- Joined
- Nov 27, 2005
- Messages
- 67,946
- Reaction score
- 3,859
- Staff
- #1
Jhon Cordatus
The Jedi Ronin
"Some journeys were never meant to end."
The Jedi Ronin
"Some journeys were never meant to end."
NAME: Jhon Cordatus
FACTION: New Jedi Order (loosely affiliated)
PREVIOUS RANKS: Jedi Master, Sage Master, Grand Master
SPECIES: Human
AGE: 66 (born 957 ABY)
HEIGHT: 1.87 meters
HAIR: Grey (previously brown)
EYES: Brown
There's a collective memory etched inside all of us.
We see stars beginning to poke out over an ancient desert, becoming like spectators in the madness of twilight, when savages began to roam and only the foolish remained outdoors. The iconic desert was a treacherous and seemingly endless place, infested with all manner of wretched and unfathomable creatures. Even now, their roars and screeches were starting to be heard.
But there was a beauty as well. Two luminous suns slowly began to set beneath the far horizon, beyond the distant mountains of the Dune Sea, carrying with them the radiant light of the day's end. They brought with them a display of vivid colors; vibrant yellow, intense orange, majestic purple, and all manner of blue hues, all of them melting together as they sought to illuminate the sky one last time before it all sank beyond the eye could see.
What we remember most of all is the young boy playing in the sands, just outside the home of his aunt and uncle, gazing into that far horizon and wondering what adventures were out there waiting for him. His aunt and uncle were protective of him, never telling him about the dark corners of the cosmos where his father now lurked.
One man knew the truth. All of it. Cloaked in a brown robe, only his greying-orange beard poking out from beneath the shadows of his hood, this man kept watch. Every night. From beyond the great ocean of sand, he made the pilgrimage every day just to catch a sight of that young boy for whom so much trust would be given. From whom a great burden would be asked. The man called that boy the Son of the Suns, the inheritor of a great curse and the forebear of an even greater destiny. Nothing saddened the man more than knowing what that boy would have to do.
I have never felt a stronger kinship with anyone than I do with Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man in the desert.
Am I Kenobi? No, not even close. He handled his lot with grace and care, whereas I have been petty and selfish. But he must have felt the desire to give in to the same emotions. I am what Kenobi could have been, how he could have teetered on the edge all in the name of something good. Such was always the dark path. It was the path that boy had to walk as well.
That boy is why I feel a connection. It is his descendent that I now protect. It's that girl for whom a great burden will be asked. She does not know the truth, I have made sure of that. But now it becomes harder to keep it from her. No longer is she a girl, but a young woman on the threshold of destiny. Sometimes I feel like my hold on sanity is slipping as I try to protect her. All I want is to make sure that, whatever her destiny may be, she is safe and happy. To do that, I have made great personal sacrifices, and the cost could be grim. Will I be like the great Jedi Masters who taught the Son of the Suns, or will I be like his father, slipping into the darkness on the promise of good intentions?
May the Force protect you if we ever learn the answer to that question.
Role-Plays
Pre-time skip threads (1,011 - 1,013 ABY ):
Ill Tidings
A Riddle in Time
Vision of War
Right Conduct
Love...Honor...Obey
Hands of Healing
The Philosopher's Student
Judgement
Stranger in a Strange Land
Trial by Fire
What Is and What Should Never Be
Declaration of War
Right Livelihood
Return of an Exile: Part II
Upon Return from Battle
Facing Judgement: A Story of Repentance
Lusting in Their Shadow
Return to Serenity
What They Died For
Here, In Here
A New Beginning
Tears of the Angels
Where Flowers Bloom, So Does Hope
When Man Faces Destiny
Memories of Obi-Wan
The Road to Ever After
A Matter of Principle
In the Steps of Bhikkhu Bo
Memories of Anakin
The Good That Men Do
Losing My Religion
The Crisis of Kara Vaalki
The Days That Are No More
Unlikely Meeting
Shattered (vision, not really him; appears only in Skhai Baatch's mind)
The Road Back Home
The First Refuge of the Incompetent
Secrets of Tython
Legacy of Tython: In Andraste's Shadow
Duel of Redemption
There is Another
The Battle of Coruscant -- The Jedi Temple: Archive Mainframe
Back on the Road to Ever After
Post-time skip threads (1,023 ABY - ):
New Beginnings
The Desert's Test
Dude, Where's My Dad?
