THE PADAWAN HANDBOOK: ZEN PARABLES FOR THE WOULD-BE JEDI
PARABLES ON WORTHY CONDUCT
O Apprentice, the way of mindfulness is a difficult one. Commit yourself completely. Always remain diligent because the path of practice is narrow and continuously assailed by the energies of the dark side.
Who is better protected: a Jedi with a legion of his fellow Knights at his side, surrounded by a squadron of battle tanks and ground assault vehicles, or one who conducts himself with honesty and kindness, whose behavior is upright, and whose thoughts are lovingly directed toward all beings? Clearly, one who conducts himself with honesty and kindness, whose behavior is upright, and whose thoughts are lovingly directed toward all beings is better protected because he has guarded himself against the internal armies of the dark side that assail his mind.
Apprentice, it is best not to speak, to tell others how they should live; let your life be your teaching.
Self-pride is a complex that eats the heart and mind of all, including the Jedi. If you think you are greater than other beings, equal to other beings, or less than other beings you have succumbed to self-pride. Guard against these three complexes night and day.
The greatest of all Jedi are not the ones who defeat a thousand opponents; they are the ones who triumph over themselves. Without patience one cannot truly call himself a student of the Way. Develop your patience—make impulse and whim as uncommon to you as honesty and morality are to a Hutt.
Do not abandon the Sith. Do not close your eyes to the Night Sisters. Commit yourself to finding ways to be with those who are gripped by the dark side, so that you can understand their situation deeply and help relieve them of their anguish.
Be an inspiration to your fellow Jedi. Carry yourself with grace and kindness. Do not allow arrogance to distinguish you like fools in martial attire, draped with emblems and medals. A Jedi should wear the simple cloak of his order with humility. When those who avoid the Way, pursuing only what is pleasant, attached to the senses, see one conducted so, they will experience their loss and lament their ways.
Where there is anger, offer kindness.
Where there is selfishness, offer generosity.
Where there is despair, offer hope.
Where there are lies, offer truth.
Where there is injury, offer forgiveness.
Where there is sorrow, offer joy.
Where there is hatred, offer love.
Where there is evil, offer goodness.
PARABLES ON ATTACHMENT AND DESIRE
Beware of the binding tractor-beam of attachment. For beings attached to their bodies, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, perceptions, or consciousness are imprisoned and can never know true freedom.
To commit to the Way is to give up selfish desires and to live for the benefit of all beings, Gungans, Jedi, and Sith.
Jedi, the joy that arises with bodily pleasure offers fleeting benefits and little sweetness. It is fruit that quickly becomes bitter and over time poisons the one who eats it. The joy that arises with equanimity, that is free from attachment to sensual desires, is sweet and nourishing. Its benefits are profound and ever present. Look carefully, young one, at the objects you desire. Are they truly what you believe them to be? What resides in them that does not reside everywhere? What do they hold that cannot be found in every element of the galaxy?
Ambition and desire lead to the dark side. Be wise, my determined apprentice, there is no happiness like the happiness of having few desires.
PARABLES ON COMPASSION
A Jedi who is worthy keeps compassion foremost in his thoughts. His compassion extends to all beings in the galaxy. With an open and loving heart he directs these thoughts for their universal benefit:
May terrestrial beings, arboreal beings, beings of the skies, beings of the seas and oceans, beings of the stars and asteroids, beings visible and invisible, beings living and yet to live, all dwell in a state of bliss, free from injury and sorrow, tranquil and contented. May no one harm another, deceive another, oppress another, or put another in danger. May all beings love and protect each other just as a master loves and protects his Padawan. May boundless love pervade the entire galaxy.
The eyes are the tools of deception that conjure the illusion of death. Look! See! There is no death, young one, except that which exists in the mind shrouded by the dark side.
Remember, young Jedi: death lurks around every corner, and it cannot be bargained with. Knowing this, if you are wise, you will put aside all quarrels.
Life is precious to all beings. All beings fear death. Knowing this, my young apprentice, and caring for others as you care for yourself, do not be eager to deal out death.
The Sith cannot escape death. Death, not just of the corporeal body, but of all manifestations of the mind, is inevitable. It is the way of all things, the way of the Force.
When someone is dying of thirst it is too late to dig a well. If you wait until you are upon your deathbed to practice the Way it will be too late. Death will not wait a moment longer than it is ready. Do not be lazy, Padawan; be steadfast as Master Windu.
Life is impermanence. All things are subject to change, and nothing can last forever. Look at your hand, young one, and ask yourself, “Whose hand is this?” Can your hand correctly be called “yours”? Or is it the hand of your mother, the hand of your father? The hand of a senator, the hand of a Jedi? Reflect on the impermanent nature of your hand, the hand with which you once battled a Nexu on Geonosis.
PARABLES ON THE DARK SIDE
A Jedi who is ruled by anger, by hatred, by jealousy, by desire is bound to the dark side just as a mynock binds itself to power cables.
A Jedi who harbors resentment and holds on to the thought “That person was cruel to me and showed me no respect” nourishes the dark side in himself. A Jedi who lets go of resentment and releases pride uproots hatred from himself.
Ignorance is the path to the dark side. One who is practicing the Way must always keep the mind open. Such a one must observe, listen, and learn. The Truth is found in the most unlikely of places.
Like biker-scouts at the head of an army, thought is the vanguard of all action. If your thoughts are influenced by the dark side, your actions will be evil. Observe your thoughts carefully, for they may be leading you down the path of the dark side.
