Sample 5
Entry [31] Dagobah 2 - Yoda's first lessons to Luke and the testing. From the entries for Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Before Luke even knows that he is in the presence of Yoda, Yoda brings him to his cave and makes dinner for him. This what Jesus was like. Yoda serves Luke first just as Jesus washed the feet of his own disciples. If anything, student Luke should serve master Yoda. A second wisdom is the simple understanding that we all have physical needs. We must eat. Yoda would probably agree with a similar hierarchy to Maslow's of security, social, ego, and finally, spiritual needs.

Yoda is not quick to tell Luke who he is, and he does not seem anxious to start Luke’s training. In Yoda’s slowness, however, the training had already begun without Luke's knowing. This is another example of the Jedi concept of time from the fourth entry in this book. In the excerpts below, the fullness of time has come for Luke to be trained.
Yoda (before Luke knows him as such) – “Why wish you become a Jedi? Hm?”

Luke – “Mostly because of my father, I guess.”

Yoda – “Ah, your father. Powerful Jedi was he, powerful Jedi, mmm.”

Luke – “Oh, come on. How could you know my father? You don’t even know who I am. Oh, I don’t know what I’m doing here. We’re wasting our time!”

Yoda (to the air) – “I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.”

Ben’s voice – “He will learn patience.”

Yoda – “Hmmm. Much anger in him, like his father.”

Ben’s voice – “Was I any different when you taught me?”
      Luke slowly realizes that this little, green creature is Yoda.

Yoda – “Hah. He is not ready.”

Luke – “Yoda! I am ready. I  …  Ben! I can be a Jedi. Ben, tell him I’m ready.”

Yoda – “Ready, are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own council will I keep on who is to be trained! A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away … to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing … .”
							Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
On Tatooine, Luke is always looking away from where he is, eager to be on to bigger and better things, hoping that his future holds more than existence as a moisture farmer. It is good that he knows he wants to go to the Academy, and it is good that he wants to join the Rebellion. Luke looking to the sunset, longing for something better is good as long as he puts his mind to the present. But he allows his dreams and longings to distract him from the tasks at hand. Luke focuses on the stars, on the romantic ideas of success, of a new life, of an exciting life, of a celebrity’s life. We are like this when we wish to have success without sacrifice. For example: never having written a book and yet overly imagining its publication instead of actually writing it. Yoda knows that Luke will not reach his goal because Luke is not focusing on how to get there. Without taking any steps, without doing well on what is right in front of him, Luke seeks success. Look how many people on TV want instant celebrity without having to work for it. This causes ugliness. Watch practically any reality TV show and you will see bad acting, bad singing, bad writing, etc. This is like the parable of the rich man’s house built on the sand. Since there is no foundation, the storm easily sweeps away the house.

In his wisdom, Yoda is not saying something mysterious, nebulous or mythical; he is simply stating a fact. Unless you keep your mind on where you are—the next step in front of you—you will never reach your ultimate goal many more steps ahead. Think of most video games where the player must beat one level, or master certain skills, before moving on to harder levels and better skills. What would happen in most video games if you jumped to a level you were not ready for? The same goes for Luke on Dagobah, as it does for us in our physical and spiritual lives. First, master the level you’re at, where you are, what you are doing.
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