The Jedi Padawan
Letting Go
The Final Goodbye
The Crisis of Jhon Cordatus
Jhon Cordatus
[FONT=&]—[/FONT][FONT=&]—[/FONT]Keeper of the Way[FONT=&]—[/FONT][FONT=&]—[/FONT]
[FONT=&]—[/FONT][FONT=&]—[/FONT]Keeper of the Way[FONT=&]—[/FONT][FONT=&]—[/FONT]
"The ways of the Living Force are beyond our understanding... But fear not. You are in
the hands of something much greater and much better than you can imagine."
[FONT=&]—Qui-Gon Jinn, a Master of the Old Jedi[/FONT]
the hands of something much greater and much better than you can imagine."
[FONT=&]—Qui-Gon Jinn, a Master of the Old Jedi[/FONT]
NAME: Jhon Cordatus
FACTION: New Jedi Order
RANK: Jedi Master
TEMPLE: Jedi Temple on Tython
SPECIES: Human
AGE: 56 (born 957 ABY)
HEIGHT: 1.87 meters
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Brown
FACTION: New Jedi Order
RANK: Jedi Master
TEMPLE: Jedi Temple on Tython
SPECIES: Human
AGE: 56 (born 957 ABY)
HEIGHT: 1.87 meters
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Brown
Greetings, young one. I am Master Jhon Cordatus, the Grand Master of the New Jedi Order and a member of the Jedi High Council. Even as Grand Master, I will be one of your instructors here as you train to become a Jedi Knight, helping you familiarize yourself with the powers of the Force. I will also help those specially tuned to its powers learn the ways of healers, seers, and prophets.
As the former Sage Master of the New Jedi Order, I am a lead Force master and instructor. In accordance with my former duties, I am versed in the arts of healing, and I am a lead Jedi Seer and Jedi Prophet. Along with leading the Jedi, my role on the Council is and always has been that of all other Councilors, but I have also spent the last decade as the Council's master of visions and interpretations. While I am not the Sage Master anymore, it is still my duty to help interpret cryptic Force dreams and visions to the Jedi Council.
It is imperative to me that you, as one of my likely future students, know more about me, as there should be no secrets in the life of a Jedi. I have thus provided a short biographical entry for you to familiarize yourself with who I am, although I am somewhat uncomfortable speaking about myself in such a manner. That said, I hope to get to know you as well. Until then, may the Force be with you.
Biography
I was born fifty-four years ago in 957th year after the legendary Battle of Yavin, when the founder of our order, Luke Skywalker, destroyed the first of the two horrifying Death Stars above the Rebel Alliance base on Yavin IV. I was born into a Jedi family in the halls of the Jedi Temple on Tython. My parents were both Jedi Padawans at the time, only nineteen years of age, but their love and guidance would serve me well for the rest of my days. They later became Jedi Masters, now assigned to the temple on Coruscant.
From a young age, I showed an aptitude for the reception and understanding of visions and dreams as related to me by the Force, giving me the unique ability to detect currents in time that could lead to any number of possible futures—as well as happenings in the present. In addition, I proved to display a great affinity for the powers and philosophies of the Force, but less so for lightsaber combat.
My parents hoped this would put me onto the path of becoming a sage, the wisest of all the Jedi, but that was not a hope I shared at the time. Indeed, my own shortcomings once directed me down a path much different than the one I have found myself leading today.
