Star Wars and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy Series) - Kevin Decker [20]
Buddhism was first introduced to Japan through Korea, and with it also the Buddhist martial arts forming the basis of Jujutsu. In Japan, the Sohei, an order of warrior monks much like the Hwa Rang, was developed. They lived in mountain monasteries surrounding the Imperial capital of Kyoto. Their considerable political power eventually put them at odds with the Shogun (military ruler over the warrior class, the samurai), culminating in the fifteenth century when samurai destroyed the Sohei monastic complex, killing most of its monks; parallel to the way in which the Jedi are practically wiped out in Revenge of the Sith. A few Sohei went into hiding, blending in with non-militant monks, and over time they taught their martial arts to other monks and a few worthy samurai. Eventually, Buddhist martial arts became the core of samurai training.
The indigenous religion of Japan is Shintoism, which centers around reverence for the ancestors and worship of the Japanese Emperor as a divine incarnation. Traditional Japan was hierarchical with the Emperor and his family on top, then the nobility, and then the samurai. The common people were subordinate and submissive to this social structure. The word “samurai” means “to serve.” It was the role of the samurai to serve the good of the nation with honor and loyalty to the Emperor, and with absolute obedience to his master even unto death. The samurai had a strict code of conduct known as Bushido, which means “the way of the warrior.” The code consists of general precepts which are open-ended and fluid. Over time it would integrate into itself much of the ethical teaching of Buddhism.
The sword is the soul of a samurai. The relationship that a samurai has to his sword is much like a Jedi’s relationship to his lightsaber. The name “Jedi” is derived from the samurai era of swordsmen called “Jidai geki,” which literally means “the era of play,” referring to samurai-inspired settings or themes used in Japanese drama. The Jedi’s kimono-style dress is loosely based on samurai clothing with the addition of a medieval hood to give a more monkish motif. Vader’s helmet and armor are based on those used by the samurai as well. Swordplay in the original Star Wars trilogy reflects the way of sword called Kendo, as derived from the samurai tradition. In the prequel trilogy we see sword styles based more on Kung-fu.
Zen master Takuan Soho wrote to a sword master giving advice on Zen and the art of swordsmanship. He advised to have a “no-mind” mindfulness. Do not let the mind stop, but keep it flowing. As soon as the mind stops it localizes itself, thus becoming limited. Rather than localizing the mind, “let it fill up the whole body, let it flow throughout the totality of your being . . . Let it go all by itself freely and unhindered and uninhibited.” 34 Soho goes on to say that when the mind is nowhere—that is, when it does not stop at any location—it is everywhere. In Zen practice one is with one’s original mind, which is no-mind. A mind that stops and localizes is a delusive mind that is divided against itself, thus interfering with the free working of original mind. When Obi-Wan tells Luke to let go of his conscious self and act on instinct, he is essentially advising to let go of the divided delusional mind and go with the original mind which is the mind unconscious of itself: “A mind unconscious of itself is a mind that is not at all disturbed by affects of any kind . . . the mind moves from one object to another, flowing like a stream of water, filling every possible corner.”35
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