THE SHII-CHO HOLOCRON
Archivist's Note --
These are the meditations of Jedi Master Sami-Yamu Shimoto "the Liberator," who led the Jedi during their war against the Zygerian Slave Empire. This war was as controversial as it was foretelling. For the first time in Jedi history they had not only launched a large-scale military operation, but partnered with the Republic in doing so. Many of the Jedi left the Order over this very issue, as they felt it was not their place to participate in intergalactic affairs; these same Jedi feared that by entangling themselves with the Republic, its fate would be inexorably tied to their own. If the Jedi fell, so would the Republic; if the Republic fell, so would the Jedi. Little did these Jedi know that their fears would come to light thousands of years later during the Clone Wars. It was said that after the Slave Wars, Shimoto spent an entire year on Jedha to not only meditate on the Jedi's victory, but to develop a comprehensive philosophy of the Shii-Cho martial arts as a way to give future Jedi guidelines on how to think about the Force, and utilize it - along with a lightsaber - in battle. Shimoto also believed that the Jedi Order should expand its ranks to include anyone who felt led by Force, even if they did not have a strong enough connection to it to become a Padawan. The movement that Shimoto started on Jedha eventually evolved in the religious order known as the Guardians of the Whills, and became a way of life for countless generations. Today, this Holocron is recognized as the foundational document of the Shii-Cho Temple that was rebuilt on Jedha.
Meditations on Shii-ChoI. What is called the Way of Determination is how the Force flows. The Way can be found it all things, because all things have motion. Everything is moving from something, towards something, and around something. Consider the Way by looking upon a stone - the fool believes it is still, but the wise man sees its motion. Once you feel the motion of things, you will feel the Way. This is the essence of feeling the Force. In order to embrace the Way, you must embrace the fact that all things move as One. The Way is a circular river, having no beginning, nor ending; it is eternally in motion. To use the Force is to reach your hand into this river. If you seek to manipulate this river, it will manipulate you. The present will flow into the future you see yourself in. The future will flow into the past you came from. This is the Way.
II. What is called Peace is how the Light Side flows from the Way. Before you can know Peace, you must know the Way. Peace can be found in every every art and every science, and similarly in every action and reaction. But it often eludes us, because not all things share the same ends nor means, which is why conflict exists. When we resolve to unite our means with our ends and become One with the Way, conflict can cease. Consider what Peace is by looking upon the bird, who moves with the wind - the bird is neither a slave to nor a master of the wind. To embrace Peace is to embrace absolute harmony, by accepting the Way and moving with it: seeing how you can participate in its flow, and restore balance to the Way. If you seek to disrupt Peace, then the Way will disrupt you. This is Peace.
III. What is called Passion is how the Dark Side flows from the Way. Within each of our spirits is a furnace that burns hot with emotion, this furnance is our Passion. The hotter your furnace, the faster and stronger the Way will flow. Consider the spark which lights a fire to keep you warm while camping in a forest. This same fire, if left unchecked, could consume the very forest you camp in. But we must also caution ourselves into never letting this fire grow cold, for then the Way will slow like ice and become inflexible. You can discover your true Passion by becoming One with the Way, and by stoking the flames that it sparks. To master your Passion is to become as ferocious as a storm and as gentle as a breeze. The Jedi who does this will become unstoppable. This is Passion.
IV. What we call Victory is an extension of the Way in battle, because during conflict the Way always flows towards Victory. In every conflict, eventually one side prevails. But not all who prevail are able to taste how sweet Victory is, because they do not know the taste of defeat, nor do they fully know the Way. Only when you learn how to defeat yourself, will you become Victorious. Ponder this: the greatest Victory is that which requires no battle, but those who desire Peace must prepare for war. If you are conflicted with others, there are only two paths worth traveling. The first is to make every attempt to disarm your opponent, for how can the snake deliver its poison if it has no fangs? The second is to guide your opponent to self-defeat, and to let their inner conflict consume them. This is Victory.
V. What is called the Void is the essence of the Way. The Force is in all things seen, but in the Void is all things unseen. The Void is emptiness - the negation of the Way. By reflecting on the Void, you can know that which moves against the Way. People in this galaxy look at things mistakenly, and think that what they do not understand must be the Void. Ignorance is a false void. It is bewilderment. Those who study the Way think that whatever they cannot understand in their craft is the Void. Until you realize the Void, you may think that the Way has no direction, that the Way is meaningless. But this is only from your point of view. When you abandon Peace and Passion, you will discover the meaning of the Void. True power comes from the Void, for in the Void you can direct the Way of the Force, you will become like water. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water in the teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. To be like water is to not only know the Void, but to know the essence of Shii-Cho itself. This is the Void.
