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Zen and the Art of Being a Jedi
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there were great
men—guardians of freedom and justice—who were in touch with nature.
These men were known as Jedi, and they had a deep understanding of
how the world really works. A Jedi is not a Buddha. But many of the
practices and concepts that are part of their art can be found in
the Buddha’s teachings. In developing Star Wars, George Lucas has
drawn on many religions, myths, and cultural practices from all
parts of planet Earth. As we will soon see, the roots of the Jedi
can be found in Asia.
Clear Your Mind
In Star Wars, we often hear Jedi masters, such as Yoda and Qui-Gon,
telling their pupils to clear their minds or to "let go." This is
one of the most basic principles in Buddhism.
Through the act of meditation, those who want to touch the Buddha
are encouraged to clear their minds of all thought and to become
aware of the moment. This can be done through breathing meditation.
When beginning breathing meditation, it is helpful to count from 1
to 10. This helps you clear your mind of other thoughts and pulls
you into the moment. Once you are in the moment, the next thing is
to be "mindful." This means that you are aware of what you are
doing, of your body, of the moment.
Breathing meditation was actually seen being practiced by Qui-Gon in
The Phantom Menace. Near the end of the film, during the climactic
battle with Darth Maul, the two become caught in a corridor of doors
that open and close, apparently on a timer. As they approach the
final door, Darth Maul gets through but Qui-Gon doesn’t. Instead of
yelling at or taunting Darth Maul through the force field, Qui-Gon
simply kneels, closes his eyes, and breathes calmly. He is quieting
his mind and collecting himself. He is truly in the moment.
There's No Time Like the Present
One of the problems that we all face in the modern world is that we
are always dwelling on the future and the past. Our lives are so
hectic that we are always being pulled in many directions at once.
We get so caught up in what happened at work last Wednesday or what
we are having for dinner tomorrow night when the guests come over
that we forget to be aware of the moment. For us, the flow of time
is very real and we are locked into a vicious cycle of birth and
death, beginning and ending. We dwell so heavily on these first and
last moments that we forget to live in the here-and-now.
The Buddha taught that these are only concepts, not true reality.
What we believe is reality is subjective—it is what we make it. To
be caught up in concepts is to be out-of-touch with the moment. If
you are concerned with concepts, theories, and ideas, you can’t see
the true nature of things.
Seeing the true nature of things is one of the keys to being Jedi.
Abandoning preconceptions, avoiding being caught up in past and
future, and focusing on the present are all things that Jedi masters
teach their apprentices.
At the beginning of The Phantom Menace, when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are
in the meeting room aboard the trade federation vessel, Obi-Wan
begins thinking about things yet to come. Qui-Gon tells him to keep
his mind focused on the here-and-now. In response, Obi-Wan says,
"But master Yoda says that I should be mindful of the future."
Qui-Gon replies, "Yes, but not at the expense of the present." He is
teaching his student to be aware and mindful. In Buddhism, this
known as Right Mindfulness.
The Circle of Life
Ever since the first film, Star Wars: A New Hope, it has been taught
that everything in the universe is interconnected. The details of
how this works have changed with the development of the series, but
the basic principle has stayed the same. I titled this section "The
Circle of Life," but when we speak of interconnectedness, both in
Star Wars and Buddhism, we speak not only of living things but of
non-living things as well.
In A New Hope, Obi-Wan taught Luke that if he let go of his thoughts
he could "hear" the Force speaking to him, guiding him. He said that
this is because everything is connected through the Force. Later, in
The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda teaches Luke of the interconnectedness
of all things, that Luke and the rock are one in the same. Finally,
in The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon finds himself explaining this
principle to young Anakin. This is where Lucas changed the concept a
bit.
In the first three films, the Force was presented as a mysterious
power that simply flowed through the universe. But in The Phantom
Menace it is presented as the result of a symbiotic relationship
between living things and microscopic organisms called medichlorines
that reside in all living cells. But regardless of this change in
position on Lucas’s part, the concept remains the same. We are all
part of one another. Everything in existence is interdependent on
everything else. Everything contains everything else. A flower, for
example, contains not only flower elements like a stem and petals,
but also stardust, the earth, and the gardener. In Buddhism, this
interconnectedness of all things is known as Second Dharma Seal.
As Qui-Gon explains this to Anakin, he says that these
micro-organisms speak to us and tell us the will of the Force. When
Anakin says that he doesn’t really understand, Qui-Gon encourages
him by saying, "When you learn to quiet your mind, you will hear
them speaking to you." Again, this returns us to Right Mindfulness
and being aware of and in touch with the moment.
Hate Leads to Suffering
If you had to sum up the goal of Buddhism in just four words it
would be "the elimination of suffering." The purpose of the
practices taught by the Buddha—The Four Noble Truths and The Noble
Eightfold Path (Right View, Right Thinking, Right Mindfulness, Right
Speech, Right Action, Right Diligence, Right Concentration, Right
Livelihood)—is ultimately to identify, come to terms with, and
eliminate suffering.
Suffering can be caused by many things. The desire for something you
can’t have can cause you to suffer. A physical ailment can cause you
to suffer. Exposure to things that can water the seeds of fear and
hate that we all posses can cause you to suffer. In order to achieve
nirvana, you must identify and eliminate all suffering. Nirvana is,
in fact, the elimination of not only all suffering but also all
concepts, all thought.
In The Phantom Menace, when Anakin faces the Jedi Council, Yoda
questions him about his mother. "Afraid to lose her, I think," he
says. Anakin responds by saying, "What does that have to do with
anything?" To this Yoda replies, "Everything! Fear is the path to
the dark side. Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads
to suffering… I sense much fear in you."
What Yoda was telling him is that being controlled by fear makes it
impossible to eliminate suffering and find happiness. The Jedi are
aware of this and, because of the danger posed by the "dark side" of
the Force, they identify and train Jedi soon after birth, before
they have time to know fear, anger, or hate. As we already know,
Anakin ultimately will allow his fear to get the best of him and
lead him to the dark side.
Conclusion
A Jedi is not a Buddha. There are many aspects of the Jedi that are
mystical and supernatural—the ability to move objects with the mind
or the ability to see things before they happen, for example. These
are not principles or teachings of Buddhism. It is not the aim of
this article to convince you that the Jedi are space Buddhists. But
many elements of Buddhism have been incorporated into the Jedi, and
it is very interesting to see how this aspect of Lucas’s sci-fi epic
relates to our earthly culture.
The aforementioned examples are merely a sampling of Buddhist
principles that appear in Star Wars. There are many others. If you
are so inclined, I invite you to learn more about Buddhism and
explore its connection with Star Wars on your own. Please click here
to view a list of suggested reading and continue to explore Zen and
the Art of Being Jedi. May the Force be with you, always.
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Imagine: a new way to appreciate all of the Star Wars
movies, even the almost universally-detested Phantom Menace and
Attack of the Clones!