Steven Seagal:Strong, Silent, Spiritual !! Interview with Seagal !

[suziwong]

Steven Seagal:Strong, Silent, Spiritual !! (an interview)

Steven Seagal: Strong, Silent, Spiritual
Aikido Master, Movie Star, Musician, Buddhist Practitioner and Humanitarian. Steven Seagal Shares His Many Faces with Anokhi VIBE
Summer 2003

On martial arts
Q: As an Aikido master who uses his skills in action-packed, good guy vs. bad guy Hollywood movies, how do you try and dispel the perception that martial arts is about learning how to fight?
A: The fundamentals of Aikido are based on the manipulation of energy. Martial arts is about the harmonious balance of body, mind and soul. It’s not about fighting. I have tried in my own humble way to express the lessons and share the wisdom of the art through my dojos and films. It’s a real journey. I developed an interest in martial arts at the age of seven; I think it was my calling.

On religion and spirituality
Q: When did you first decide to learn about Buddhism?
A: Growing up in the East, the path of Buddhism or the Buddha became an integral part of my being, not just my lifestyle. Living in Japan and studying there aided in my Buddhist interest.

Q: Was there a defining moment in your past that changed the way you looked at life? If so, what was it?
A: Everyday brings about great lessons in life. There are many defining moments for all of us. I think the birth of my children and the experience in those moments taught me a lot.

Q: What are the core principles of the religion that drew you towards Buddhism?
A: Impermanence, meditation and prayerful thinking.

Q: Highly engaged in both the eastern and western world, do you ever find yourself caught between the excessiveness of the West and the simplicity of the East?
A: I seek balance in all that I do. I spend hours on a daily basis in silence and meditation.

Q: You’ve had a few marriages and many relationships…do you believe that spirituality fits into a relationship? If so, how?
A: Spirituality is the essence of life. Marriage or a relationship is another medium for us to practice the principles of understanding, trust and love.

Q: Do you believe in soul mates? Do you think you’ve found yours yet?
A: I believe that there are many people that help us realize our true potential - our parents, gurus, teachers, children, etc. I've been blessed to share my life with
some great minds and souls.

On charitable work
Q: What fuelled your interest in doing charitable work in India?
A: Seers have told me that I was born in India during many of my past lives. I love India and the people of India. I have been to India many times and have worked with many there. I have given millions to charities around the world, and India has been close to my heart.

On music
Q: You have also embarked on a new professional path - composing and performing music - something that you’ve explained as playing an important role in your life. Why?
A: I've been playing the guitar for many years now. Music is the language of the Gods, and I really find immense joy in music. My band is called Saraswati after the Indian goddess. Music is a creative outlet for me.

On life
Q: What is your proudest accomplishment?
A: As a Buddhist, life is a journey that brings about many opportunities to help each other. I am just happy to share my life by helping people around the world and working with children.

Q: Who is your role model?
A: All my gurus and teachers.

Q: What big projects are you working on next?
A: Films, music and my ranch. I have been working on expanding my line of essential oils form my ranch in Mt. Shasta, and it’s very exciting.

Q: People seem to judge a celebrity from what they see on screen or hear or read. How do you deal with negative publicity about you?
A: Wish them well and move on. In this business, all kinds of things get wrongly communicated. Bad press is just another platform for the appetite of the profane or
demonic. One cannot focus on those things.

Q: If you were able to share a piece of wisdom that you have collected over the years from Asian philosophies, what would it be?
A: Life is a miraculous activity and we should all strive to become better people and find ways to help those around us. Let’s continue to make this world a better place.
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interesting huh ??

in oneness

 

[Lotussan]

Oh, suziiiiii this is fabulous! Thank-You! He is SUCH a lovely man! Such a spiritually strong man, I adore him! This article is interesting and wonderful, and so soft spoken too, huh? I liked it very much! You are grreat!

 

[Amos Stevens]

Thanks Suziwong

 

[Serena]

Thank you, Suzi. I really enjoyed reading this. I think he comes across as very dignified and confident in his beliefs. I love his comment about people who judge celebrities.



________________________________________

 

[sally]

I wish he had answered the question about his love life with more honesty what sort of Buddhism teaches him to have affairs when married or to leave his first wife with 2 kids, not pay for them . I am trying to be a good Buddhist and want our Tulkas to be people we can look up to.I look on him with compassion and a certain amount of sorrow.I am not perfect at all but why cant he at least be open about the obvious mistakes he has made. Still I wish him well and love this site

 

[Jalu]

Thank you Suzi...

Sally,

I think the past is the past. His mistakes are his to learn from. We should learn from our own.

 

[Trinity]

Alright!!!Something posative! We as fans seem to get bogged down with so much negative and very little relief from it.Thank-you for the relief!

 

[TDWoj]

Excuse me... (TD timidly puts her hand up) ... but am I the only one whose bull**** metre just went into the red zone? Did no one even notice that this is the second time he's, um, adjusted the truth about his own past? Or how marvellously evasive and non-responsive were the answers he gave to direct questions? And how wonderfully pompous and egotistical, and filled with false modesty, those answers were?

