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MTFBWY (May the force be with you). I’ll take one please; by the way, what does this force do?
From a physics perspective force is explained as that which acts to repel or attract. And, if I understand it correctly, Yoda explains force as something that is all around us and binds us. And, once the mind comprehends and accepts it, this force can be used to both repel and attract.
Yoda’s description makes it sound a bit Buddhist, doesn’t it?
We can look at force from different fields of study, but, to me, they all lead to the same ancient Buddhist conclusions – that everything is a result of causes and conditions, and everything is interconnected both in time and space. Can we write this as an equation or mathematical proof? No. But when we look at the cosmos from Buddhist teachings, it is hard to explain it differently.
In the Empire Strikes Back, Yoda explains to Luke Skywalker to use the force by saying “You must unlearn what you have learned.” When Luke says “OK, I’ll give it a try” Yoda corrects him by saying “No. Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
“…unlearn what you have learned” just goes against the grain when taken out of context, but isn’t there a truth in this? Why do we have such a hard time to unlearn and entrust in what will give us greater peace of mind? The Dharma gives us, in very simple language, what it takes to reduce if not eliminate our dukkha (suffering) in this life. But we have a hard time accepting and doing it. We really don’t have anything to try. In our deepest being we know the teaching is real and it will work. If you have read to this point, you too are searching, seeking, but why do we find it so hard?
Why don’t we just go for it with open hearts and open minds cleared of attachments, demands and ignorance? In a way we are like a horse in a race that has blinders put on to prevent from focusing on anything but straight ahead.
My blinders, or ego, are quite happy having its biases, misinformation, and concocted memory to suit my belief biases. Do I really and truly believe that I am the only one who sees the world as it is? That those who hold opposing views are wrong because they don’t have the real facts, the real knowledge to make the brilliant, informed decisions that I and those who think like me can make?
The teachings of the Buddha and the embrace by Amida Buddha, to never be let go of these are all fine we say, and we try. But we still attract that which we say we don’t want, and we still repel that which we say we want. Perhaps putting aside ‘try’ and just entrusting in this force with an open heart and no trying may be a way…
Namo Amida Butsu
In gassho
Rev. Anita
rev.anit.cbt@outlook.com
*The ABCs of Physics by Edwin F. Meyer, Gedanken Publishing, Berea, 2021
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