There were a number of different masters that could have chosen me to become their Padawan, but I requested that the Jedi Council allow me to serve under a Jedi Guardian, a great warrior, one who could teach me to become a powerful force in the art of lightsaber combat. I wanted use my abilities to sense the currents of the Force in battle against potential enemies of the Jedi and the Galactic Alliance.
"Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh! A Jedi craves not these things."
—Yoda, Grand Master of the Old Jedi
—Yoda, Grand Master of the Old Jedi
Although the Council expressed reservations about a wide-eyed boy of eleven having a strong desire to be trained in Jedi combat, they acquiesced to my wishes on the condition that I be placed under the tutelage of a more moderate, less-combat oriented master who had strong skills with a lightsaber. This was Master Jayda Hal, a Zabrak and a great Jedi Knight.
Throughout our years training together, she taught me how to hone my skills with a lightsaber. Above all, she taught me the importance of knowing that a Jedi’s strength does not come through knowing how to slice through enemies on the battlefield, but through the strength of their character and the convictions with which they wield the blade of a Jedi. At the time, I believed that I had sufficiently learned the lessons she taught me, but I would later learn that this was only a half-truth. I heard what she would tell me, but fully grasping it and understanding it was another matter entirely.
When I was twenty years old, Jayda agreed that I was prepared to face the Jedi Trials. I was reluctant, filled with doubts and fears about my own capabilities as a Jedi, but she assured me that my time had come. She promised me that I was ready to become a great Jedi Knight, that I was a wise man and a capable Jedi who would go on to lead a fulfilling life within the Order. Indeed, I passed my trials, and the Council bestowed upon me the rank of Jedi Knight in a ceremony where I was surrounded by Jayda, my parents, and all the Jedi Councilors, every one of whom had put their faith into me.
That faith would soon crash down all around me.
In 981 ABY, four years after becoming a Jedi Knight, tensions flared between two planets within Imperial jurisdiction. The Alliance and the Jedi were still allied with the Empire at that point, being that it was prior to the Sith takeover, and the Alliance requested that the Jedi send a small group to assist the Imperial forces dealing with the matter.
The conflict was between two planets whose relations with one another had deteriorated over the previous decade. The stronger of the two worlds, Ardos, captured the Princess of Oro Prime and held her hostage in exchange for a litany of demands, including the de-commissioning of the Oro Prime planetary militia—which the Ardosians incorrectly believed was planning to mount an attack on Ardos.
Although the Jedi and the Alliance expressed reservations, they agreed to assist in an operation led by a small Imperial strike team aimed at rescuing the princess—a mission that I eagerly volunteered for, ready to hone my combat skills against a real opponent rather than simulations or training duels.
We infiltrated the compound where the princess was hidden shortly after midnight, taking advantage of the darker times of the night. The Imperial operatives had once been stationed at the facility, so they were able to easily break through the defenses. In the end, however, we were discovered, and a firefight ensued, forcing me and the rest of the Jedi to move to the front line of the operation in order to protect the Imperial operatives.
The objectives for the mission were split between the group as we were ambushed, and I was sent to find the princess. I rushed off, knowing that this was it. This was my moment, one where I would become a hero amongst both the people of Oro Prime and the Jedi. I rushed in to where the princess was being held, cutting down guard after guard, and I finally did rescue her. That, however, was not my test, no matter how much I thought it was.
"The true weapon is the lightsaber of wisdom,
which cuts the bonds of ignorance from our mind."
—"The Dharma of Star Wars"
by Matthew Bortolin
which cuts the bonds of ignorance from our mind."
—"The Dharma of Star Wars"
by Matthew Bortolin
My success in finding the princess bred in me two of the worst qualities that can befall anyone: over-confidence and pride, the most damning of all the sins. I became more aggressive in fighting against those who were attacking us, and I made the mistake of becoming too aggressive. In a display meant to impress the princess, I threw my lightsaber, intending to have it boomerang back, at a group of Ardosian forces, cutting through them—as well as the facility’s power generator that stood behind them.
