The Jedi Training Archive
Jedi- 12- Sense and Response

Sense and Response
Weapons and Violence
Fear
Practice

Sense and Response

For a Jedi, to sense and comprehend after action is not worthy of being called comprehension. To accomplish after striving is not worthy of being called accomplishment. To know after seeing in not worthy of being called knowing.

These three are far from the way of sensing and response a Jedi uses.

Indeed, for the Jedi, it is better to be able to do something before it exists, sense something before it becomes active, see something before it sprouts. These three abilities develop interdependently. Thus nothing is sensed but is comprehended, nothing is undertaken without response, and nowhere does one go without benefit.

Those who assist someone by means of the Force do not use arms to do so, for these things tend to reverse- brambles grow where a fight has been, bad years follow a war.

Weapons and Violence

Weapons are inauspicious instruments, not the tools of the enlightened. When there is no choice but to use them, it is best to be calm, free from anger and greed, and not celebrate victory. Those who celebrate victory are bloodthirsty, and the bloodthirsty cannot be let free to have their way with the world.

Remember, anger and greed are fundamental causes of defeat. It is the unemotional, reserved, calm, detached warrior who wins, not the hothead seeking vengeance, and not the ambitious seeker of fortune.

Those who are good at knighthood are not militaristic, those who are good at battle do not become angry, and those who are good at prevailing over opponents do not get involved.

Show me a man of violence that came to a good end, and I will take him for my teacher.

Fear

The true enemy is fear. Most think it is hate; but it is fear. Fear is the root of evil, as it leads to other evils. "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

Practice

It is important to have self-discipline and initiative: you should not practice only when your teacher makes you.

A true Jedi is one who never fights, but always practices.

Everybody in the Universe needs an activity. Most activities require a subject and an object. In the practice of the Jedi way, the subject and the object are the same thing: oneself.

Meditate on this and perceive the remarkable change it makes in everything. Without the sense of adversary, where is the problem? Where is the conflict? Why fear? Why hate? Why anger? How can there be failure? Why do these things exist at all in a self-contained, sane organism? They certainly are not needed.

What would be the purpose for one who is aware of the Force, who is one with nature, to engage in combat with his fellow man? These are things to be eliminated in our lives, not encouraged.

Top

Site and contents (except where otherwise noted) Copyright © 2004- Jedi Archivist Kethrim

Disclaimer:
Use of any information on this website is at your own risk.
Website and contents are for personal, non-profit use only, and may not be distributed for profit. Any materials used from this website should include copyright and disclaimer information.