Viewpoints - Dark Side as Yin/Yang
by: Jedi Jade Tigresse
Please note that the owners of Sanctuary may not totally agree with this article or any at all on this site for that matter -- but it is a viewpoint that is worth sharing [Seven-2008]
Part of the problem with the Jedi of the Old Republic & their failure to see the darks side has several facets.
First their isolationism- they lived in their own JEdi enclave separate from the "evils" of the world insteadof Part OF the world (universe)around them. WE as modern Jedi need to remember to be part of life and the world- being able tostep back and separate is a good thing for perspective & clarity but we must never forget that we are part of the whole
Second-"dark as evil"- somewhere along the way of their handed down lore an error was made. Dark was equated with evil. certainly some dark things cause pain and some actions are wrong actions but sometimes those same actions in a different setting actually help save lives. So there is a matter of perspective involved . TO understand dark more fully we as modern JEdi NEED to study the oriental concepts of Yin & Yang. they are a dynamic balance of dark/light positive /negative but neither can exist without the other.
I have a wonderful book that I highly recommend to any student of the FOrce called " a Brief history of Qi" that details what Qi/chi is and has a whole section on Yin & Yang that would help explain to a western mind how it works.
Third- because dark was equated with evil anythign that was considered "dark" negative a distraction from the path, was to be shunned. But if one looks to alchemy and the legend of hte phoenix a better perspective can be seen. The phoenix is a bird that lives for a thousand years adn then burns itself on a bonfire and rises again. But when onne goes deeper into the story one sees what is really going on and it becomes much more sensible. The phoenix represents spirit or soul energy which is pure. as it lives through it's life it picks up concepts, beliefs attitudes etc that stick to it's soul energy. the more that accumulates the darker and more weighed down it gets with "negative" kinds of stuff. WHen it builds the bonfire the phoenix is no longer a lovely golden color but dark dull & black. Representing not bad things such as negative attitudes , mental blindness, mental blockages things that keep us from being our full potential. WHen it thrws itself upon the fire it gets rid of those things. and returns to it's original pure self. A wonderful allegorical story that helps us to understand that re-examining our thoughts and belief patterns may be helpful to our own well being and our progress on the path of knowledge. "Unlearn what you have learned" is a very appropriate phrase- but one must also understnad that Yoda makes that comment many years later after he's had a chance to see the fall of the Jedi & think things through. Luke's own attitdues towards dark & light were what Yoda was commenting on when he siad that. Which is another wonderful thing to meditate on.
A great experiment that I like to do from time to time is: take a piece of paper and divide it down the center. one one side lable light the other dark. write whatever comes to mind on those different sides and then meditate on their meaning to you. Yo you have more negative than positive? If so this could point out that you look only to the negative side of things and should find different ways to look at things. change perspectives, change attitudes. It can also be a very helpful tool to show that just becaue in one case a thing can be dark it is not always so.
IF you haven't figured it out- studying & understanding darkness to me a a very important & integral part of learning to be a Jedi. Know thy enemy, but to do so one must know thyslef. YOu can not combat or defeat something you do not understnad. And in many cases if what you are battling is an incorrect concept you may be only making a bad situation worse or perpetuating a viscious cycle without really solving anything. The Jedi certainly fights when needed but by being able to understand darkness, one will also learn to understand right & wrong motivations. If one hides from "dark" thoughts one can not understand their source-nature itself. Many things that are considered "dark" are natural instinctive thoguhts.
A valuable lesson I learned on my own path many years ago- "you must go through the darkness to find the light". Was what my teacher said to me. I think it applies to all modern Jedi. And and should be used as the basis of the JEdi trailsfor "knighthood". Not so much how well they defeat foes etc. But how well they deal with and solve situations and face unpleasant things.
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