Yin-Yang is a symbol of Taoism. The symbol is a circle created of two balanced forces. “This symbol represents soft and hard, light and dark, feminine and masculine, and the other balances in life and nature.” (Every) From the above passage of the Tao-te Ching, Lao Tzu means Yin-Yang mingles in balance and creates harmony. Hence, one has these two inside the body naturally; one can’t be totally good or totally bad. Darth Vader is the best example and the representative of the dark side in Star Wars. However, even though he goes down to the dark side, there is still good in him, just like Luke says “I feel the good in you...the conflict.” This is definitely right. “You cannot have one without the other,” John Porter says. No matter the Force or the Tao, there all remain both sides in them; both sides need to cooperate with each other. Even though one is an evil person, there still remains good in him. In the movies, there is one scene of the lightsaber fight between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker presenting this idea.
VADER: The Emperor has been expecting you.
LUKE: I know, father.
VADER: So, you have accepted the truth. (Vader is Luke’s father.)
LUKE: I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father.
VADER: That name no longer has any meaning for me.
LUKE: It is the name of your true self. You've only forgotten. I know there is good in you. The Emperor hasn't driven it from you fully. That is why you couldn't destroy me. That's why you won't bring me to your Emperor now.
(Star Wars—Episode Ⅵ: Return of the Jedi)
Yin and Yang live inside everyone. This is why Luke believes his father still remains good. Considering Yin-Yang, there is an area that should be stressed and be clarified. It is not meant to represent good vs. evil through the idea of Yin-Yang. Likewise, there is no need to separate both sides of the Force clearly. The Force does include two sides. The above arguments and examples clearly indicate that there is an inseparable relationship between Star Wars and Taoism. Star Wars is really a product of Taoism.
Jedi Masters vs. Tao Masters
In addition to similar concepts mentioned in the above paragraphs, both Star Wars and Taoism also place much importance on teachers or guiders for the Force and the Tao. In this section I will prove the Tao master and Jedi Master are the same. In Star Wars, Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters are the main characters. The Jedi Masters always represent wise teachers and teach other Jedi Knights by wisdom’s words. In Taoism, the Tao master is also the important teacher. Hence, the Jedi Master is like the Tao master. The teacher of the Force is the Jedi Master; the teacher of the Tao is the Taoist teacher. There is one poem the Tao-te Ching says about the Sage who is similar to not only the Tao master but also the Jedi Master:
Those of old who were good at being knight-scholars were subtle, were possessed of ineffable efficacy, and were in dark and mysterious confluence, so profound that they could not be perceived….Those who are protected in this Tao will not desire fullness. For only by not being full is one able to be tattered and yet newly complete. (Moran, 41)
A Sage is a wise person who would live according to the Tao and make decisions by his intelligence. There are many great Jedi Masters such as Yoda, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars that can fit the above idea of Taoism. The Jedi Master is a Sage. In Taoism, Lao Tzu is the greatest Taoist and Sage of Tao. No mater the Tao master or Jedi master, all of them declare some wise advice with similar viewpoints. First thing needs to be discussed is the Jedi Order which Jedi Master would teach to the Jedi Knight. The Jedi Order shows as follows:
There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no death; there is the Force. (Jedi Order)
These codes include Taoism inside. For example the first one is “no emotion then peace.” Since people don’t have emotion, they don’t have desire. If one doesn’t have desire, he may not rob or steal things. If there is no crime in society, then there is peace in the world. In the Tao-te Ching, there is also one chapter about this topic.
