Star Wars and Spirituality

Ok...think me silly if you must...but I like to read between the lines of almost everything I encounter...and this morning I saw the latest Star Wars movie...and help it or not I feel that there are many teachings of eastern spirituality (if not western as well) behind the jedis. Someone posted a thread about many believing jedi to be a religion and now I see how that can be so... the jedis teach selflessness, and detachment (the part of the movie where Yoda gives Anakin advice about his dreams comes to mind), and service...could it be that the "force" could be a symbol? And could the "dark side" in fact be illusion (maya)? Or is it just entertainment with lots of cool weapons and I'm just being silly? You decide.

 

It's a bit like chinese taoist or japanese zen in some ways. The Force is a bit like the tao, the idea that it's used for martial arts etc reminds me of samurai swordsmen, kendo, kung-fu - all that stuff. I'm sure the creators of Star Wars were inspired along those lines.

 

star wars smar wars.

 

you say that about every thing thats not christ related?:sunglasse




Yeah starwars is just entertaiment for geeks.......like ME

 

LoL No my friend! I say that about everything!!! and I kinna like star wars Thank ya very much!:H

 

YOu beat me to it! I am going to see it in 1 hour haha. I have the tickets! n e way, yea you are right. I feel the same way, it is similar to the taoist philosophy and it is pretty cool .

 

Aww...lol. Well have fun. It is an amazing movie. One of the best I've seen in a long while.

 

Im seeing the movie tonight

 

The force aligns with the Asian theory CHI.
The Darkside aligns with the Human theory of selfishness

 

Actually, the "Force" in Star Wars is a lot like what the Jews believe G-d to be.

 

No doubt, the Force could be interpreted in terms of just about any religious tradition, if one sees God as all-pervading. I have an ultra-conservative Christian friend who is a long time Star Wars fan--he sees it as a very spiritually affirming story.

I've always viewed the Jedi as a renounced spiritual/mystical/martial arts order, most akin to the popular image of Chinese or Japanese martial arts warriors with a Zen or Taoist philosophy. Those that go to the dark side are like mystics that become tempted by the powers or Siddhis that an advanced spiritual practitioner can develop, and use them for selfish gain and control over others.

I saw the new movie last weekend -- excellent all around and a definite redemption for the whole series after the previous two Star Wars stinkers.

 

I think people think too much. I love Star Wars, but they're really just not that deep.

 

the force is not with you...

 

Here are some comments I posted on the "Movies" forum:

Yoda's warmed-over Buddhism is tiresome. He tells Anakin not to even miss a dearly loved one who has died. How could such "detachment" (cold indifference) motivate the Jedi to fight for freedom and justice?

Besides Yoda's cold detachment, the whole theology of "the force" is screwy. They repeatedly mention "the will" of the force. Does this mean that the force is actually a cosmic personal being (i.e. God) rather than an impersonal energy field? Why would it elect a mentally unbalanced critter like Anakin to bring "balance" to itself? If it has a dark side, then what is inherently noble about its "good" side? Are good and evil both equally intrinsic to the essential nature of the universe?

I wish Lucas had left out the psuedo-Christian concepts (the virgin birth, chosen one, etc.) and just stuck with silly New Age pantheism.

When Anakin/Vader tells Obi Wan that he must either be for him or against him, Obi Wan responds that only a Sith deals in such absolutes. However, he then declares that Palpatine is evil, and Anakin/Vader replies that from his perspective, Palpatine is good. So, it seems that moral relativism is actually a Sith trait after all . . .

 

You fail to understand the difference between detachment and indifference. Yoda doesn't tell Anakin not to try to save those who are dying. He tells him there is no use grieving for those who are gone, or beyond your help. This is true. It is not indifference at all. Nobody gains anything by being miserable over someone who is dead. It is only a pointless expenditure of energies in self-indulgent sorrow, energy that could be used to make a difference to the lives of those whoa re still alive.

 

And yes, good and evil are essential to the universe, one cannot exist without the other. From the ultimate standpoint, they are all one, in the force.

 

the discovery channel played a special about the force and compared it to the showlin monks (yeah sp?(like david caridine in kung fu)) and george lucas said them compared to jedi is about the same the only difference is the monks call it che and the jedi call it the force

 

I'm Jewish, and that's exactly right. I was always taught that G-d was very much a bindind force in life, penetrating everything, yet assigned to no single object or entity.

 

I don't have a religion but I think the force is very much like god. Holy Moly, maybe I'm Jewish.

 

I love Star Wars, I've thought this myself. Its like 2 spiritual paths, one for good and the other for evil.

I believe in the force, you just have to know how to do it.