Within moments a meltdown was occurring in the facility, prompting everyone to evacuate, but there was not enough time to warn the surrounding population. The facility exploded and, while the team was able to evacuate and the princess was safe, it killed hundreds of innocent civilians nearby and injured thousands more.
Ardos declared war on Oro Prime, believing that it was a deliberate attack by their enemy to create mass destruction on Ardos. The Imperial military was forced to step in and end the conflict, but not before the war claimed the life of the very princess I had tried to save, who died at the hands of an enemy soldier who brutally slit her throat out of spite.
The Jedi Council placed me under arrest for my actions. I wallowed in my guilt, always feeling the disturbance that echoed through the Force after every death that resulted from my actions. The High Council nearly exiled me from the Order, and they would have been right to do so, but instead it was only a temporary exile of one year, where I would spend time in a mine operated by the AgriCorps.
My failure on Ardos brought into perspective my true failure: my inability to grasp what my master had told me during my training. I had to learn, in the most painful and destructive way possible, that the strength of a Jedi came not from combat but from the strength of character and conviction.
All that went through my mind during my exile was self-doubt and self-pity. I considered leaving the Order completely, resigning myself from the life of a Jedi and hiding from the rest of the galaxy where I could never hurt anyone again. I became fearful of my future, angry at my past, and I grew to hate what I was becoming. All I did was suffer through my own self-punishment.
When my exile ended, I finally forced myself out of the self-punishing daze I had been in for far too long. I knew, deep down the whole time, that such thoughts would only bring me closer to the darkness that brought me there to begin with, so I had to turn away.
I came to accept the fact that a Jedi’s life is one continuous mistake. This is not to cast mistakes in a negative light, however, nor to forsake responsibility for my actions. We cannot learn to improve ourselves without recognizing our own faults and failures. I would have much preferred to recognize my own without them leading to the deaths of countless innocents, but that was not what the Force had in mind for me. The lifelong cycle of mistakes is a lifelong process of learning, and when I was able to accept that I was able to put myself onto my true path in life, the one I should have taken from the beginning rather than forsaking it to become a warrior.
The path of a seer, a prophet, and a sage opened up to me again. My desire to find combat led me to force the visions and dreams I once had as a child into the back of my mind, lost in a sea of memories better left forgotten—until I walked that path again. I trained under a new master, Sage Master and Jedi Councilor Errand Khoss, in the Sage Halls of Empress Teta, learning to channel my raw abilities into more detailed and accurate interpretations of visions and dreams.
As I moved further into my training with Master Khoss, he suggested that I also study in the Hall of Healing. It was there that the Jedi Healers were based out of it, and where all healers were trained. At the time, I was still looking for a way to forgive myself for the tragedy on Ardos, and I believed that this could be a means in which to accomplish that. Khoss also believed that, as he held a strong faith in the notion of redemption and the importance of self-forgiveness in leading to redemption. Above all, however, I knew I had to make the decision selflessly, for, if I did, forgiveness would follow. I ultimately chose to train as a healer under Khoss and his best healers, and self-forgiveness did indeed follow.
At the age of 37, after a number of years training under Master Khoss and his fellow sage and healing masters, I was elevated to the level of Jedi Master and officially became a teacher in the Sage Halls. Khoss took a liking to my style of teaching, and he felt that my repentance for the events at Ardos and my self-transformation made me a good fit for working directly with him in the administration of the temple on Empress Teta. I continued to teach classes and train the occasional student one-on-one, as well as oversee a number of healing trainees in the Hall of Healers.
In 999 ABY, Master Khoss fell ill and passed away of natural causes, younger than most Jedi would have. Prior to his death, he requested that his fellow Jedi Council members choose me as his successor, despite my limited time as a Jedi Master. The Jedi Council, still wary over my previous record prior to studying under Khoss, opted to pass and chose another Jedi Master, Bratak Dar, to fill the role of Sage Master.
