Midterm: Star Wars "A Jedi's Strength Flows From The Force" (Blog 3, Eryn Green)

"Where Zen ends, ass-kicking begins." -- Steven Hyde, That 70s Show

Hyde was always right.  You can be Zen as much as you can.  But when you can't be Zen anymore, it's time to kick some ass.   The Jedi are aware of this Zen too.  They use it in the Force.

Ch'i, an ancient Chinese martial art, was the basic learning techniques of Ch'an (Japanese Zen) and Kung Fu.  These martial arts are disciplines that cultivate and direct the flow of Ch'i and apply it to fighting techniques (1).  In Star Wars, Ch'i is the nature of the Force and wisdom is the Zen.

When George Lucas was creating Yoda, Zen was obviously kept in mind (1).  We all know Yoda as a motif of universal wisdom and council for our young padawans.  Yoda is also this green, frog-looking old guy with a cane and crazy white hair.
Sounds like something an old Chinese guy would say to his young student and prove to him.  Zen masters teach their students how to transcend physical prowess into some kind of mental prowess (1).

Zen was first taught by Bodhidarma, a Buddhist monk who traveled from India.  When he arrives in China, he found the country at war with itself.  He taught the art of Ch'i to the Chinese at the Shaolin Temple.

Jedi is not a Buddha, but a lot of it's teachings and concepts are found in Buddhism.  One teaching of Buddhism is Karma.  The Karma of suffering is manifested through attraction, repulsion and ignorance.

"Fear is the path to the Dark side.  Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." -- Yoda, The Phantom Menace    

Buddha taught people to over come suffering and to be free from it by "clearing your mind," or as Obi-Won put it, "Let go."  This can be accomplished by meditation and it dissolves negative emotions.

Then why the eff did Qui-Gon just sit their between the red walls?  He was meditating.  This meditation would allow him to clear his mind and feel the Force flowing through him.

Luke asked Obi-Won if the Force controls your actions during his training in A New Hope.  Obi-Won replied, "Partially, but it also obeys your commands."

Zen is also the philosophy that is associated with Taoism.  Taoism teaches that Ch'i is manifested with yin and yang (1).  This energy requires balance and we must find harmony with it.  What's very interesting is that Ch'i translates as "life force" or "an energy created by all living beings." (3)  Obi-Won says it himself in A New Hope.  

This looks very familiar.  Light side, Dark side, and no in-the-middle.  This refers to my previous blog about the difference and conditions of the Light side and the Dark side.  (For those of you who don't know and are confused about this picture, the symbols used in this yin yang, symbolize the Light side and the Dark side of the Force.  I'll let you decide which is which.  I shouldn't have to tell you.  It's common sense.)

Taoism's philosophy is about the way of nature.   Tao literally translates in to "way."  Everything in nature/life has to be balanced out.  There's always an up to the down, a right to the left, a good to the bad, etc.  In Star Wars, one cannot exist without the Dark side being ever-present (1).  You can't have one without the other.  In Return Of The Jedi, Luke brings Vader back to goodness and Anakin fulfills his destiny of bringing balance to the Force by killing Emperor Palpatine.  

Buddhist martial arts took over Japan, Korea, Vietnam and China.   These countries chose only worthy warrior to practice these martial arts (4).  These warriors were called Hwa Rang and were trained in the martial arts the same way the young Jedi padawans were trained in the Force.   And just like the Jedi in Attack Of The Clones, Hwa Rang were given the authority over the military (1).  These Buddhist martial arts eventually became the core of Samurai training (1).  The sword is a samurai's sword, much like a Jedi knight is to his lightsaber (1).

"If you use your mind to study reality, you will understand neither reality nor the mind.  If you study reality without using your mind, you will understand both." -- Bodhidarma

True understanding is beyond all concept (1).  Zen teaches that you must study your mind and reality with no mind.   As I stated in the first blog, Obi-Won reached out to Luke while trying to blow up the Death Star.  Luke had made many attempts and finally Obi-Won spoke to Luke.

Obi-Won told Luke to "let go" of his emotions.  By doing so, Luke cleared his mind and thus the Force flowed through him and gave him great concentration.  

That is all I have to say about Star Wars, it's philosophies and the Force.  May the Force be with you always.

Reference:

1.  Star Wars and Philosphy: More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine

2.  Zen and Star Wars

3.  Star Wars and Tai Chi

4.  Buddhism and Star Wars

5.  Star Wars:  The Phantom Menace

6.  Star Wars:  Attack Of The Clones

7.  Star Wars:  Revenge Of The Sith

8.  Star Wars:  A New Hope

9.  Star Wars:  The Empire Strikes Back

10.  Star Wars:  The Return Of The Jedi