The Zen of R2-D2: Ancient Wisdom from a Galaxy Far, Far Away

In this fun guide, Bortollin (The Dharma of Star Wars), ordained member of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Zen community, divines parallels between the way of the Jedi—as exhibited in “astromech droid” R2-D2—and Zen Buddhism. Bortollin’s clever text takes the form of a dialogue among the author, C-3PO, and R2-D2, which references the style of traditional religious texts based on conversations between master and “padawan.” A self-described Star Wars nerd, Bortollin seamlessly weaves together the principles and practices of Zen (patience, persistence, connection to suffering) with the language of Star Wars and the wise bloops and bleeps of R2-D2 as he advises and calms down stressful situations. Bortollin draws many comparisons between R2-D2 and Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen, who departed from India for China to teach that scriptures were not enough for enlightenment—what was needed was direct practice. For instance, Bodhidharma taught that “looking deeply” required “actively observing” by “wholeheartedly engaging the present moment,” a state exhibited by R2-D2 when he ignores C-3P0 to fix the Millennium Falcon’s hyperdrive during an attack and selflessly carries Princess Leia’s secret message to Obi-Wan Kenobi. This delightful introduction to the tenets and traditions of Zen Buddhism will appeal to Star Wars fans. (Nov.)