Anger is a powerful emotion of the dark side. It can destroy harmony and lead to argument, conflict, and even death. When anger arises in you do not give in to it. Remain mindful, observing the anger, but not acting upon it. If you believe someone else is the cause of your anger, look again. They are a mirror reflecting your own mind.
Hatred cannot defeat hatred, young Jedi. If hatred is directed toward you, combat it with kindness. That is the only way to defeat hatred.
PARABLES ON WISE ACTION
Before you act, young one, you must reflect. Reflect unwisely and troubles follow as surely as a droid follows the mandates of his programming. Reflect wisely and troubles are like a shadow in the void of space, unseen and unfelt.
When putting on your robes, igniting your lightsaber, or using the Jedi Mind Trick—when acting in any way—always ask yourself: “Does this action support my true happiness and the true happiness of others? Does this action support my aspiration to transform the energies of the dark side within me?” If so, then you may be sure your action is worthy of the Way.
Thoughts are like tractor-beams that pull you off course. When you act, act! There is no room for thought.
O Apprentice, you inherit the results of your actions in body, speech, and mind. The ground you stand on today was produced by your actions of yesterday. Actions of worthy conduct produce a stable foundation as firm as permacreate. Unworthy actions produce an unstable path sure to slope into a sarlaac.
PARABLES ON THE MIND
Hold the mind like a cup of water in the hand—still and calm. Like the Force, let thoughts flow through you. Close your hand and you lose yourself.
If you are not aware of your mind, young one, you cannot know it. If you do not know your mind, you cannot care for it. If do not care for your mind, you cannot nourish it and grow in wisdom.
O Learner, you must tame the mind like a handler tames a reek. As an untamed reek can bite and gore so too can the untamed mind destroy you.
The blade of a lightsaber is only as good as its crystal. If the crystal is impure, poorly cut, and fractured, the blade will be dangerous and poor. If, on the other hand, the crystal is pure, well cut, and not fractured, the blade is safe and good. The same is true with the mind. If the mind is impure, poorly trained, and unfocused, the resultant life will be dangerous and poor. But a pure mind, well trained and focused, will bring about a life that is both safe and good. O Apprentice, you must recognize and abandon the impurities of your mind, the impurities of anger, hatred, aggression, fear, despair, avarice, superfluous desire, obstinacy, arrogance, and jealousy. When you are able to abandon the afflictions of the mind, you will find serenity and happiness.
PARABLES ON MINDFULNESS
Whether sitting, standing, walking, or lying down, be mindful day and night of your bodily position and actions. Whether pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant, be mindful day and night of your feelings. Whether kind, impartial, or cruel, be mindful day and night of your thoughts. Whether focused, ambivalent, or dispersed, be mindful day and night of your state of mind.
Dwelling in meditation, the mind is at peace—emotions rise like a hungry Gooba fish; left alone they cannot disturb the surface.
Harmony arises when there is balance. Balance arises when there is equanimity. Equanimity is the fruit of mindfulness and patience. Take your time, young one, perform every action with complete awareness, and harmony will be your reward.
Attention to the moment reveals what is hidden. With mindfulness of the living Force it is possible to know what is unknown. Focus on what you are doing. Concentration should be fully directed on the object of your inquiry, the object of your task, like the beam of an ion cannon is focused on its target.
A Youngling found a holocron and spoke to a distant master. “I’ve heard the Way is a doctrine of awakening,” the fledgling Jedi said. “What is your method?”
Through the holocron, the master replied, “We walk, we eat, we wash, we sit…”
“What kind of method is that? Everyone walks, eats, washes, and sits.”
“Child, when we walk we are aware we are walking. When we eat we are aware we are eating. When others walk, eat, wash, or sit down, they are generally not aware of what they are doing.”
PARABLES ON TIME
Always in motion the future is; it is unborn, unsubstantial. It is merely an image, like a hologram of a living being. We can no more touch and feel the future than we can touch and feel a hologram. The future, then, is unreal because it is not present. Only the present is real; only this moment is alive.
When considering the past or the future, dear Apprentice, be mindful of the present. If, while considering the past, you identify with the past, become caught in the past, and burdened by the past, then you have abandoned reality as Count Dooku abandoned his brethren. If, while considering the future, you identify with the future, become caught in the future, and are burdened by the future, are then you have chased illusions as the Sith chase their dream of immortality. Conversely, when considering the past, if you do not identify with the past, or become caught or burdened by the past, then you, like a once-careless Jedi finding your misplaced lightsaber, have not lost yourself in the past. And if, when considering the future, you do not identify with the future, or become caught or burdened by the future, then, like a Jedi turning away from the dark side, you have not lost yourself in the future.
PARABLES ON WISDOM
The true weapon is the lightsaber of wisdom, which cuts the bonds of ignorance from our mind.
A Jedi ought to choose his words carefully and intelligently. A single word of wisdom says more than a thousand words spoken idly. Thoroughly listen and reflect. The words you utter can have a profound impact on the listener. Will they bring peace or will they cause harm?
I heard these words of a Jedi master one time: Wisdom exists when you understand something and recognize that you understand it and when you do not understand something and you recognize that you do not understand it.
Padawan, do not cling to views or bind yourself to ideology. The knowledge you now have is not changeless, absolute truth. Truth is found in life and is continuously learned and relearned. Be open to the experiences and insights of others; do not remain fixed to a single point of view. The Way of the Jedi is to put aside dogma and touch the truth present here and now in the living Force.
Release all holds on doctrine or dogma, even Jedi ones, and you will be counted among the wise.