You don't need to be an aficionado of the Star Wars saga to meet the iconic Master Yoda, especially for his inverted sentences, which have turned from shirt prints to memes on the web. According to experts, he usually puts the verbs after the object and the subject, putting the central idea at the beginning of the sentence.
The origin of little Master Yoda is a mystery. According to official sources, he measures 66 cm and weighs approximately 17 kg. However, size does not matter: Yoda is one of the most remarkable and powerful of the Jedi Masters, known for his enormous wisdom and for wielding the Force with remarkable dexterity, in addition to his incredible skill in light saber combat. The Force is an energy field that connects with all beings in the galaxy. According to Obi-Wan Kenobi – Jedi master and mentor to Anakin Skywalker (later known as Darth Vader) and his son Luke – “The Force is what gives the Jedi their power. It's what holds the galaxy together."
Yoda was one of the great masters of the Jedi council and trained new generations of Jedi for 800 years. His most important disciple was Luke Skywalker, who was trained to be the future of the Jedi Order. At the age of 900, Master Yoda “became one with the Force” (ie, passed away).
Despite his small (and apparently fragile) size, he was an excellent fighter and expert in acrobatic techniques. In addition to that, he was a great thinker, his philosophical teachings left the big screen and reached the general public as a way of life lessons and reflection.
Buddhism in Star Wars?
Master Yoda's phrases and lessons take us back to Buddhist teachings. There are those who make an analogy between Yoda and the Buddha himself, but there are even sources that claim that the little jedi master was inspired by a Tibetan Buddhist master. According to Buddhist scholar Alexander Berzin, on a trip to Dharamsala, India (before creating the film), George Lucas met a Buddhist named Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, who was also tutor to the Dalai Lama. Even the physiognomy of the two was very similar, especially the very wrinkled face, making him look older than he was. In addition to their physical resemblance, they had in common great wisdom, humility, and a light humor. But is this true?
Myth or truth, the fact is that there are many Buddhist teachings that can be related to the practice of yoga embedded in the saga. Among them, we can highlight detachment, the fight against fear, the search for balance and mind control.
recommended reading
This analogy between Master Yoda's lessons and Buddhism is so evident that it has become the subject of a book. The work The Star Wars Dharma, by Matthew Bortolin, analyzes the saga from the perspective of Buddhism, using history to list the teachings of Buddha.
Giving a different focus to Star Wars, the book is a way for us to find some light, exploring themes like karma, attention, suffering, transcendence, nirvana.
It is a book full of references and worth reading for fans of the series or for casual viewers. By the way, it's a great chance to watch the movies with different eyes.
Master's phrases, teachings for life
Master Yoda's most famous phrases can be applied as teachings, whether from the perspective of the Jedi Order, from the Buddhist perspective, or to all aspects of life. See (or remember, if you're a die-hard fan) some of these maxims and a reflection on each one.
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, hatred leads to suffering.”
Anger must be avoided. We need to keep in mind that some things cannot be controlled and that they are because they have to be. But anger is not one of those things, anger, yes, can be controlled, because if not tamed, it can lead to madness.
“Try not. Do or don't do. There is no attempt.”
There is no middle ground. Trying leads us to the idea that we are not going to do it, we already assume that it is not that possible. When we say "I'll try", we already leave between the lines that we have no desire to do.
“Many of the truths we have depend on our point of view.”
It's all a matter of interpretation. Things are not what they are, but how we see them. And we often use convenience for meanings.
"May the force be with you."
The iconic phrase is known even to those who have not watched a single movie. The Force is pure energy. It is the sum of opposites, forming balance. It is a similar concept to the yin-yang principle. The dark and light sides benefit from the Force.
“Death is a natural part of life. Happy be for those who transform themselves in the Force. Attachment leads to jealousy, the shadow of greed that is.”
Here is a lesson in detachment and a mention of the ephemerality of life.
Curiosities
non-existent past
Master Yoda's past is virtually non-existent. Not because he doesn't have a past, but because the author of the saga, George Lucas, himself stated that he never traced one for him. That is, it is so mysterious that it was not written.
Buddhist inspiration?
Contrary to the fact that Master Yoda was inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist master Rinpoche, Yoda's look was created by special effects makeup artist Stuart Freeborn. What can be said is that he used a mold of his own face. And the upper lip was inspired by Albert Einstein's mustache.
name choice
The Jedi Master almost called himself Buffy. But while reviewing The Empire Strikes Back drafts, Leigh Brackett (screenwriter) renamed the character Minch Yoda. However, the production considered “Minch” a somewhat stupid name, keeping only Yoda (derived from Sanskrit “Yodeah”: warrior).
the horrible wonderful voice
The person responsible for the master's movements was none other than Frazk Oz, one of the leading puppet artists in the USA. Having decided who would move the character, it was missing who would do the dubbing.
You might also like:
- Understand what Buddhism is
- Spiritual Lessons “Star Wars” Can Teach
- How can Master Yoda connect you to your spiritual side?
Frank sent a tape voicing Yoda. At first, George Lucas hated the result, but as they couldn't find another voice actor in time, they used the voice of Oz. Upon seeing the voice acting with the character in action, Lucas changed his mind and loved the result.
Language
The language spoken by Yoda is Basic Galactic, whose main characteristic is to place the verb at the end of the sentence when forming sentences.
Hawaiian Yoda?
According to a professor at the Department of Linguistics at Queen Mary University in London (England), due to the rhythm of speech and inverted sentences, Master Yoda could have been born in Hawaii. For him, the structure of Jedi speech has a lot to do with Hawaii's native languages. Of course, this is a study based on the structure of the language, and not exactly a statement about the real origin of our dear Yoda, but it is interesting and fun nonetheless.
Baby Yoda
Despite the resemblance, the super-cute being from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, affectionately nicknamed Baby Yoda, is not the Jedi Master as a child. The series takes place after Yoda's death. The creator of the series, John Favreau, assured that they are different characters, but he was confused about whether or not they are related.
Now that you've had a new perspective on Master Yoda's teachings, how about reviewing some of them and trying to practice them in your life? Undoubtedly, it will be very beneficial!
