Zen and the Art of Being 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
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