I wrote this when searching for information on building defenses against the Dark Side. Each area will be fleshed out, but here is an overview of my thoughts.
The One Truth
The Force is
The Force exists. In and of itself , however, the Force does not have a Dark Side and Light Side. Instead, it simply IS. It is within the relationship of a person and the Force in which a Dark and Light Side is created and can be seen as if on a gauge. On the farthest end of the Light, a persons every move is in accordance with the Force. On the farthest end of the Dark, a persons every action is intended to use the Force for their own motivations.
For nearly all Jedi, they operate from the middle leaning towards the Light Side in various degrees. On occasion, a Jedi can find them selves dwelling on the darker side of the gauge. To avoid this, there are a few things a Jedi can learn.
The Two Motivations
It feels good
The first motivation for people is when something makes them feel good. This could be the feeling of satisfaction of doing a good job, eating that 3rd brownie because it tastes good and they feel awesome while they taste it or giving money to charity. It could be anything enticing the mind to tell them they are enjoying them selves.
The danger of the things that make people feel good is that it can develop attachment. Many of the things a person does that make them feel good aren’t necessarily bad. The problem arises when the removal of something causes a desire to be created that motivates a person to selfish thoughts.
It is for this reason a Jedi must be mindful of the things within their life in which they enjoy.
It feels bad
The second motivation for people is when something makes them feel bad. This isn’t merely the small things that bother people. This is in reference to when people really reach a point where things are so bad things MUST change.
The motivation of feeling bad about something is very powerful. It runs the risk of the Dark Side as well. When a person is motivated by vengeance or hatred this is an obvious gateway. Sometimes, when a person changes because they no longer want to feel bad, they make great changes, only to harbor within their hearts the dark seed of their motivation. This will, too, lead to the Dark Side by creating fear of the past repeating itself.
For a Jedi, it is important to recognize not only the motivations behind their own actions, but also the reasons why that motivation was originally created.
The Four Recognitions
Life is difficult
For many people, life is hard and painful. Even if a Jedi’s life at the moment is pleasant, they are surrounded by wars, famine, and cruelty. They are reminded that death is always just around the corner – even for them.
The difficulty has a cause
People suffer difficulty because they are constantly struggling to survive. They are constantly trying to prove their existence. Even Jedi may be extremely humble and self-deprecating, but even that is an attempt to create personal definition as they are defined by their humility. However, the harder people struggle to establish ourselves and their relationships, the more difficult the experience becomes.
The cause of difficulty can be ended
The struggle to survive, the effort people put forth to prove them selves and solidify their relationships is unnecessary. What a Jedi can learn is that they, and the world, can get along quite comfortably without all of the unnecessary posturing. A Jedi can just be a simple, direct and straight-forward person. A Jedi can form a simple relationship with their world, their coffee, spouse and friend. They do this by abandoning their expectations about how they think things should be.
The way to end the difficulty
Through the practice of mindfulness and awareness a Jedi can end the difficulty. Being mindful a Jedi can be aware of all the things they use to torture them selves with. A Jedi can become mindful by abandoning their expectations about the way they think things should be and, out of their mindfulness, they begin to develop awareness about the way things really are. They will begin to develop the insight that things are really quite simple, that, as a Jedi, they can handle them selves and their relationships very well as soon as they stop being so manipulative and complex.
The Six Needs
Security
People want security. And much of this security comes from certainty. While there is no ABSOLUTE certainty, they want certainty the house will be the way it was when they left, the phone will work when they pick it up and the lights will turn on when they flip the switch.
As Jedi, security can be found in knowing the Force is always in motion and that they are a part of it.
Variety
At the same time people want security, they also crave variety. There needs to be enough uncertainty to make life interesting. A Jedi does not shelter them selves within their home and interacts with the world.
Importance
Deep down, people want to be important. They want their life to have meaning and significance. Everyone wants to matter. Knowing that they are working within the Force and that all actions matter, a Jedi’s life has meaning and significance.
