At its most basic level, the Jedi Code is a set of guidelines explaining what virtues to prize and what flaws to avoid. Teachers make their students memorize the Code, but it is just as important for a Jedi Master as it is for the youngest student. Instructors ask their students that if they remember nothing else, always to keep these words in mind. The reason is simple: in these four or five lines lie the instructions for how to become a Jedi Master.

The Four-Line Code
The Five-Line Code
Final Thoughts about the Code
The Jedi Motto

The Four-Line Code

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.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

A Jedi cannot be swayed by emotion; his mind must be peaceful.

This line distinguishing the confusion of emotional considerations from the clear thinking of peaceful meditation- a valuable quality.

But if that peace is rooted in simply being unaware of some factor that would otherwise cause a Jedi to feel an emotional reaction, then it is not so much peace as ignorance.

There is the saying, "Ignorance is bliss," which seems to indicate that peace can easily be achieved by ignorance, however:

There is no ignorance, there is knowedge.

A Jedi must know and understand what is going on in a situation before he acts, to better avoid errors in judgment. However, knowing about issues can easily lead one to becoming engrossed in them, which causes clouding of the mind. Engrossment can drive one to want to fix everything, therefore:

There is no passion, there is serenity.

A Jedi cannot act with passion; it is taught that before a Jedi acts, he must be at one with the Force. Without serenity, a Jedi may find it more difficult to choose the best path.

Knowing a thing objectively is knowing it as the Force knows it.

But because life brings with it emotions and passion, students commonly argue that the only true objectivity is nonexistence- death. For does one not affect a thing even by merely observing it? However:

There is no death, there is the Force.

The Force knows all things objectively, it is serene and it is not swayed by emotion.

If a Jedi truly becomes one with the Force, he need not fear death. Like we saw with Yoda and Obi-Wan, their bodies disappeared when they died because they had become one with the Force. Qui-Gon, however, did not disappear, because he was too swayed by emotion and passion.

The Five-Line Code

The Code can be explained slightly differently when one adds the chaos line:

There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no chaos; there is harmony.
There is no death; there is the Force.

There is no emotion; there is peace.

A Jedi cannot be swayed by emotion; his mind must be peaceful.

This line distinguishing the confusion of emotional considerations from the clear thinking of peaceful meditation- a valuable quality.

But if that peace is rooted in simply being unaware of some factor that would otherwise cause a Jedi to feel an emotional reaction, then it is not so much peace as ignorance.

There is the saying, "Ignorance is bliss," which seems to indicate that peace can easily be achieved by ignorance, however:

There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

A Jedi must know and understand what is going on in a situation before he acts, to better avoid errors in judgment. However, knowing about issues can easily lead one to becoming engrossed in them, which causes clouding of the mind. Engrossment can drive one to want to fix everything, therefore:

There is no passion; there is serenity.

A Jedi cannot act with passion; it is taught that before a Jedi acts, he must be at one with the Force. Without serenity, a Jedi may find it more difficult to choose the best path.

Knowing a thing objectively is knowing it as the Force knows it.

However, the strive towards our own serenity shows a seeming chaos. We must remember that everything in nature happens in perfectly calculated order, therefore:

There is no chaos; there is harmony.

The circle of life and death keeps this harmony in balance, but we must remember that for a Jedi commited to the Force, this death is only physical thus:

There is no death; there is the Force.

If a Jedi truly becomes one with the Force, he need not fear death. Like we saw with Yoda and Obi-Wan, their bodies disappeared when they died because they had become one with the Force.

Final Thoughts about the Code

The Jedi Code teaches that before undertaking any action, the Jedi should consider the will of the Force. With these other considerations aside, all that remains is the Force. If a Jedi can act emotionlessly, knowledgeably, and serenely, then he is acting in accordance with the will of the Force.

Therefore, if a Jedi acts in all things without emotion, ignorance, or passion, then that Jedi is truly a Master of the Force.

At its heart, the Jedi Code provides simple instructions for living in touch with the Force. A Jedi never uses the Force to gain wealth or personal power. Instead, the Jedi uses the Force to find knowledge and enlightenment. Anger, fear, aggression, and other negative emotions lead to the dark side, so Jedi are taught to act only when they are at peace with the Force.

The Jedi Motto

Peace over anger.
Honor over hate.
Strength over fear.

We can clearly see how the Motto connects to when Yoda said, "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering!" He was paraphrasing the Motto.

The Jedi Motto further explains the first line of the Code: "There is no emotion; there is peace." The Jedi Code teaches us that a Jedi must not be swayed by emotion, and the Jedi Motto examines some specific types of emotion as well as ways to counteract their effects.

Peace over anger.

The Motto stresses that a Jedi must not feel anger. Anger is a very strong emotion that can easily lead a Jedi to the Dark Side, therefore, a Jedi must feel peace.

Honor over hate.

Even stronger than anger is hate. Yoda said, "Anger leads to hate." When one feels extreme anger, it turns into hate. When one is hate-filled, one is very easily led down a Dark path. Therefore, a Jedi must not hate. He can help himself avoid hating by following the dictates of honor. A Jedi has honor when he follows the Code.

Strength over fear.

Trying to be honorable all the time can entail doing things that a Jedi may not want to do, even things that scare the Jedi. However, he must not let his fear get the best of him. Sometimes, he can only counteract his fear with strength, not allowing himself to give in to his fear. Therefore, a Jedi must have inner strength.