Click links below for copies of Eli's Star Wars Dharma discussion presented at Wesleyan June 5th, 2005. Star Wars and Buddhism | Yoda's Revelation About Duality | Jedi vs. Sith | "The brighter his light, the darker their shadow. How could one win a war against the Dark when war itself had become the Dark Side's weapon. He knew at that instant, this insight held the hope of the galaxy." --- Yoda in the Novel Star Wars Episode III, Revenge of the Sith The story of the hero's journey, or mono myth, as it was called by Joseph Campbell, transcends race, economics, culture and religion. As a universal, it taps into the deepest longings of our primordial being. Theaters facilitate this in darkness where a projector's light flickers on the screen much like the faces of our ancestors in the light of a campfire during story telling sessions. One of the most memorable stories told in the 20th, and 21st centuries is the Star Wars saga. This movie had panoramic appeal from the very beginning and drew diverse masses of people into theater-temples for a profoundly sacred experience. The most interesting aspect of this cultural phenomena was that, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and Muslims found in Star Wars, a spiritual language that could connect their tradition to a younger generation of religiously illiterate people. In his Dharma discussion, Eli Williamson-Jones presents a universalist vision of Star Wars, puts it in context of Buddhism and shows the striking parallels to the teachings of the Jedi Knights, particularly the most famous, Master Yoda. This Dharma discussion concludes by divulging the revelation concerning the war between the light and dark side, that came to Yoda in Revenge of the Sith and why it sent him to a lonely planet to live in seclusion for the remainder of his life. The books used for this talk are; The Dharma of Star Wars by Matthew Bortolin, Peace Knights of the Soul: Wisdom in Star Wars by Jon Snodgrass and Jedi Shinshu by Frederick Brenion.