I wish I hadn't read this interview. If I wasn't certain before, I am now - I really, REALLY do not like this man in "real life". The 'fantasy' Steven, the make-believe Steven, the one who is full of honour and honesty and dignity and true modesty, that's the one that lives in my head. It is not, alas, the one that gave that interview.

Call me mogwai, I guess. I'm sure I must fall into that category since I don't take every word that falls from his lips as pearls.

-TD, mourning her own failure to be blindly adoring of her hero

 

[Trinity]

I'm not blind TD but I'm also not looking for perfection in him.He's a Man learning and experiencing life(negative and posative)just like us.Ok he has said and done(reportedly)things that upset people.I have too and would not want them all over the net,TV,Radio etc....He does not have that choice.Should he be more careful about what he says and/or does in public?Yes I think so but I'm not him.As for his past well i had to think when the last time it was that I wanted to tell a stranger and the public at large all my sorted secrets(we all have them).answer NOT!lol Some things are better left out.Am I making excuses for him? I don't think so after all I don't even know him.It's just the way I see it.He's a guy that happens to be very good looking and into a whole lot of neat interesting stuff I enjoy watching,listening to,and learning.Eh enough of my bantering.lol

 

[Lotussan]

So he's not perfect...Who is? Ack, besides the 'too nice' guys are a bit boring...
I like him just the way he is, he's never boring, that's for sure...He's exciting! Nothing wrong with keeping your personal bussiness private anyway, it's his business, and his past, and if he dosn't want to discuss it that's his perogative, perhaps TD thinks he's being evasive, but at least he's answering and not being tight lipped about it...You don't know that he didn't pay for his kids do you? That could all be a big fat rumour! The way Steven goes about the answers he gives is for the best anyway...The reporter comes out satisfied and Steven gets to maintain his privacy, I don't see anything wrong with the way he answers things, I think he has a lot of dignity and charm in this interview...
And, mystery is quite nice sometimes...

 

[Jalu]

It seems to me that those who are always ranting about his faults are the ones who are desperate for a hero.

 

[Lotussan]

Sure, he's got faults like anyone, but he also has a lot of talents we could only dream about having...His martial arts skills alone are something to be very proud of...He is obviously quite talented on the guitar, too...
I think he's great...I choose not to focus on the so called 'negative' things, not saying none of them are true, but he's human, and I accept him lovingly as he is, what's so wrong with that?

 

[Mama San]

Suzi, my little friend,
Thank you so much for posting that interview.
It is so good to hear something good for a change.
Love ya' soooooooooooooooooo muchhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
God bless,
Mama san

 

[Trinity]

I was just thinking,it's probably silly but,we are always saying I wish Mr.Seagal would do more movies,do more music,do more interviews,do postings to us and he did those things minus the postings thing.I wondered if he ever thinks of things he would like from us fans.Then without the posting thing I guess we'll never know.lol It just crossed my mind.

 

[tora]

Good point,Trinity...Damn,I I keep reading some of the posts here whenver I get the chance...and here's my point
Nobody's wrong here.Everybody's right in his own way...but let's do without these judgings...We can't judge him for what he does coz we have to look at ourselves first.
I'm not excusing him either...he's not an ideal...but at least he's become more careful lately with the press...If I were him I wouldn't share a word about my personal things...never!
Coz I know what it would turn into.

 

[TDWoj]

It seems to me that those who are always ranting about his faults are the ones who are desperate for a hero.

I don't have to look for his faults - they proclaim themselves like they were fanfare by a brass ensemble, and each word he utters tarnishes him in my eyes more and more.

If it were anyone else but him, he'd be in psychiatric care under medication to handle his delusions. (Or, if he were here in Ontario, a psychiatric patient out on the street, standing on the street corner with a hand out for change, muttering to himself). He could be considered eccentric, which is at least socially acceptable, if it weren't for the autobiographical revisionism he seems to be engaging in lately.

I envy the blind adoration of some here, I really do, because people who wilfully turn a blind eye to his shortcomings are the the kind of people he clearly likes having around him - people who do not see him as anything but a god descended down upon us on Earth, people who do not say "no" to him, people who feed his ego, and encourage him to be arrogant and pompous instead of encouraging him to live a life of true humility and compassion.

Me, I know now that I'm in the class of people he considers to be profane and demonic, because I don't let the bull**** cloud my vision. Someone like me would never even be allowed in his exalted presence. And you think I want to be in that class? No, I don't, not by a long shot.

Am I desperate for a hero? You bet. Do you think that I'm not disappointed, heartbroken, even, that the one I picked to be my hero isn't one in real life? Of course I am. That doesn't stop me from being a fan of his movies, or eager to explore what Aikido might do for me because of his inspiration. But neither can I turn a blind eye to his faults, which are legion.

The failure is mine, and I freely admit it. I do hold him up to a higher standard, and why shouldn't I? I realise that no one is perfect, that everyone has faults; but his faults are so overwhelmingly huge, I can't just blindly sweep them aside. He IS what they are. Sweep them aside, and what is left? An empty shell.

