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Profile of a Real-Life Jedi Academy
dkleinsc writes "The NYTimes ran a profile of the New York Jedi Club, an organization dedicated to teaching the ways of the Force. Jedi Grandmaster Flynn Michael, a sound engineer and (by his own proclamation) an 'over-the-top geek,' connected the ideas of the Jedi with dance, martial arts, sword-fighting and Tibetan Buddhism to form the curriculum."
Well, because of that.
Hey don't blame me, IANAB
What is the expected market demand for Jedi Knights? Can I take out a federal loan to pay my tuition fees?
Is he the same "Jedi Master" who allowed is lightsaber to be stolen??
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that, while on the one hand, many geeks find religion to be illogical, superstitious, and ill-founded
on the other hand,
many geeks are enamored of the religion of a bunch of characters in the mind of George Lucas in a galaxy far, far away?
I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the Internet. Blog
if you read too much Michael Shermer, why do you keep going to a temple? You should become James Randi's pupil or something.
BTW there are more than just superficial cultural differences between Buddhism sects. For instance you have the ones that still believe it's possible to achieve enlightenment -- including recall and mastery over your past lives -- through your own study and efforts. Then you have the other kind that that gave up -- they're basically praying for Buddha's second coming so that he will take you to the pure land (since you can't find your own way).
The former is not really a religion, more like a philosophy and a set of instructions (which is what Buddhism originally was). The latter is closer to modern religions such as Christianity and Islam.
Zen is an anti-religion which tells us first to train, and then to trust, our instincts. (Excellent programmers and engineers, I feel, often follow Zen practice in this. Mahayana Buddhism appeals to orthodoxy in its custom and practice. The superficial similarities cover a very, very different outlook.
Typical of Zen: the teacher who delivered a lecture on the Arhats which began "The Arhats are like a dirty lavatory (meaning that the truth had been obscured by layers of rubbish applied over the years) and the other one who delivered a lecture which consisted of, in effect "The truth is all around you, open your eyes and look at it."
So: "Jedis", which are a synthetic construct (but then so are the beliefs of the Catholic Church, the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses) possibly do borrow more in outlook from Zen. But so, actually, does particle physics. Javascript: The Good Parts is a pretty Zen book. So, while I'm in this vein, is Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding, surely one of the best project management manuals for very small teams ever written.
As for reincarnation, you can view the Buddha's teaching as telling people that the existing religions and their insistence on reincarnation were nonsense. Realising that this is the only life we have and that following the Eightfold Path is the way to make the best of it - is part of enlightenment.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
Ha ha.... even *I* saw this story and thought..... "NERDS!!!!!!!!!!"
;-)
Er, maybe not in that voice though
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“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”
- Han Solo
Considering the 3 of the main religions on earth(christianity, islam, and judaism) all treat women as second class citizens, give them no real role in said religion and force them to be ashamed of themselves for even existing it is indeed amazing at all the religion even allows sex.
seriously the only difference in their treatment of women is how much "modesty" they expect women to show.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
Considering the 3 of the main religions on earth(christianity, islam, and judaism) all treat women as second class citizens, give them no real role in said religion and force them to be ashamed of themselves for even existing it is indeed amazing at all the religion even allows sex.
seriously the only difference in their treatment of women is how much "modesty" they expect women to show.
If religion doesn't allow sex, it dies off. The goal of the religion is control - the elite priesthood have a direct hotline to god and control it's practioners including their sexuality. Degrading women and controling who they procreate with while simultaneously making them feel like shit about getting any pleasure from the act or for that matter having boobs and arse and a cunt is just one of the many charming modus operandi used. It's not like men are allowed to fuck who they want with impunity either, but since the women have the babies he who controls the pussy controls the population..
The difference here is that the vast majority of those people are aware that the characters and workings of that world are fictional.
I don't really see a problem with someone being inspired by fiction, be it Naruto or Charles Dickens or Jesus for that matter, just as long as they don't try to impose it on others and seek privileged status.
Interestingly to me, Quakers (who call one another "Friend") do sometimes use the term as a kind of passive aggression as you do here.
The short answer is that I can and do deny that reincarnation is fundamental to Buddhism. Fundamental to Buddhism is that by right thinking and right practices we can be freed from our illusions about the world, and when we become free we see that there is no afterlife and no reincarnation, and can therefore be free of suffering. I think you are confusing certain versions of Buddhism with the teachings of the Buddha. The exact same with Christianity: You can be a fundamentalist as, sadly, so many Americans seem to be, and absorb the whole mythos and optionally the post-Roman accretions or the Protestant obsessions with complicated sin and justification. Or you can believe that Jesus was a great prophet and that his teachings can be the basis of an ethical belief system that helps people to live well - which fits the world picture of a lot of Episcopalians, Unitarians and Quakers.
As (as I note above) a Quaker and a Zen Buddhist, I think your thinking is in exactly the silo that led to that observation "The Arhats are like a dirty lavatory". You think that the accidental is fundamental.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
The title should read: "Profile of a Real-Life Make-Believe Jedi Academy".
Compare this to the make-believe real-life Jedi Academy portrayed in the prequel movies. Getting the order of the adjectives right makes a big difference.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Considering the 3 of the main religions on earth(christianity, islam, and judaism)
Whoa! Dude your facts are a bit off. Judaism doesn't even make the top ten!
Christianity: 2.1 billion
Islam: 1.5 billion
Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.1 billion
Hinduism: 900 million
Chinese traditional religion: 394 million
Buddhism: 376 million
primal-indigenous: 300 million
African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 million
Sikhism: 23 million
Juche: 19 million
Spiritism: 15 million
Judaism: 14 million
from adherents.com
-- QED
The plural of "Jedi" is "Jedi," not "Jedis."
Thank you.
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I just looked up "SCA heavy fighting". Jesus tittyfucking Christ there are some nutjobs in the world.
It puts this story of fellow retards into a bit of perspective though. If I'd read about it in a book by Neil Stephenson, I would have admired the bold satire, never dreaming it could actually be true.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Not only that, some of the fighters in the SCA are very interested in studying historical swordplay. I have friends in Caid (southern California) who have been studying unarmored combat from historical manuals -- the style is very different from what's historically accurate technique for fighting in heavy armor. (Which, contrary to what one might expect, mainly was a lot of grapping in order to secure an opportunity to pierce the unarmored or weakly armored portions of the enemy's coverage -- armpits, groins, necks, etc.)
Pretty cool stuff if you're interested in historical fighting.