I felt no hard feelings towards Bratak, as he was a very capable Jedi Councilor and I fully understood the Council’s reservations about me. We worked together for a few years, until 1,002 ABY. Bratak was sent on assignment in Imperial Space, aiding Imperial forces on a delicate assignment...and he was never heard from again. Routine correspondences to the Council stopped, and no trace of him could be found.
It was then that I began to have intense visions and dreams, so intense that I could not sort through them or understand what was happening. These were accompanied by a massive shift in the Force, creating disturbances so profound that no Jedi could understand what was happening. I became withdrawn, but purposefully so, in order to meditate on what was happening. I reached all through the Force, trying to find what it was that was causing so much pain to so many Jedi.
And then I found it. I found the unthinkable.
The Sith had returned, and the Empire was under their control.
Returning from my self-imposed withdrawal, I immediately requested an audience with the Jedi Council on Tython, where I reported to them what I had discovered in my interpretation of the visions I had seen—along with the deduction that Bratak had been killed by the Sith in Imperial territory. The Prime Envoy of the Order brought the matter to the attention of the Galactic Congress, and the Chief of State secretly ordered operatives into Imperial territory to discover if my assessment was correct.
To my horror, it was.
The Council, in what a not-so-humble version of me would call their infinite wisdom, chose me to become the new Sage Master after failing to find Bratak. I accepted the calling with a sense of humility, respecting the two great Jedi who had come before me and all the Jedi who served before them. My role as a Jedi Councilor and Sage Master placed me in charge of the Sage Halls of Empress Teta, where I oversaw all training and matters related to seers, prophets, and sages, as well as the Hall of Healing. I also became the chief interpreter of visions and dreams in the New Jedi Order.
I served as the Sage Master for nine years, and I was even the acting Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance for a number of weeks. Now, with the deaths of three Councilors and the departure of Grand Master Lecchamemnon, I have become the Grand Master of the New Jedi Order.
The galaxy is in a state of war. I am not one to hope I am ready to help face this threat or doubt my ability to do so, for I buried such emotions long ago. My hope is to train and guide Jedi, like you, to be able to face this threat head on and once again save the galaxy from the terror of the Sith Lords.
Personality
"Wisdom exists when you understand something and recognize
that you understand it, and when you do not understand
something and you recognize that you do not understand it.
That is wisdom."
that you understand it, and when you do not understand
something and you recognize that you do not understand it.
That is wisdom."
—"The Dharma of Star Wars"
by Matthew Bortolin
by Matthew Bortolin
Although I have given you an insight into the events of my past, I do not feel I am qualified to give you an appropriate overview of my own personality. That is for those specialized in such fields to discuss with you. Instead, I find it important you know about the basic philosophical outlook that guides my life, an outlook that developed only after the battle on Ardos and the end of my exile.
In the Way of the Jedi, this philosophy is called the Eightfold Path to Transcend the Dark Side. These are the most important principles in my entire life and they form the basis of everything that will teach you. I could have fallen to the dark side of the Force, even after my punishment ended, over the guilt I felt, but this philosophy helped me cease straying from the light and embrace the noble truths of the Force.
What I will impart upon you when I teach you this philosophy is that while it is always important to be mindful of philosophy, it is difficult to truly know and embrace it unless you have walked the path that would take you away from the light. A Jedi can teach you about philosophy, but that Jedi cannot truly impart upon you the wisdom it requires without the experience to back it up.
Learn these precepts well, for if you do not understand the philosophies of the Force, then you have no business wielding it.
The simplest explanation for Right Speech is that it is the abstention from lying or becoming verbally divisive or abusive. One who speaks the truth can be trusted not to deceive you. He can be seen as a firm guide in the murky waters of life, one who will not steer you off course with an agenda.
Divisiveness turns the galaxy on its head. A Jedi exists as a guardian of peace and justice and should never be an instrument with which people are torn away from one another. One must be the opposite of divisive, bring together those who have broken apart, and ensure the survival of unity where it already exists.