I'm sorry that I cannot accept his egotism, his evasiveness, his facility for adjusting the truth, or his faithlessness. Go ahead and demonize me. He already has.

-TD, who, because she holds truthfulness and integrity above all else, is left outside to freeze in the wind

 

[TDWoj]

I wish he had answered the question about his love life with more honesty what sort of Buddhism teaches him to have affairs when married or to leave his first wife with 2 kids, not pay for them . I am trying to be a good Buddhist and want our Tulkas to be people we can look up to.I look on him with compassion and a certain amount of sorrow.I am not perfect at all but why cant he at least be open about the obvious mistakes he has made. Still I wish him well and love this site

He did answer it, with the Buddhism question - "Impermanence".

This is a great site, isn't it?

-TD, about to be killed

 

[Lotussan]

Go ahead and demonize me. He already has.

You sit there and say he needs mental help, and then you make statements like that? I can't begin to tell you how strange you sound...How can he possibly have demonized you? He doesn't know you from Eve...Ok, maybe he reads this board, in which case he might dislike some of us, or like some of us, and yes, I am sure he has a big ego...Goes along with the territory...But to me he is also just a man, and needs to treat the worthy folks with respect...He's not god, and lets hope he doesn't think he is...However, he is awfully special to me... I'd pamper him, but I would definately expect the same thing in return, fair is fair, you get what you give, or at least you should...

 

[Trinity]

TD you do love to write and granted you are very good at it but,speaking for myself I would apreciate it if you would not insult me with the poor silly little devoted fan thing.I won't insult you so please don't think your above me and do so to me.Thank-you

 

[TDWoj]

TD you do love to write and granted you are very good at it but,speaking for myself I would apreciate it if you would not insult me with the poor silly little devoted fan thing.I won't insult you so please don't think your above me and do so to me.Thank-you

I've gone back and edited that paragraph. I try not to be specific and I did drop the ball on that, that time. Sorry, Trinity. I did not mean to offend.

I don't think that I'm above you or anyone else here. I do have a different viewpoint, and the hostility with which that viewpoint is greeted does sometimes get under my skin, at which point objectivity and I part company.

Again, my apologies. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[Lotussan]

We also can't judge him because we do not know him in real life circumstances...
As big a fan as I am, I still do not want to pry into these deeply personal things...
I don't want to invade his personal space or his privacy...
If there ever comes a time when I am his lady, then I will become privliged enough to know all there is to know about him...
I think he is wise to do as he does, and if I was
to share his life I would honor those wishes as well...
I would want special things shared by us to be private and cherished...
Everyone deserves their private life, it's sad that the press can't understand this...

 

[Trinity]

TD to have absolute truth,one must have absolute knowledge of the given situation and that we do not have.So come on in out of the cold and sit by the fire.I'll share it with you P.S. Thank-you for the above

 

[TDWoj]

Go ahead and demonize me. He alreadly has. TDWoj

You sit there and say he needs mental help, and then you make statements like that? I can't begin to tell you how strange you sound...How can he possibly have demonized you? He doesn't know you from Eve...Ok, maybe he reads this board, in which case he might dislike some of us, or like some of us, and yes, I am sure he has a big ego...Goes along with the territory...But to me he is also just a man, and needs to treat the worthy folks with respect...He's not god, and lets hope he doesn't think he is...However, he is awfully special to me... I'd pamper him, but I would definately expect the same thing in return, fair is fair, you get what you give, or at least you should...

Of course he hasn't demonised me personally, Lotus. I was engaging in a bit of hyperbole to make my point.

I observe, however, when I make outrageous statements, I 'sound strange'. When Steven makes outrageous statements, he's glorious. Why is that, I wonder?

However, since I hold this unpopular view and I'm upsetting people by sharing it, I think that I shall have to end my contribution to the discussion here. A good general knows when the tide of battle has turned against him, and I hear the bugle's clarion cry calling me to withdraw. It is time to retreat and leave the battlefield, bloodied, but unbowed.

-TD's version of the Art of War

 

[TDWoj]

TD to have absolute truth,one must have absolute knowledge of the given situation and that we do not have.So come on in out of the cold and sit by the fire.I'll share it with you

Thanks, Trinity! It is awfully cold out here, and my hands are getting stiff.

P.S. Thank-you for the above

You're welcome. And thank you for pointing out my error - I appreciate it!

 

[Trinity]

Most welcome TD and there is room infront of the fire for everyone

 

[aikidonna]

Ok guys, I have to interject something here.
Most of you will agree that Seagal has a big ego, Lotussan you said so yourself. While training in Aikido, one of the things that has been taught to us is that there is NO room for ego in Aikido. Seagal is a great teacher of this martial art, and is suppose to be setting an example for all of us that study Aikido to follow. I don't feel that he is doing this, with the big ego that he seems to have developed among other things. Maybe he needs to get back in touch with his true purpose and self, and get back to the basics and back on "The Path". Just my own humble opinion.
Take care
Donna