Kung Fu - The Nature of Evil

In the popular movie series Kung Fu, Master Po (Keye Luke) appeared in many episodes as master Po. A touching movie series that most of us will never forget. In one particular Kung Fu episode master Po explained what is the nature of evil. The greatest scenes of wisdom were portrayed in countless scenes throughout the episode of Kung fu recorded in 1974 with legendary actor David Carradine. For three seasons, David Carradine starred as a half-Chinese, half-Caucasian Shaolin monk, Kwai Chang Caine, on the ABC hit TV series Kung Fu (1972–1975) and was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for the role. The show, which took place in the Old West, helped to popularize martial arts and Eastern philosophy in the West and immortalized the character of Kwai Chang Caine, also referred to as "Grasshopper", in popular culture. David Carradine was certainly the most talented martial arts actor in that era of movie-making. Keye Luke's legacy is a testament to his pioneering efforts to promote diversity and representation in the entertainment industry. He helped pave the way for future generations of Asian American actors and left an indelible mark on the history of film and television.

Luke was born in Canton, China, to a father who owned an art shop, but grew up in Seattle. He was part of the Luke family, a relative of Wing Luke, for whom Seattle's Wing Luke Asian Museum was named. He had four siblings who all emigrated from China to California during the Depression. His younger brother Edwin Luke also became an actor in the Charlie Chan series. Keye Luke became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1944—in a moment fictionally recreated in Lisa See's novel Shanghai Girls.

Before becoming an actor he was a local artist in Seattle and, later, Hollywood, working on several of the murals inside Grauman's Chinese Theatre. He did some of the original artwork for the 1933 King Kong press book. Luke also painted the casino's mural in The Shanghai Gesture. He published a limited edition set of pen and ink drawings of The Rubiyat of Omar Khayyam in the 1950s. Other art done by Luke included the dust jackets for books published in the 1950s and 1960s. It was through his studio artwork that he was recruited for his first movie roles. 

Grasshopper: Master?!

Po: I am here.

Grasshopper: I looked deep into myself. And I saw something that frightened me.

Po: What did you see, Grasshopper?

Grasshopper: I saw dark and fearful shadows in motion. Shadows that shunned the light.

Po: Did you put a name to these shadows?

Grasshopper: I called them evil.

Po: And what is the nature of evil?

Grasshopper: I do not know.

Po: Do you sometimes feel love, Grasshopper, and joy? Do you sometimes feel pride in what you have accomplished?

Grasshopper: Often, Master.

Po: And do you sometimes feel good?

Grasshopper: Try.

Po: But the threads that make up our human nature are two-ended. There is no capacity for feeling pride, without an equal capacity for feeling shame. One cannot feel joy, unless one can feel despair. We have no capacity for good, without an equal capacity for evil.

Grasshopper: Must we not then fear evil?

Po: Shall we fear our own humanity?

Grasshopper: Must we not fight evil?

Po: Who can defeat himself? For what is evil, but the self-seeking to fulfill its own secret needs. All that is necessary is that we face it, and choose.

Complete Collection - David Carradine

The Actor David Carradine

Born John Arthur Carradine on December 8, 1936, in Hollywood, California. Carradine was born into an acting dynasty; his father was the noted American actor John Carradine.

From a young age, Carradine was interested in becoming a fine artist. Learning from his father, who was a sculptor before becoming an actor, the young David started creating his own sculptures at the age of four. Despite his color blindness, Carradine persisted with art and was constantly painting, sculpting and drawing as a youth. But while he dreamed of becoming a full-time artist, he also found he had a knack for acting. On June 4, 2009, Carradine was found dead in a Bangkok, Thailand, hotel room. Early reports say the actor hung himself in a closet, using a curtain cord as a noose. He was in the city to shoot his latest film, Stretch. Carradine was 72 years old at the time of his death.

Carradine was married five times and had two daughters, Calista and Kansas. His most recent marriage was in 2004 to Annie Bierman.

Japanese Av Star

Life after death according to Master Kan

This clip is taken from the episode called "The Soul is the Warrior" in Season 1 of the 1970s TV program "Kung Fu". It stars David Carradine as Caine, Philip Ahn as Master Kan, and Pat Hingle as General Thoms.