To use your right to speak freely in a manner that abuses another life is to embrace the dark path, for such words come from a place of anger and hatred. A Jedi should sooth such emotions in all beings and speak only from a place of affection and love for all.
A Jedi is to conduct themselves with only the most upright and moral of actions. Such a concept means nothing to one who walks in darkness, but a student of the light knows that there is an inherent morality in all life, a light that shines out from the universe that speaks to us in ways that we can only hope to truly understand.
To take a life is to take away part of your own. A Jedi should never kill, unless in the gravest circumstances of self-defense and defense of others. Whatever choice you make in such a situation, understand the full weight of your actions. Be mindful of your reasons, and understand why you did it and move forward. Self-doubt can corrupt even the strongest of souls.
If there is no doubt and no fear in your actions, in your heart you know you took a life to preserve life, and you can carry the burden it entails, then and only then are you ready to even contemplate whether taking a life is necessary.
But beware anger, fear, and aggression, for they are the dark side. The road to darkness is a journey, not a light switch, but, once you start down the dark path, it will forever dominate your destiny.
We are a peaceful and monastic Order of beings who live to serve not ourselves, but the well-being and integrity of every life form in this galaxy, be it Ewok or Gungan, Jedi or Sith. A Jedi does not exist to inflict harm upon others or for personal gain. Your life is not to be used for purposes that result in the harm of others. You abandon a dishonest and immoral life for the sake of all life.
The life of a Jedi is a difficult one. It is a life of selflessness that gives up the base dark desires of a galaxy of pleasure and greed. As with anything in life, you get what you put into it. Only you can put in the effort to be a true Jedi and the practice the Way in as pure a manner as possible.
Allow into your life only what is useful to you in your quest to help others. Do not think about how hard it might be or how tired you are growing, for these are the path to forsaking all that you hold dear as a Jedi.
Unlike the Jedi of old, however, the New Jedi Order is not one where you have strict rules to follow. There are no vague Codes by which you are required to live your life. What I am telling you now is the philosophy behind a life, not rules by which you are absolutely forced to live.
There is no true answer about how best to follow these precepts. If you find yourself able to simply just sit, mindful and free of thought and burden, then you know you are on to something. Just remember to prevent the darkness that has yet to take hold of you, let go of the darkness already in your heart, embrace the inherent goodness that is within you and keep hold of it forever.
Never lose sight of that which affects your body and spirit. Remain aware and deliberate, and ensure that you do not act or speak due to forgetfulness or a lack of attention. Your focus determines your reality. Be mindful of the Living Force.
Remain focused on your body and ignore any desire to find bodily pleasure out of greed. Stay ever vigilant of your feelings; stretch out with them and embrace them, but control them before they control you.
When you see a dangerous or delicate situation arise and you feel you must step in, first remain a detached observer. Contemplate. Be alert and mindful of what is happening around you so you can understand the situation. Ignore all judgments.
Stay mindful of these happenings and you can learn to become dispassionate to conflicting and competing interests. You can remain aloof of your desires and enjoy the bliss of service unto others, serving only truth, peace, and justice. The only interest you need worry about is the well being of life.
A Jedi is to walk the path of self-awakening and liberation from the evils of the dark side. Understand the light and the dark. Recognize where each stands in relation to one another and what the goal of each is. Is your life one of preservation or destruction?
Renounce that which only serves your interests. Embrace what serves all life. Commit yourself to the Way not for your own gain, but to walk the path of a Jedi in good will and harmlessness towards others.
The power of a Jedi flows from the Force, but his strength comes from within. It comes through understanding the universe around him, of being compassionate and directing that compassion for the benefit of all beings. Once you can understand that, you can understand anything.
Understand that these precepts are not rules. They are guide posts meant to help you navigate the darkness. When you have to keep holding yourself to the words and rules of another who tells you that you must in order to hold yourself higher, then that is petty. That is not being true to yourself, for if you were you would just be able to live naturally within these precepts. You live them through your conduct and what you know to be right, not through adherence.
