Jediism; a thread about the religion.

[Lord Alucard Ere Casanova]

We often get so busy with getting to work, the office, traffic jams, and family problems, etc..., that we lose contact with Nature. Jedi view Nature as sacred and as a living expression of the Force. Nature is our great teacher too. The Force is in everything, all around you. We should make an effort to spend time in Nature everyday, even if its just for a few minutes.

You don't have to go to man-made Churches or Temples made of wood and stone to worship the Force. Jedi generally prefer to go out and sit in the woods and listen to the song of a bird. The Force can be heard from the leaves rattling in the wind, a cricket's soothing melody, a Hawk's cry, or Dove's coo, anything that is natural.

People are a part of Nature, but most people have lost contact with Nature, the Force, and themselves. Peaceful energy and harmony comes from the animals, the trees, and plants in Nature. This peaceful energy and harmony can also radiate from you if you are in touch with yourself and at peace with yourself. If you don't have peace with yourself, you won't have peace anywhere you go.

So take a walk out into a natural area. Go for a hike out in a forest. Sit, rest, meditate, and listen. If you want to intrigue yourself, go for a walk with a pen and notebook; write down every sound you hear no matter how small. Don't add to it later, just write down the ones you notice. Have a few other friends do this without showing them your list and see who noticed more immediately while they were out there. You may be surprised by how much you can hear, but never notice.  

[Lord Alucard Ere Casanova]

"Concentrate...feel the Force flow. Yes. Good. Calm, yes. Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future...the past. Old friends long gone." -Yoda in Episode V

Here Yoda is teaching Luke how to meditate. Luke learned how to concentrate and re-connect with the Living Force. He has achieved a calm mind. Luke then entered into a vision or trance-like state of consciousness and he saw the future.

Luke then saw Han and Leia being tortured by Darth Vader at 'Cloud City' above the soft pink planet of Bespin. He then stopped his Jedi training and dashed off to save his friends.

Meditation is part of being a Jedi and we should try to meditate daily. There are many methods of meditation, but the goal is always the same.

The mind is full of racing and scattered thoughts which block our inner perception. The purpose of meditation is to calm and still the mind. This 'stilling of the mind' increases our awareness and helps us to re-connect with the inner Force and our true selves. Every Jedi has to choose which method of meditation is best for them.  

[Lord Alucard Ere Casanova]

The Dalai Lama said this but it applies to the Jedi as well:
"Never Give Up! No matter what is going on. Develop the heart. Too much energy in your country is spent developing the mind instead of the heart. Be compassionate, not just to your friends but to everyone. Work for peace in your heart and in the world. And I say again, Never Give Up!"

LUKE: (focusing, quietly) "All right, I'll give it a try."

YODA: "No! Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try." -Episode V

Yoda was trying to teach Luke not to be wishy washy because wishy washy is not the way of the Force. Jedi make a firm decision from the core of their being and make it happen. When Jedi desire something, there is focused energy and discipline behind their decision.

The energy of "I'll try it" is far different from "I'll do it." For example, small children and animals can feel the difference between the two methods. If you are trying to teach or train them, they perceive the energy behind the words. They can feel "the firm" or "not so firm" energy that is coming from you. If you are training a dog, you can't say "Rex, I want you to try this, ok?" Rex will only look at you like you're a dummy. But if you know what you want and firmly say "Rex, do this!" Rex will understand. It's the same with small children. They will perceive and know if you are solid in your decision, or if you are wishy washy.

You have to firmly know what you want, and project that decision with confidence from the core of your being. Jedi make it happen. There is no try.  

[Lord Alucard Ere Casanova]

Jedi need to laugh too, you know. Young Obi-Wan was always cracking jokes, and Yoda liked to keep it on the light side. Remember when Yoda first met Luke on Dagobah in Episode V? Also remember when Yoda was teaching the Padawans in Episode II? Yoda was keeping their lessons both interesting and funny too.

According to research, most people laugh less than 6 minutes per day; but the experts say we need to be laughing at least 20 minutes per day. Most of us are falling way too short of that!

"Laughing for at least 20 minutes a day can increase life expectancy by eight years, make us more productive workers and (this is the important part) four minutes of laughing has the same calorific burn as 10 minutes of a hard workout in the gym."  

[Lord Alucard Ere Casanova]

In the face of danger, Jedi don't leave others behind; Jedi go back and try to help those who are facing dangerous situations.

There are so many examples of this Jedi teaching throughout the Star Wars Episodes. In Episode V, Luke left his training on Dagobah to try to rescue Han and Leia from danger in Cloud City. Also in Episode V, Leia sensed Luke's distress, through the Force, and ordered Lando to pilot them back to Cloud City to save Luke's life while he was hanging upside down from a metal tower. In the beginning of Episode VI, the whole crew showed up at Jabba's Palace on Tatooine, in order to rescue Han.

In Episode II, Anakin and Padme left Tatooine to try to rescue Obi-Wan from the insect-like Geonosians. When the rescue failed, Yoda, Mace Windu, and the whole Jedi Order showed up to rescue Obi-Wan, Padme, and Anakin.