Appreciation
People want to feel appreciated. They want to be cared for and cared about. A Jedi has the online community to meet this need. They should also look to be a part of their local community as well to develop offline connections.
Expansion
Some people may state they do not want to go beyond where they are. However, most people who state this are speaking out of fear of change. Within them, there is still a need to expand and grow. A Jedi is always looking to expand their knowledge and connection with the Force.
Contribution
People have a desire to contribute something of value. This could be to help others, to help animals or maybe to make the world a better place than we found it is in all of us. A Jedi’s life is based on how they can contribute back to the world.
The Eight Steps
Remove Expectation
To avoid travelling though the Dark Side, a Jedi must see things for how they are. This means understanding their own filters and attempting to remove them from the perceived reality.
To view any situation with hope or fear will cloud reality and thus keep the Jedi from being able to make clear assessments. This is also true of the Jedi’s expectations of the situation. All expectation of a situation will impede the Jedi from being open to Force.
A Jedi must see things simply, the situation as it is, with an open and accommodating attitude.
A Jedi will connect strongly to the Force, build a foundation of peace, and the develop ability of honest assessment by taking joy in a simple, straight-forward approach to a life and abandoning hope and fear.
Work with the Force intentions
When a Jedi has come to view situations without their own expectations, hopes and fears, they can then understand there is no longer a need to attempt to manipulate the situation to meet their own expectations. There is no need to try to make the situation in to the Jedi’s preconceived notions of how they think it should be.
A Jedi looks to work with what is.
This will allow the Jedi’s intention to be more inline with the intention of the Force.
Speaking with the confidence of truth
When a Jedi is inline with the intention of the Force, what they say will be said with the confidence of truth. Since the Jedi is not trying to manipulate the situation to be the way they think it should be, they do not need to be hesitant about what they say. There is no need for phony confidence because the Jedi will say what needs to be said in a simple and genuine way.
Keeping it simple
It is human nature to complicate issues. Jedi practice a life of simplicity. They have a simple straight-forward relationship with everything – from their family and friends to their dinner. By giving up all unnecessary and frivolous complications a Jedi can clear up clouded relationships.
Jedi and occupation
Jedi come from all walks of life and are involved in varying occupations. Many Jedi do not particularly enjoy their jobs. They see it as a necessity and see it as something that they have to do as opposed to all the things they want to do. A Jedi should either be glad of the job they do or do something else. It is important to have a simple relationship with a job. When a Jedi is working, they need to do it properly, with attention to detail.
The right approach
Jedi often approach their relationship with the Force with a need to conquer the Dark Side and promote the Light Side. They are locked in combat with themselves and try to remove all traces of negative tendency. The right approach does not involve struggling at all. When a Jedi sees things as they are, they can work with them, gently and without any kind of aggression. For it is the aggression that that germinates the seeds of frustration. Frustration leads to anger. Jedi know where anger leads.
Being mindful
A Jedi is mindful of they way they talk, they way they perform their job, their posture, attitude towards friends and family. A Jedi must be mindful is every thing they do with clarity and precision.
Living in the Now
People are usually absorbed in absentmindedness. They are focused on entertainment they have either taken in or perhaps in speculation of something in the future. Some people worry about their future, others lament in their past. A Jedi must be in the Now. Only when they are completely absorbed in the Now can they truly see things as they truly are.
This can only come through some sort of discipline, such as meditation. Sitting in meditation cuts through the absentmindedness and provides a space in our preoccupation within our selves.
The Goal
The goal of the Jedi is the cessation of passion, aggression and ignorance; the cessation of the struggle against the Dark Side to prove our existence to the world, to survive. We don’t have to struggle to survive after all. The struggle was just an extra complication that we added to our lives because we had lost our confidence in the way things are. We no longer need to manipulate things as they are into things as we would like them to be.
