“The secret awaits eyes unclouded by ambition… Those who are bound by desire see only that which can be held in their hands”
One of the reasons The Last Dragon has such a strong cult following is that there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. Many people don’t even realize the spiritual & philosophical theme that guides the film. The origins of Leroy’s first response to Sho’nuff in the movie theater demonstrates that this isn’t just another cheesy action flick.
Sho’nuff may think Leroy is a skinny little lizard who spouts Mumbo Jumbo and gives Kung Fu a bad name but our hero/urban kung fu master is actually paraphrasing a translation straight from chapter 1 of the Tao Te Ching written in 6th century BC by the original ancient Chinese master and founder of Taoism- Lao Tzu:
“The secret waits for the insight of eyes unclouded by longing. Those that are bound by desire see only the outward container.”
The full translation from the Tao Te Ching goes like this:
There are ways but the Way is uncharted; There are names but not nature in words: Nameless indeed is the source of creation But things have a mother and she has a name.The secret waits for the insight
Of eyes unclouded by longing;
Those who are bound by desire
See only the outward container.
These two come paired but distinct
By their names.
Of all things profound,
Say that their pairing is deepest,
The gate to the root of the world.
There are 76 different versions/translations of this chapter so what exactly all this means is open to debate and not up to me to decide. If it were up to shallow bullies like Sho’nuff then it certainly would sound like mumbo jumbo. What do you think? Is it meaningless mumbo jumbo or does it have a deeper meaning. What does it mean to you? Why does Leroy say it to Sho’nuff? Answer in comments here or on Facebook:
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