In the Way of the Jedi, this philosophy is called the Eightfold Path to Transcend the Dark Side. These are the most important principles in my entire life and they form the basis of everything that will teach you. I could have fallen to the dark side of the Force, even after my punishment ended, over the guilt I felt, but this philosophy helped me cease straying from the light and embrace the noble truths of the Force.
What I will impart upon you when I teach you this philosophy is that while it is always important to be mindful of philosophy, it is difficult to truly know and embrace it unless you have walked the path that would take you away from the light. A Jedi can teach you about philosophy, but that Jedi cannot truly impart upon you the wisdom it requires without the experience to back it up.
Learn these precepts well, for if you do not understand the philosophies of the Force, then you have no business wielding it.
Right Speech
The simplest explanation for Right Speech is that it is the abstention from lying or becoming verbally divisive or abusive. One who speaks the truth can be trusted not to deceive you. He can be seen as a firm guide in the murky waters of life, one who will not steer you off course with an agenda.
Divisiveness turns the galaxy on its head. A Jedi exists as a guardian of peace and justice and should never be an instrument with which people are torn away from one another. One must be the opposite of divisive, bring together those who have broken apart, and ensure the survival of unity where it already exists.
To use your right to speak freely in a manner that abuses another life is to embrace the dark path, for such words come from a place of anger and hatred. A Jedi should sooth such emotions in all beings and speak only from a place of affection and love for all.
Right Conduct
A Jedi is to conduct themselves with only the most upright and moral of actions. Such a concept means nothing to one who walks in darkness, but a student of the light knows that there is an inherent morality in all life, a light that shines out from the universe that speaks to us in ways that we can only hope to truly understand.
To take a life is to take away part of your own. A Jedi should never kill, unless in the gravest circumstances of self-defense and defense of others. Whatever choice you make in such a situation, understand the full weight of your actions. Be mindful of your reasons, and understand why you did it and move forward. Self-doubt can corrupt even the strongest of souls.
If there is no doubt and no fear in your actions, in your heart you know you took a life to preserve life, and you can carry the burden it entails, then and only then are you ready to even contemplate whether taking a life is necessary.
But beware anger, fear, and aggression, for they are the dark side. The road to darkness is a journey, not a light switch, but, once you start down the dark path, it will forever dominate your destiny.
Right Livelihood
We are a peaceful and monastic Order of beings who live to serve not ourselves, but the well-being and integrity of every life form in this galaxy, be it Ewok or Gungan, Jedi or Sith. A Jedi does not exist to inflict harm upon others or for personal gain. Your life is not to be used for purposes that result in the harm of others. You abandon a dishonest and immoral life for the sake of all life.
Right Effort
The life of a Jedi is a difficult one. It is a life of selflessness that gives up the base dark desires of a galaxy of pleasure and greed. As with anything in life, you get what you put into it. Only you can put in the effort to be a true Jedi and the practice the Way in as pure a manner as possible.
Allow into your life only what is useful to you in your quest to help others. Do not think about how hard it might be or how tired you are growing, for these are the path to forsaking all that you hold dear as a Jedi.
Unlike the Jedi of old, however, the New Jedi Order is not one where you have strict rules to follow. There are no vague Codes by which you are required to live your life. What I am telling you now is the philosophy behind a life, not rules by which you are absolutely forced to live.
There is no true answer about how best to follow these precepts. If you find yourself able to simply just sit, mindful and free of thought and burden, then you know you are on to something. Just remember to prevent the darkness that has yet to take hold of you, let go of the darkness already in your heart, embrace the inherent goodness that is within you and keep hold of it forever.
Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration
Never lose sight of that which affects your body and spirit. Remain aware and deliberate, and ensure that you do not act or speak due to forgetfulness or a lack of attention. Your focus determines your reality. Be mindful of the Living Force.