Do not elevate the worthies, so that the people shall not contend. Do not value scarce commodities, so that the people shall not become robbers. Do not display desirable things, so that minds shall not become disordered. For this reason, the governance of the Sage lies in voiding the minds of the people, filling their bellies, weakening their ambitions, and strengthening their bones.” (Moran, 22)
Another example of “no ignorance then knowledge” can support Taoism as well. If one can know what he lacks or he doesn’t know, then he learns knowledge. To admit the lack of oneself is not so easy. If one can do this successfully, then he or she can have the opportunity to learn not only what he or she lacks but also to be modest. One poem from the Tao-te Ching indicates that:
To know that you do not know is the best. To not know that you know is a defect. Now only be treating defect as defect can you be without defect. The Sage is without defect because he treats defects as defects and so is without defects. (Moran, 137)
Yoda is the most outstanding Jedi Master who can be regarded as a Sage among the whole in Star Wars. His words always inspire not only the Jedi Knights but also the audience. For instance, Yoda mentions about the fear, hate and anger when teaching Jedi Knights. “A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind.” (Star Wars—Episode Ⅳ: A New Hope) “Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.” (Star Wars—Episode Ⅵ: Return of the Jedi) “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hum, hate leads to suffering.” (Star Wars—Episode Ⅰ: The Phantom Menace) Fear is one thing a Jedi has to avoid because it’s the way to the dark side. Where does the fear come from? : Desire. Since one has desire, then he may fear to lose what he wants. In Taoism, it is said that if one doesn’t know the constant, one would wantonly commit evil deeds. In fact, Anakin Skywalker is a good example to support this idea. Anakin says “I should be! Someday I will be…I will be the most powerful Jedi ever.” (Star Wars—Episode Ⅱ: Attack of the Clones) Because Anakin has the desire in his mind, he can’t see the constant and the Tao. That’s why he became Darth Vader in the future. George Lucas also claimed his opinion about Anakin Skywalker, “He turns into Darth Vader because he gets attached to things. He can’t let go of his mother; he can’t let go of his girlfriend. He can’t let go of things. It makes you greedy. And when you’re greedy, you are on the path to the dark side, because you fear you’re going to lose things, that you’re not going to have the power you need” (Corliss, 85). In order to decrease desire, according to Taoism, people should “Stop up your orifices. Close your doors.” “Lessen selfish interests and decrease desires.” One poem in the Tao-te Ching says:
There is no greater disaster than failing to know when you have enough. There is no greater retribution than acquisitiveness. So the adequacy of knowing when you have enough is a constant adequacy. (Moran, 94)
Avoiding fear aims to avoid conflicts and damages. Another area that Yoda would also mention a lot is about aggression, attacking and wars. “Wars not make one great.” (Star Wars—Episode Ⅴ: The Empire Strikes Back) “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.” (Star Wars—Episode Ⅴ: The Empire Strikes Back) A good Jedi learns the martial arts for self-protection and defense not for attacks. One can see the same idea from the wise words of Lao Tzu in the Tao-te Ching:
Those who are good at being knights are not martial. Those who are good at warfare do not rage. Those who are good at overcoming their adversaries do not join issue. Those who are good at employing others put themselves beneath them. That is called the virtue of non-contention. That is called the power to employ others. That is called the perfection attained by becoming a match with Heaven. (Moran, 132)
In Taoism, it indicates one who uses the Tao to aim the masters of men don’t employ weapons to take the world by force. They would use more intelligent ways such as negotiation or using diplomacy to achieve their targets. “Arms are inauspicious instruments, not instruments fit for a noble man. Only when there is no alternative does he resort to them,” Lao Tzu says. In martial art, Taoism is the nexus. “Martial arts do not try to tell others where the balance is, it tries to teach people how to find the balance for themselves” (Every). The ideas such as the Tao, Yin-Yang or void and filled from the Tao-te Ching all can be applied to the martial arts and become a main idea “The soft overcomes the hard.” Joseph Campbell also says “The oriental cultivation of the martial arts is a psychological as well as physiological technique that goes together there.” (The Power of Myth, 179) Lao Tzu explains this idea in Chapter 68 in the Tao-te Ching as well. If using this idea to see Star Wars, people can easily understand why these Jedi Masters teach about the feeling of the Force, the deepest commitment, and the most serious mind. As a whole, the Jedi Masters are similar to the Tao masters. All of them are Sages who can teach people knowledge and wisdom. Due to these reasons, one can realize how close Star Wars and Taoism are.
The former paragraph concerns about the idea of fights or wars. In this section I will prove that the seven forms of lightsaber using for the Jedi is adopted from the idea in Taoism. Every time a Jedi faces an attack or a fight, except when using a blaster or the Force to control one’s mind, the most important weapon and possession of a Jedi is the lightsaber. While using the lightsaber, the Jedi would develop seven forms of swordplay which individually represent a different fighting philosophy. Following are some examples which can explain the difference. Obi-Wan represents the model of Form Ⅲ which takes “defense” as the main core. This one is regarded as elegant and not invasive. Taoism also includes the idea of defense rather than attack. Master Yoda is Form Ⅳ which stresses the combination of mind and the Force. Using the mind and the Force can ascend the physical limit. Although Yoda is old, when he fights, he still has great strength and moves fast. Wu-wei, the idea I have mentioned a few paragraphs before is the main idea in this form. Trusting the feeling of the Force is the best way for fighting. Thus, people have to follow the Tao for everything. In Star Wars, the audience can see how the seven forms are used. However, one point which has to be emphasized is that both Taoism and Star Wars don’t promote wars, attacks or fights. Fights will be used when facing an emergency. “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.” From these evidences of Fighting forms or opinions of wars, the Jedi Knights and the Jedi Masters are all Taoist.
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