Was Yoda a Taoist Master ?

The term Tao isn't simply "nothingness" Lao Tzu always used parables to speak of Tao 'it seems' etc these are all indefinite

"The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao"

Tao Te Ching, "paragraph 1"


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Tao is immediate and direct, in some ways this is very similar to the force, both seem to of been 'there' but soon fade into non-existance. And to a furthur extent as your posted articles points out, we do not manipulate Tao.


Mahayana Buddhism uses the concept of Samadhi a state of deep superconsciousness, if there was such a thing! Many of the Jedi go into "deep" meditation.

And as I read through this again, I soon realise I haven't really concluded! Star Wars being as big as it is I think we can only stipulate unless we got the big man himself on this very forum to clarify. There is alot out there, the net is very good at providing homes for very creative rumours as we all know. The one I hear springing up the most often is the film mentioned earlier within this thread. I think it would be a good link to follow up.

I haven't watched it but my girlfriend did, she's quite versed in philosophy (more western than eastern though) she said she saw some comparisons, obvious or not i'm not sure.

 

I thought he was Scottish?

 

its all alchemy to me

i think he might have used taoism, but star wars is very heavily influenced by the qabbalah, but hey its all the same

 

Kwan Jang, Ya beat me to it. Campbell was one cool cat indeed!

 

It also fits very strongly with Christian, Islamic, Druidic, Wiccan, Jewish...

 

He's a webmaster in the UK.

 

, check out this site !

http://www.atlantis.to

 

nichiren budhism

Mahayana Buddhism uses the concept of Samadhi a state of deep superconsciousness, if there was such a thing! Many of the Jedi go into "deep" meditation.

The main chant used in Nichiren Daishonin's Budhism which is a form of Mahayana Budhism is Nam myoho renge kyne of lucas's co writers was a nichiren Budhist who believed that this Mantra was the sound of the universe.
This is what he meant when he talked about the force because he believed that Nam myoho Renge kyo is all encompassing and by believing in it we can make the impossible possible.

 

Obi-wan Kenobi, is an imaginery person, as is chi (imaginery).



thats just my opinion , I'm cool with people who believe in it.

 

ki

 

The force of the star exercise!!!!!!!!!!!!

Free Reiki, before it's gone

The Reiki method, from the last site I linked

 

Thanks for the link serious harm.

Good karma for you!

 

yoga= broken ankles worst enemy and most painful :cry:

 

I hope you're not referring to Pranayama, brother. Anyway what sort of Yoga are you talking about that leaves you injured? :Alien:

?

 

Star Wars 1, er 4..whatever, was based loosely off Hidden Fortress directed by Akira Kurosawa. I have the Criterion DVD of Fortress and it even has a little interview with Lucas saying how that and Seven Samurai influenced him.

Seven Samurai is the best movie ever

BTW: cougar, yoga should never be painful. the trick is to stretch just below your pain threshold, where it still feels good but anymore would hurt. if you can't get into lotus, just do half-lotus or sit cross legged, don't kill your ankles

 

Yoga can be dangerious if......

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/13/1041990234552.html
"Yoga can be dangerous to some degree, especially for someone like me who doesn't know what they're doing," said Steve, who tore a thigh nerve during a particularly intense stretch. "While I've done all kinds of sports, I wasn't prepared. Everybody was doing these double flips and I tried to keep up."

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/27/1088274627463.html
The Sports Injuries Report 2004 found more than 25 per cent of people surveyed who practised yoga had been injured, prompting warnings for enthusiasts to take care.

 

Again you must specified Yoga variations since Pranayama and Kriya are directed toward breath control and prana, visualisations, very much like Daoist techniques. The fact is that the benefits of this kind of yoga are not dangerous as this fellow member of the forum suggests when he talks about broken ankles. For instance when Yogananda passed away in the 50s the Mortuary Director of Forest Lawn Memorial-Park (U.S.) testified in a notarised letter the following:

"The absence of any visual signs of decay in the dead body of Yogananda offers the most extraordinary case in our experience." The letter continues that twenty days after Yogananda's passing, his body looked as fresh as on the day of his final exit on March 7, 1952.


So forget about broken ankles. It sounds :Alien: to me. Yoga is as safe and benefitial as having a qi shower on top of your favourite mountain.

 

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003...1990234552.html
"Yoga can be dangerous to some degree, especially for someone like me who doesn't know what they're doing," said Steve, who tore a thigh nerve during a particularly intense stretch. "While I've done all kinds of sports, I wasn't prepared. Everybody was doing these double flips and I tried to keep up."

AHHH! Yoga is NOT A COMPETITIVE SPORT! If your teacher has you thinking it is, QUIT and find another. See my above post, only stretch as far as you are comfortable and keep your concentration on your breath, NOT how far you can stretch compared to the rest of the class.

Say there are 2 people in your class. One skinny guy who can easily get into the extreme stretches, and does so quickly and easily. Not concentrating on what he is doing. Then there is an overweight man, who can't stretch half as much as the flexible man, but he takes it to his COMFORTABLE limit and focuses on his breath and what he is feeling in his body. Which one do you think is actually practicing Yoga and which one do you think is benefiting?


http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004...8274627463.html
The Sports Injuries Report 2004 found more than 25 per cent of people surveyed who practised yoga had been injured, prompting warnings for enthusiasts to take care.

Considering Yoga is not a "sport" I think that statistic is very biased. BTW neither of those links work

 

Practice gently, with relaxation. Never force or strain. Personally I have never been hurt by Yoga, and I take it pretty easily and practice lightly. I don't stretch too far or breathe too hard.

 

Any style of Yoga that requires you to sit in uncomfortable positions, contort yourself until it hurts is inherently unhealthy.

This is where Yoga and Taoist based Qigong are in opposition, as Taoist teachings advice against any technique that involves pain , discomfort in fact anything unnatural.
There are other styles of Yoga that require movement in fact with minimal contortion, those are probably safer.

Consider this German Medical study:


http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/10/19/world/9163557&sec=world


It’s healthier not to cross legs at work
HANOVER: Office workers sitting long periods at a desk should be careful about their body posture in order to keep blood flowing properly and prevent varicose veins, German health experts advise.
The Technicians Health Insurance group in Hanover said workers should not cross their legs while sitting at their desks.
Instead, the legs should be kept parallel to each other and the knees bent at a 90-degree angle. The same applies to the arms and elbows.
The thighs should also be kept at a 90-degree angle with the body. – dpa