I have a couple of true Star Wars anecdotes to share that you might find amusing.
I was once passing through airport security in a busy airport in the USA. I was actually slowly asked by an airport security guard (with a tone of wonder in his voice) âAre you a Jedi?â. I replied (in a deadpan tone of voice) âAlmostâ. It was a priceless moment.
I just spent 15 months in Sri Lanka. I made friends with one ethnic Sinhalese monk, about 30 years old. We got to talking about our childhoods (and how radically different they were), and I asked him if he had ever seen Star Wars. No, never. Well, surely he at least had heard about it. No, not at all. So he had absolutely no idea what Star Wars was. Correct. At which point I thought to myself âwhat planet is this?â Had he ever played with Lego (which was a major cornerstone of my childhood)? No. Had he seen the Lego movie? No. Had he ever seen so much as one Lego brick, ever? No. He did eventually relate how one of his favorite childhood toys was clay, which gave one a lot of creative leeway to create things, much like Lego.
So anyway, if you ever meet ethnic Sri Lankan monks, they might not get the Star Wars reference whatsoever, or if they do, they might think youâre a complete space freakazoid, what with the light saber. They can be intensely, intensely conservative, so just heads up on that.
BTW: speaking of Lego, your artwork reminds me of Cloud Koo Koo Land. Iâm venturing a guess perhaps youâve been there as a layperson. Perhaps Iâve been there myself. Note: I confess to watching the Lego movie on a long flight from the USA to Australia, about 8 hours into the flight when meditation in my economy class seat became too unbearable.
I have an artwork request: what would âCloud non-Koo Koo Landâ look like? You know, Deva realms? Perhaps with Devas and DevÄ«s floating around, or Bhikkhus and BhikkhunÄ«s with psychic powers. And furthermore, if you would like a more difficult challenge, can you please incorporate a Lego Bhikkhu or BhikkhunÄ« in your artwork? (After looking through Google images, it seems it has not been done yet).
PS: When youâre passing through airport security, never pull out your light saber, or they might freak out on you major.
Hereâs a Doodle I did about 3 weeks ago (before happening across this thread). I did this Doodle in about 7 seconds, with a black Gel pen. Do I Doodle much? Absolutely not.
This is my âartistâs conceptionâ of arahantship, which Iâm aspiring to:
When I was meant to be studying for my end of high school exams I realised I was missing something more important in my education; basic Star Wars knowledge. I put aside a whole day to study the original 3 movies. After my exams episode one came out and I fell asleep in the cinema. Thus ended my education.
I still think Yoda is pretty awesome though.
Donât ask me about LOTR. Youâll get really blank stares.
Itâs kind of an inside joke for anyone who grew up watching Dragonball Z. Iâm happy to explain further if this picture doesnât tell a thousand words.
It seems to me we are getting slightly off topic hereâŠ
I have another more topic-related question (unfortunately also proving my ignorance, but in a different field this time), concerning the doodle about the brahmaviharas: I donât know which role the conch simile is playing here. Can anyone help me out?
The Brahma Vihara should be projected to all directions (eventually) simultaneously, as per SN42.8
@sabbamitta do you practice it in this manner, or in a different way?
âThus above, below, & all around, everywhere, in its entirety, he keeps pervading the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with equanimity â abundant, expansive, immeasurable,â. SN42.8
The conch makes a loud sound that is heard everywhere simultaneously, too.
It should be ideally practiced in all postures (allways) too, as mentioned in the Metta Sutta, at least when meeting someone or at the very absolute minimum- for a moment (anytime).
Oooooooook, lets see if we can get this thread back on track. Maybe we should start a self-help thread for people with fantasy and scifi deficiency.
Thanks for sending this one, too! Turns out the Hallisay translation is much nicer than Normanâs!
Lol, this is the first time I hear of it. But thanks for broadening my horizon. Weâll see if I can come up with an idea for a deva realm. Unfortunately the general picture in the suttas of one guy with 500 ladies isnât that inspiring nowadays for either guys or girls⊠Sounds like a pretty tiresome gender imbalance.
Dwell with yourselves as your own island, with yourselves as your own refuge, with no other refuge; dwell with the Dhamma as your island, with the Dhamma as your refuge, with no other refuge.
Those bhikkhus, Änanda, either now or after I am gone, who dwell with themselves as their own island, with themselves as their own refuge, with no other refuge; with the Dhamma as their island, with the Dhamma as their refuge, with no other refugeâit is these bhikkhus, Änanda, who will be for me topmost of those keen on the training.
I put aside a whole day to study the original 3 movies. After my exams episode one came out and I fell asleep in the cinema. 
Thus ended my education.
