Influences Of Buddhism On The Jedi-Knight Ideology

Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher who lived during the height of the Roman Empire, 50 to 135 CE roughly. He was born a slave in modern Turkey. He was given his name from the Greek word επικτητος, meaning ‘acquired’ or ‘slave’. As a slave he was permitted to attend philosophy lectures, which were held by Stoics at the time. During his time as a slave, Epictetus’ leg was injured, either from torture or an accident, and, due to his familiarity with Stoicism, he was able to endure it. He got his freedom when Nero was appointed emperor; however, during the rule of Domitian, Epictetus was exiled and moved to Greece. He started a philosophy school where he continued to teach about Stoicism and eventually died. His student, Arrian, wrote and published his works: The Discourses and Epictetus’ shorter book, the Enchiridion, or The Manual.

He had been highly educated in both Greece and Rome. He was also a great intellectual and orator of his time which would have put him in contact with the people who already knew of Stoicism. He studied under the Stoic philosopher Diodotus (d. 59 BCE). They maintained such a close friendship that Diodotus lived in Cicero’s house until his death when he left everything he owned to Cicero. While Cicero considered himself not a complete disciple of Stoicism (he followed some teaching of Epicurus and Plato) he practiced Stoicism’s ideals, especially it’s ethics, throughout his life. Professor and historian Edward Clayton writes that “Cicero puts forth Stoic doctrines not dogmatically, as absolutely and always true, but as the best set of beliefs so far developed. We ought to adhere to them because our lives, both individually and collectively, will be better if we do. It is essentially Stoic ethical teachings that Cicero urges the Roman elite to adopt.” Cicero urges the elite to adopt these ethics through his orations and his philosophical writings. He, himself, studied the texts of the earlier stoic philosopher Panaetius, and this influenced his most famous work: De Officiis, or On Duty. On De Divinationes, another of Cicero’s Stoicism -influenced works, the historian A E Douglas writes that: “Cicero wrote at its beginning and again at its end… that he was deliberately seeking relief through philosophy from the political troubles of the time and an outlet

It goes without saying that I learned so much in Religious Studies 101. I was introduced to multiple world religions that were foreign to me prior to taking the class. I never felt the need to explore any other religion besides Christianity because I was content with my faith. However, after learning about different religions and interacting with people that are not Christian, and grew up with different beliefs and values, I now find myself questioning reconsidering my beliefs. By being exposed to the rituals and ideas of cultures and religions across the globe, I find myself wondering what it would be like to follow some of these principles or to try some of these practices for myself. I find myself trying to follow the moral guidelines and principles of the traditions I learn about all the time. It has helped me ask even more questions and broadened my horizons. It 's helping me shape my beliefs and find out who I want to become. I was especially fascinated with Buddhism and have grown a huge admiration for it. In my learning portfolio I will examine what I learned about Buddhism and what about it is so appealing to me. I will also briefly summarize that I learned that Buddhism – just like any other religions, is not flawless and cannot provide a perfect view of life that would be influential enough for me to devote my faith to it. However, there are certain

Born of different backgrounds, upbringings, and experiences, Epictetus and Seneca are Roman philosophers who outwardly appear very different. Epictetus spent most of his youth as a slave while Seneca was born into money and became a tutor of Nero. Although these two men seem to be very dissimilar, they each shared a common purpose in studying philosophy and teaching people on how to live well. Each suggested different paths for how to do so. Epictetus suggests in his book, The Discourses and The Enchiridion, that living a life in accordance with nature could be achieved by living moderately. Seneca suggests in his work, Letters from a Stoic, that a happy man is self-sufficient and realizes that happiness depends only on interior perfection. Despite the differences, both Epictetus and Seneca are considered Stoics because of their shared belief in the idea that character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness. The world outside ourselves will never give us happiness, nor will it be responsible for our unhappiness. It doesn’t matter what’s happening outside ourselves, Epictetus and Seneca claim that the only thing that matters is how we interpret those events. Further evaluating Seneca’s, Letters from a Stoic and Epictetus’s, The Discourses and The Enchiridion, we will clearly be able to differentiate the two in their ideas and opinions regarding stoicism and the keys to living a well, happy life.

How does fear and moral and emotions stop you from accomplishing your goals? Looking back at Cool Hand Luke situation, he really lets his behavior interfere with life. But, on the other hand he really doesn’t. Luke really just talks back to his boss and workers. He just doesnt know how to react to those emotions and how to let them out. Later in the movie, Lukes mom dies and so his partners gave him so much respect for that. They all left the room for him to grieve. Than the boss’s worker locked him into the box because his mom died for a reason I don’t understand but its probably cause he didn’t know to react and give him the affection that Luke needed. Days passed and they let Luke out. Thats when everything changed for Luke. He had looked things differently like he really took in what his mother told him before she had passed away. Thats when he began to really act out. He tried to leave the place. He

“You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them! You were supposed to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness!” This is what Obi-Wan screamed at Anakin before leaving him to burn almost to death on Mustafar. While this accusation makes sense from a Jedi point of view, from the Buddhist point of view, it is entirely unfounded. The Jedi, through their millennia of non-virtuous actions, earned the non-virtuous actions that happened to them. In fact, Anakin was just used as the instrument of karma in Revenge of the Sith.