Remain focused on your body and ignore any desire to find bodily pleasure out of greed. Stay ever vigilant of your feelings; stretch out with them and embrace them, but control them before they control you.
When you see a dangerous or delicate situation arise and you feel you must step in, first remain a detached observer. Contemplate. Be alert and mindful of what is happening around you so you can understand the situation. Ignore all judgments.
Stay mindful of these happenings and you can learn to become dispassionate to conflicting and competing interests. You can remain aloof of your desires and enjoy the bliss of service unto others, serving only truth, peace, and justice. The only interest you need worry about is the well being of life.
Right Intention
A Jedi is to walk the path of self-awakening and liberation from the evils of the dark side. Understand the light and the dark. Recognize where each stands in relation to one another and what the goal of each is. Is your life one of preservation or destruction?
Renounce that which only serves your interests. Embrace what serves all life. Commit yourself to the Way not for your own gain, but to walk the path of a Jedi in good will and harmlessness towards others.
Right Understanding
The power of a Jedi flows from the Force, but his strength comes from within. It comes through understanding the universe around him, of being compassionate and directing that compassion for the benefit of all beings. Once you can understand that, you can understand anything.
Understand that these precepts are not rules. They are guide posts meant to help you navigate the darkness. When you have to keep holding yourself to the words and rules of another who tells you that you must in order to hold yourself higher, then that is petty. That is not being true to yourself, for if you were you would just be able to live naturally within these precepts. You live them through your conduct and what you know to be right, not through adherence.
Strengths and Weaknesses
"To study the Jedi way is to study the self.
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be enlightened by the Force."
—Luke Skywalker, first new Grand Master
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be enlightened by the Force."
—Luke Skywalker, first new Grand Master
As the Grand Master, I am considered by my peers to be the foremost master of the Force in the New Jedi Order. On occasion, I receive visions and dreams that I report on to the Council. Often they mean very little, nothing more than a mere omen or a sign of things to come that can be very difficult to act upon. Visions are almost always vague, and are not what one might expect—I do not receive visions with exact details of who, what, where, when, why, and how. If the Force was as cut and dry as that simplistic view, perhaps all of the atrocities this galaxy has seen could have been avoided.
Ever since my failure to save the princess, I wanted to find a way to stave off the cold hands of death, so to that end I immersed myself in the teachings of some of the greatest healers the Jedi had to offer. When I became Sage Master, that brought with it the responsibility of being the Chief Healer and, as a result, the head of the Hall of Healing. I do not profess to being the greatest healer the Jedi have ever known or even now currently know, but I do provide what I hope is the best care I can.
Becoming a sage had its advantages in terms of hoping to master the powers of the Force, but this did bring with it some disadvantages. I am not a frequent practitioner with a lightsaber, so, while I have been trained in its arts and remember much of my training, I am somewhat out of practice. A more seasoned opponent might find themselves with an advantage over me in the art of a lightsaber.
My greatest flaw is the flaw of all beings: myself. This is not a means of skirting having to tell you about other weaknesses, or a clever distraction to avoid having to think of others. This is an important philosophical lesson that I want to impress upon you before we even begin training together. I once suffered from self-pride, and it ended in the death of others. Such thoughts devour the essence of a Jedi, and this is a complex that needs to be fiercely guarded against—even I must ensure that I do not fall prey to it again.
Think back in history. Ask yourselves, who were the greatest Jedi and why? The greatest Jedi of our post-Palpatine era is arguably Luke Skywalker. Is he the greatest of all the Jedi because he destroyed the Death Star or because he triumphed over countless armies of darkness? No. That is too easy an answer. He is the greatest of Jedi because he resisted one of the most powerful Dark Lords of the Sith of all time. He did not triumph over Palpatine over the moon of Endor, he triumphed over himself. He refused to fall to temptation and became a true Jedi, and he redeemed his father in the process using the greatest weapon of any arsenal: love.
Last edited by a moderator:
