you can reach nirvana, a state of true enlightenment. 

Buddha spent the rest of his life traveling around India, teaching what he had discovered to anyone who wanted to learn. He encouraged his followers to try out the practices he taught for themselves, to see how well they worked, and to gather in communities to learn and help each other. The community was important because Buddha knew that to be truly happy, people need to feel compassion and kindness for both themselves and others. This is called metta in Buddhism.

Buddhism

After its beginnings in India, Buddhism spread throughout South and East Asia and was practiced widely in Tibet, Bhutan, Thailand, China, and Japan, among others. Today, people around the world practice Buddhism in different forms. For some, it’s a religion, but for others, it’s simply a way of looking at life.

Meditation

As Buddha taught, you can take the time to meditate each day. Meditating is a good chance to breathe deeply and slow your thoughts. It can also help you look closely at your thoughts. Your thoughts often lead to how you’re feeling. So if you have lots of negative thoughts those may be causing negative feelings. Breathing deeply and clearing your mind can give you the positive energy you need to help yourself and help others. There are a lot of great ways to start meditating. You can find videos, podcasts, and apps, that can get you started. But the simplest way is to just set a timer and try and sit and relax during that time while breathing deeply. 

What can I learn from Buddha?

Also, like Buddha taught, remember that things that we buy won’t always make us happy. Toys eventually break, or they go out of fashion, and we’ll always want something new. Think about how you might turn your attention to more important things like spending time with your family and friends, learning something new, or doing good for others. These are things that last longer and will give you greater, deeper joy.   

I hope you enjoyed this episode about Buddha. Be sure to check in next Monday for a new episode!

Sources

Fields, Rick. “Who Is the Buddha?” in: Tricycle, Spring 1997. https://tricycle.org/magazine/who-was-buddha-2/

Meyers, Rachel. Curiosity Chronicles: Snapshots of Ancient History. Little Monster Schooling, 2017.

Nagaraja, Dharmachari. Buddha at Bedtime.Watkins, 2016.

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The year is 1955 and you live in Hong Kong.   You are a teenage boy and everyday, you study hard in school and then go to the Kung Fu training centre and practice Kung Fu for hours and hours.  Your dream is to become the best Kung Fu master in the world and your coaches are telling you that you are on the path.  If you study hard and practice hard, you may be a Kung Fu champion.  You are Bruce Lee, the most famous Kung Fu master in the world in the 1960s.  You don’t know it yet, but you will go on to become a movie star in China and then in America and around the world. 

Jun Fan (Bruce) Lee was born on November 27, 1940, in Chinatown, San Francisco, California. His father was a famous Chinese opera star.  He often toured around different countries with his opera. On one trip, Bruce’s dad took his wife on tour and while they were in the United States, she gave birth to a son there. 

Bruce was a happy and active baby.  According to the Chinese Zodiac Bruce was born in the hour and the year of the dragon. The Chinese Zodiac is an ancient system Chinese people used to predict the future. In traditional Chinese culture, that Bruce was a dragon was a strong and fortuitous omen.  An omen is an event that is meant to be a sign of things to come.

Bruce and his parents returned to Hong Kong when Bruce was just three months old.  His father’s opera tour was finished, so Bruce and his family moved back to Hong Kong to be near their family.  At the time, China was at war with another country called Japan, so Chinese people did not get out to do many fun activities.  However, after the war, Bruce’s dad continued to work in opera and also started to work as an actor in movies.

Because Bruce’s dad was an actor, he tried to help Bruce get in films as well.  Bruce was successful as a child actor.  He appeared in over 20 Chinese films. Bruce liked being in movies, but he also liked studying dance and kung fu.  

When Bruce was a teenager, he started to get into a lot of street fights.  Because a lot of teenage boys in China studied Kung Fu at the time, they would often try to fight each other in the streets to see who was the best.  Bruce Lee was a very good fighter, so many other teenagers wanted to challenge him to a fight to try to beat him.

During the street fights Bruce’s parents were worried that he would get hurt so they continued to encourage him to study Kung Fu so he could defend himself.  Bruce became a very good fighter and in 1958, Bruce won the Hong Kong school’s boxing tournament. There he knocked out the previous champion in the final fight.

When Bruce was 18, he got into another street fight in Hong Kong, and the police were called. This scared Bruce’s parents and they decided that Bruce should leave Hong Kong and move to the United States so that he could have a safer and happier life.

Bruce moved to the United States and at first, he went to stay with his older sister, Agnes Lee, who was already living with family friends in San Francisco. Bruce lived in  San Francisco for several months and then he moved to Seattle so that he could study at the University of Washington in Seattle.  In order to help pay for his education, Bruce worked as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant.  He also lived in the back room of the restaurant for free.

In 1964, Bruce met an American woman named Linda Emery and fell in love.  She was a fellow student studying at the university to become a teacher.  They got married and the next year, Linda gave birth to their son, Brandon Lee.  They later had a second child, a daughter named Shannon.

Two years later, in 1966, the Lees moved to Los Angeles and Bruce started to try to be in movies.  Like his dad before him, Bruce had decided that he wanted to be an actor.  One of Bruce’s first acting roles was on the tv show The Green Hornet (1966-1967), where he played the Hornet’s sidekick Kato. 

Bruce found that he was often being cast as a sidekick, because at the time there were not a lot of good roles for asian people in Hollywood movies.  He heard about how popular martial arts movies were becoming in Hong Kong and this was more interesting to Bruce than staying in Hollywood.  He was excited about the idea of being the star in movies and so he decided to return to Hong Kong.

Back in Hong Kong, Bruce began to get a number of great movie spots because of his acting and amazing kung fu skills.  He also started writing movies so that he could act in them.  And once he got the money to make the films, he would direct them too.  This included the movies The Big Boss (1971) and The Way of the Dragon (1972). These movies were very popular in Asia and they also started becoming very popular in America and around the world.

Bruce’s next film was called Enter the Dragon, and it was released in the United States by Warner Bros., which is one of the biggest Hollywood movie studios.

Unfortunately however, Bruce Lee died one month before Enter the Dragon was released.  Bruce never got to see himself starring in a Hollywood movie even though he had worked so hard to achieve this goal.  He was only 32 years old.

Enter the Dragon was a big hit though and it made a lot of money.  After Bruce died, he continued to be very famous as a movie star in America. After Americans saw Enter the Dragon, they wanted to see more of his films so they started watching the movies that he had made in Asia.

Bruce Lee is still remembered as an amazing athlete and actor who changed the way that people around the world looked at Asian people. 

Bruce also taught many people to love kung fu and martial arts.  He inspired people who saw his films to want to be good at kung fu like he was.  And while he was alive, Bruce opened a martial arts school and taught people who wanted to learn.

Bruce Lee is thought of as one of the most influential martial artists of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century. 

Is there a sport or hobby that you would like to be good at?  Do you have a vision of yourself as a famous actor or being able to travel the world sharing a particular skill?  Like Bruce Lee, you can find success at the things you are passionate about. The most important things you need are a vision of what you want, hard work and the ability to be adaptable.  Adaptable means to be able to change as things around you change.

Bruce traveled from Hong Kong to San Francisco when he was only 18 years old.  He had to learn a new language and a new culture.  Culture is the way people behave and do things in their part of the world. Bruce had to work very hard to make money and he continued to practice kung fu and work on his vision of becoming a movie star.  He was able to accomplish so many things in his short life due to his dedication and drive.  Bruce adapted to life in America and was flexible enough to move back to Hong Kong when he could see that it provided a better opportunity for himself and his family.  

We can all learn from Bruce Lee about the power of having a dream and working hard to make that dream a reality.

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Do you like animated movies? Have you ever seen Ponyo or My Neighbor Totoro? These are beautiful, hand-drawn, animated films made by Studio Ghibli and its brilliant artist and director Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki has become one of the most celebrated film animators and directors of our day, but his beginnings were small and simple and as you’ll learn sometimes fraught with danger during the years of World War 2.

Hayao Miyazaki was born in Tokyo Japan on January 5, 1941. Japan is an island across the Pacific Ocean from the United States and located in East Asia. The same year Hayao was born, Japan and the United States went to war. Hayao worked in a factory that built airplane parts for Japan’s air force, specifically for the fast and agile Zero fighter planes. For the rest of his life, Hayao was fascinated by airplanes and the wonder of flight.

Over time Japan began to lose the war against the United States and her Allies. Soon American bombers were flying over Japan and dropping bombs on its people to try and end the war. Hayao remembered seeing the bombers and hearing bombs drop nearby. His family left the city for safety until the war ended. He would forever remember the horrible days of World War 2 and what it did to his own country. 

Young Hayao loved to draw. He wanted to become a manga artist. In Japan cartoons and comics are called manga. Hayao spent his free time practicing, but he always struggled to draw people. So instead he practiced drawing his favorite subjects like planes, tanks, and battleships. He also liked to copy the drawings of his favorite manga artists. While in Junior High he saw an animated movie called Panda and the Magic Serpent. He loved art and animation and it made him want to animate his own movies.

In college, he studied politics and economics, but in his free time joined an art club and spent time drawing and getting to know other artists. 

In 1963 Hayao got his first animation job at Toei Animation and helped as an artist. His first film was called Doggie March and he also worked on a television series called Wolf Boy Ken. He continued to learn and grow as an animator and was mentored by many other great animators. A mentor is someone who is a master at a craft and teaches someone who is an apprentice and still learning. Hayao and his mentor Yasuo Ōtsuka worked on a film called “The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun” that won them many awards. 

At Toei Animation, Hayao worked alongside a woman named Ōta Akemi. They shared many of the same interests and a year after meeting, they got married. Ota would continue to work with Hayao in animation and his future businesses. 

Hayao Miyazaki continued to work on many animated films and many of his own comics, continually improving his craft. Often when you see amazing works of art or animation you may think “Wow, that artist must be really good because she was just born to be a very good artist.” But this is not the case. Great artists are not born they are made. They are passionate about a subject and continually practice and practice, usually every day, until they are much better. Like Hayao, they often find a mentor and find projects, and improve little by little until they are very good at what they do. This is the path Hayao took.

In 1979 Miyazaki moved to Telecom Animation Film, where he directed his first film. A director may work on the art, but often their job is to help bring all the different workers together to make the film happen. Also, a director may write the story themselves, or find someone to help them. They often have the idea first and recruit artists to help draw all of the animations. If you’ve ever seen an orchestra, they are like the orchestra director who isn’t playing the music, but brings everyone together to make the magic happen! This is what Hayao Miyazaki did for the film The Castle of Cagliostro, which became a hit in Japan and in the United States. John Lassetter, who later became a director at Pixar, has said that The Castle of Cagliostro was one of the first films that influenced him.

Hayao’s next big idea was to create an animated film about a princess named Naussica and her battle to save her homeland. But because movies usually weren’t made until the comic was successful, Hayao began to work on the manga about Naussica first. It ended up becoming a seven-volume manga totaling over 1000 pages and was called “Naussica and the Valley of the Wind.” Next, Hayao started work on animated film. Audience loved the film! In it Naussica has a fox-squirrel pet named Teto and uses her small glider to fly about. Her world is polluted and poisoned, but with the help of her friends fights to restore it to its natural beauty. Like many of Hayao’s later films, this one featured a strong heroine and themes about the dangers of pollution and war, both very important to Hayao. You’ll also notice it includes flying, which fascinated Hayao from a young age.

In 1985, Hayao with his friends Takahata, Tokuma, and Suzuki founded Studio Ghibli (Jib-lee) and the next year created their first film “Laputa: Castle in the Sky” about an orphan girl named Sheeta and a boy named Pazu from a mining town. Together they go on an adventure that involves a gigantic city in the sky called Laputa. “Castle in the Sky” became the highest-grossing Japanese film that year. Studio Ghibli’s next films were “My Neighbor Totoro,” which is one of my kids’ all-time favorites, and Grave of the Fireflies. Later came Kiki’s Delivery Service about a friendly witch, a few others in between, and then Princess Mononoke, which became another high-grossing Japanese film year. In 2001 came Spirited Away, which won awards in Japan and the U.S. Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Even though all of Studio Ghibli’s films were originally in Japanese, most of them were translated into other languages like English so others could enjoy them as well. 

A few other popular films by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises. The Wind Rises tells the story of the engineer who built the Zero, a Japanese fighter plane, the same one his father helped build when Hayao was a child in Japan. The Wind Rises, like many of Hayao’s other films, is a warning about the devastating effects of war, especially on the innocents, like he and his family during World War 2. 

In September 2013 Hayao announced he would be retiring and instead focus his time on creating artwork for a Studio Ghibli museum. But everyone knew Hayao knew he wouldn’t rest for long. He began to learn how to use computers to animate and even at his age, when most people think they can no longer learn new skills, Hayao struggled through the process and created his first computer animation called Boro the Caterpillar. Instead of retiring, he has continued working on a new film called How Do You Live? 

My children and I have watched most of the Studio Ghibli films and love them for many reasons. First of all, we love the adventure stories and the wild, exotic places they take us. We also appreciate the hand-drawn animation. Because most films use computer graphics now, it’s impressive to see animations that are sketched and colored by hand. We also love the music, which is often played by classical instruments and is relaxing. While some of the movies have violence, they are often less noisy and over-stimulating than most computer-animated movies. If you’re looking for Studio Ghibli movies that are appropriate for younger kids, our family recommends My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Whisper of the Heart, The Cat Returns, and Ponyo.

Something else I love about his films is that they remind us that people are imperfect. His characters don’t always make the right decisions and make mistakes. Also, his villains aren’t always completely bad. Often they are someone who is misunderstood and once the main characters come to know the villain, they end up becoming friends. 

Watching the colorful portrayed in his films also reminds us that we live in a beautiful world and need to do everything we can to keep it that way. Life is precious and problems such as pollution and war only harm it. 

Hayao once said, “I get inspiration from my everyday life.”

He also said: “You may not like what’s happening, but just accept it, and let’s try to live together. Even if you feel angry, let’s be patient and endure, let’s try to live together. I’ve realized that this is the only way forward.”

And “Always believe in yourself. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear.”

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