In fact, the force is established in the films as a symbolism of faith, Lucas has hoped that the force has awoken the curiosity to awaken spiritually in younger people. Thinking of religious stories and how they can tie into the movies; there was a story where evil tried to get good on their side, just like how Darth Vardar tried to get Luke to join the dark side. Overall, there are numerous elements that shows that Star Wars goes beyond myths and connect to life today. Star Wars main concept is transformation and transition, and you see that in Luke’s journey. Like Luke, people have a life journey that they have to take as well between the ages of 18 to 20.

Born of different stations, languages and creeds, Epictetus and Seneca are Roman philosophers who externally appear to be very different. Epictetus was born to a slave mother, sold as a slave himself and spent the majority of his youth as a slave in Rome. Seneca was born into money; he became tutor to a boy named Nero who later acquired position of Emperor of Rome in 54 A.D. Though these two men seem to be from very different worlds, they have a shared purpose in studying philosophy. The purpose of their writings was to teach people how to live well. Though they had a shared purpose, they suggested its achievement through different means. Epictetus professed an ‘expect the worst so you wont be disappointed when it happens’

Albert Einstein once said, “the religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal god, avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.”# Many great minds like Albert Einstein have converted or become Buddhists. Many people from the west are turning their attention towards Buddhism because of the Buddha’s simple way to life and the lack of worship or prayer to a divine being.

After the death of Aristotle, philosophy that targeted greater complex depths was outrun by philosophy that focused on mere everyday lives. With the rise and fall of Skepticism, Cynicism, and Epicureanism there was an influence that survived years impacting life and that was Stoicism. Zeno of Citium who believed that the world had an ultimate plan and everything--including nature, animals, and humans, were there for a reason (Hergenhahn & Henley, 2014, p. 66). The reason Stoicism was easily used is because it was well-suited with the way Romans highlighted their law and order giving the extensive coverage displayed by many philosophers, including Marcus Aurelius.

As the foundation of Force ideology, the Jedi mythos provides a solid foundation for further development. While commonly sought for spiritual and emotional reasons, the Jedi path also provides philosophical and religious services, like rites of death, or passage, protection, and upliftment/levity. A revolutionary doctrine, Jediism is reaction to the intemperance of contemporary living, and a return “back to the basics” of a our shared natural sense of awe towards the Force. As such, it represents an insistence towards “living well” with the prospect of tangible, salutary effects for beings as a hole- a natural birthright in the

Basing one’s understanding of meditation from the terms mentioned above, one can see the resemblance and connection between meditation and the kind of mindset Yoda asks Luke Skywalker to emulate. In Star Wars, concentration is essential to the life of a Jedi Knight, because through its practice, a Jedi is able to let the force flow through them, to guide his actions, instead of suffering and failing from clinging to the notion of control. Buddhist Meditation allows for one to be fully present, to take in everything that the present moment has to offer, instead of clinging to the past that is long gone, and the future that has yet to come. Correspondingly, Jedi Knights are asked to focus on the present because every emotion that disrupts their mission to protect the galaxies, lies in clinging to emotions that surround the past and the future.

In many years ago were a time of worldwide intellectual excitement because it was an age of great thinker such as an age of the Buddha. Buddha life teaching the background to the development of Buddhism. According to the book, Siddhartha was the prince who become the Buddha. He developed a meditative bent of mind and a deep compassionate nature. Buddhism proposed a life of good thoughts and straight living. In earlies Buddhist art of India presence was indicated; was not represented in human form. In the first century, the human image of Buddha came to dominate the artistic scene and which this occurred was along in northwestern India. There were also many representation of Siddhartha and evolved the concept of a Buddha of the future.

Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher who wrote, The Enchiridion, a manual which instructed people on how to live their life ethically and honorably on a social level. His belief was that regardless of personal conditions, people could live with pride and discipline. Epictetus tells us differentiating between what is in our own power to control and what is not is the key to a noble life (281).

From the lavish beginnings in a wealthy kingdom nestled within the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, Siddhartha Gautama’s transformation into the Buddha and the start of Buddhism was based off of and due to confronting constant human suffering in everyday life. Abandoning his regal life in pursuit of spiritual insight, Siddhartha sought to understand the problem of human suffering and propose remedies, if any, to such a condition. Verses, lectures, and sutras transcribed in scriptures by Buddha’s followers offer an other worldly perspective to endure the hardships and how to conduct oneself harmoniously in society especially with the concept of Inner Peace. The truth goal of Buddhism is to attain peace within oneself, detaching oneself from worldly suffering, attaining enlightenment, and eventually reaching a state of escaping the cycle of suffering, the state of Nirvana. Even though there are many sects of the Buddhist faith, this essay focuses on the shared peace practices and beliefs Buddhism promotes, especially the concept of inner peace through reflection. Buddhism is known widely as a religion of peace and non-violence, though there are outlying examples contrary to the point such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and etc., the concept of achieving inner peace and living harmoniously no matter what views one has can promote a positive society.