In Episode III, before Anakin turned to the dark side, he rescued Obi-Wan and carried him on his back for long distances. And there are many more examples of this teaching, but I don't have room to write them all.

The only exception to this teaching was when Obi-Wan refused to save Anakin (then Darth Vader). After Anakin (Darth Vader) turned to the dark side, and was defeated by Obi-Wan in a lightsaber duel, Darth Vader caught on fire because he was too close to the lava. Obi-Wan was torn by what Anakin did to the younglings, and by Anakin's betrayal, and by his destruction of the Jedi Temple. So, Obi-Wan left Anakin (Darth Vader) to his fate by the river of lava; but this was an extremely difficult situation.

In general, Jedi don't leave others behind; Jedi try their best to rescue other Jedi, family, or friends from danger.

"No man get's left behind" -U.S. Military

Palpatine: "Leave him, or we'll never make it."
Anakin: "No. His fate will be the same as ours." -Episode III

Leia: "We've got to go back. I know where Luke is." -Episode V

Anakin: "Now go, my son. Leave me."
Luke: "No, you're coming with me. I'll not leave you here. I've got to save you." -Episode VI
In the last reference, even though Anakin died, Luke still took his body with him off the Death Star.  

[Lord Alucard Ere Casanova]

"For us, warriors are not what you think of as warriors. The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another's life. The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who cannot provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of humanity". -Sitting Bull

"Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others." -Jedi Creed

"A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack." -Yoda

Yoda taught Luke that a Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack. But this can go deeper than just physical attacks. If you are attacking someone in words, thoughts or actions, you are leaning towards the dark side and need to examine what is going on.

Before we physically attack someone, we attack that person with our angry thoughts, then maybe verbally and then maybe physically. It may start by thinking that someone is acting inappropriate, or not behaving as you expected. Maybe they have said something or done something to make you angry.

A Defensive Mentality is a different type of energy, whether its mental, verbal or physical defense. Your goal as a Jedi is to defend yourself or others. But even while defending, you will have to watch out for anger and aggression. The goal is to stay calm and in control of yourself throughout the attack. Of course, this will not be easy to do.

The attacker will probably try to stir-up some anger in you, so be on your guard. If you remain calm, and in control during an attack, you will really throw off the attacker. They will be surprised and baffled to see you staying calm and it might bring a quick end to the attack.

Staying calm and in control during an attack or fight (mental, verbal or physical) is a part of being a Jedi. We need to work on this during mental and verbal conflicts too, but it is essential to stay in control during physical conflicts. Practice makes perfect, so we need to practice staying calm during conflicts.  

[Lord Alucard Ere Casanova]

Our goal as Jedi is to be able to engage in original, critical reflection of our own. Jedi are philosophers too. Studying philosophy (both ancient and modern) will help us to reach our goal.

Philosophy was born during times of personal and perhaps even physical discomfort. Philosophy makes us ask serious questions about the adequacy of our most cherished beliefs. These beliefs are central to our moral identity, the nature of our personal relationships, the manner in which we regard ourselves, the way in which treat others, and rationally dealing with the happiness and unhappiness that form the emotional contours of our practical lives.

In its attempt to ground our beliefs and justify them, philosophy becomes a reflective and critical conceptual activity concerned with foundational questions regarding our deepest assumptions and intuitions about the nature and extent of human knowledge (epistemology); about the nature of reality and the distinction between appearance and reality (metaphysics); about the nature, scope and grounds of moral value (ethics); and about the nature and theoretical foundations of formal reasoning and valid inference (logic).

The ancient philosopher Epictetus is a really good philosopher. Here are a few of his quotes:
"What disturbs people's minds is not the events, but their judgments on the events."

"Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them."

"If you would cure anger, do not feed it. Say to yourself: 'I used to be angry every day; then every other day; now only every third or fourth day.' When you reach thirty days offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the gods!"

"If you do not wish to be prone to anger, do not feed the habit; give it nothing which may tend to its increase."  

[Lord Alucard Ere Casanova]

"1. We should teach people to be authentic, to be aware of their inner selves and to hear their inner-feeling voices.

2. We should teach people to transcend their cultural conditioning and become world citizens.

3. We should help people discover their vocation in life, their calling, fate or destiny. This is especially focused on finding the right career and the right mate.

4. We should teach people that life is precious, that there is joy to be experienced in life, and if people are open to seeing the good and joyous in all kinds of situations, it makes life worth living.

5. We must accept the person as he or she is and help the person learn their inner nature. From real knowledge of aptitudes and limitations we can know what to build upon, what potentials are really there.

6. We must see that the person's basic needs are satisfied. This includes safety, belonging, and esteem needs.

7. We should refresh consciousness, teaching the person to appreciate beauty and the other good things in nature and in living.

8. We should teach people that controls are good, and complete abandon is bad. It takes control to improve the quality of life in all areas.

9. We should teach people to transcend the trifling problems and grapple with the serious problems in life. These include the problems of injustice, of pain, suffering, and death.

10. We must teach people to be good choosers. They must be given practice in making good choices."

-From Psychology, the Search for Understanding