Traditional Views
The Force is to be used to save lives, not to take lives.
The Force should never be used for personal gain.
Every Jedi has a voice in making decisions for the group.
The Jedi should work to support and maintain the government - but not at the expense of Jedi ideals.
If the Jedi are called upon to fight, they will defend the helpless without hatred, anger, or thoughts of revenge.
No matter whether a group be of Good or Bad intentions. It will decline when it's time has come. If one tries to keep it from going to ruin at that time, it will have an unsightly finish. If one thinks that the time has come, it is best to let it go down with good grace. Doing so, he may even cuase it to be maintained.
"It isn't my responsibility how the Knowledge is used... I was just a teacher. I just passed the knowledge along." This is a very dangerous thought for a teacher to hold... As a Jedi one needs to remember that the knowledge they pass on to others... could be used by those of ill intent in ways it should not be used... It is better to never teach others... then to teach one who will mis-use what you have passed on to them.
A Jedi's training is far different from the classroom experience, relying much more on personal instruction that emphasized a one-on-one imparting of expectations and the more informal "tricks of the trade." It is assumed that basic skills are already on the road to development, and it becomes the role of the Master to provide subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) support and guidance. It requires the stern observation of a master that educates not by carrying the student to a goal, but by leading him down the road to mastery.
A good instructor will almost willfully ignore the student and his or her improvement. And though immense progress might be made within a short period of time, the student begins to expect praise and adulation. But it is better to give modest praise and save greater accolades for much later down the line when it truly becomes clear that the student has made a full commitment to learning the art. So until then, a grunt or a frown is the student's only praise.
The Masters are profound and subtle. Their wisdom is unfathomable. There is no way to describe it; all we can describe is their appearance.
They are careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream. Alert as a warrior in enemy territory. Courteous as a guest. Fluid as melting ice. Shapable as a block of wood. Receptive as a valley. Clear as a glass of water.
The Potentium Heresy
As Jedi learn more about the Force, they frequently form their own theories about how and why it works. They question how, if the Force creates and sustains life, it can have a dark side. Some arrive at the conclusion that the Force is not divided into dark and light - that there is only the Force, and that it's energy is inherently postive, despite the use to which it is sometimes put. Those who believe in this thoery feel that no "dark side" waits to corrupt them for daring to explore the limits of the Force any more then monsters wait under their beds to devour them as children. To them, the Jedi theory of the Force is just one way to percieve this potent life-energy, and the training and discipline the Jedi employ to reinforce their perspective only serves to justify the existance of the Jedi Order.
Seeking another answer, these self-styled philosophers relabel the Force something that fits their perceptions of it- "The Potentium" is just one example - and attempt to explore their philsophy as far as possiable. Some come perilously close to the dark side before they return back from the brink. These "heresies" are fortunatley rare, for, if unchecked, they can produce dangerously powerful darksiders. Sadly, those who follow this line of resoning straight to the darkside rarely percieve the danger, believing that they are making new discovers that the Jedi are afriad to explore. Some come back from the dark side willingly when they see the error of their ways. Some refuse to renounce their mistaken beliefs and must be exiled to a place they can do no harm, Some few must be, regrettably destroyed.
The core of this theory asserts that there is no distinction between the light side and the dark side. It claims that both aspects of the Force are the same energy viewed from different perspectives. It's adherents theorize that using darkside powers in the service of good still serves the cause of good, and doing so cannot actually lead a person to want to use the Force for evil. They question why using a sword to strike down an opponent is any different from using the Force to choke the breath out of someone. What they fail to see - and what Jedi so diligently try to establish - is that being a Jedi is not about exploring the limits of the Force, but using what is already known to protect peace and justice. Jedi students should concentrate on learning how to use the Force, and leave careful exploration to the Jedi Masters.
Jedi Training
Fully training a Jedi takes many years, from the first, halting lesson in feeling the Force's power to standing before the council as a Jedi Knight. The journey is sometimes harsh and certainly never easy, since each student learns in his own time, and some lessons can be quite painful. The good teacher adapts to his student's pace and strikes a balance between compassion and discipline.
No two Jedi Teachers train apprentices in precisely the same way, nor does a single Jedi Teacher teach two different students the same lesson the same way, in the same order, and with the same expectations. Jedi Teachers from different areas have radically different approaches, brought about by their circumstances. Some train multiple students, some train only a single student. Both systems have their strengths and weaknesses.
The Learning Process
Jedi training has changed and evolved since it first came into existance and will and must continue to do so. Training is at times very formal. With large classes of Force senstive students learning under the tutalage of a single Master before being accepted as a padawan by a Knight and privately trained. It is at times very unformal with the student being trained privately through his entire learning process by one teacher. At other times it is even haphazard with the student learning much on his own with only brief periods of training under a teacher.
Regardless of how it is done. The first and most critical lesson involves sensing how the Force interacts with the Universe. For most students, this is a question of exploring their sensitivity to the Force, of expanding their awareness to detect more then what their senses show them.
The next lessons in the Jedi arts are extensions of the first lesson. Every Jedi student needs to learn how to use the Force responsibly and to avoid the temptations of the dark side. Putting the Force into the hands of someone with a weak grasp of morality and ethics is a recipe for disaster, and the Jedi have a responsibility to the Universe not to let students stray down the dark path. The Jedi seek to instill a sense of duty and honor in their students by teaching them about the way of the Jedi Knights, through stories of heroic Jedi of the past and through discussion of the Jedi Code. This basic training in Jedi Philsophy allows a Jedi to know what is expected of him and helps steer him from the dark path.
Physical conditiong and self-defense exercises go hand-in-hand with this early training. Using the Force can be physically taxing, and being a Jedi Knight can sometimes be outright exhausting. A Jedi builds up his endurance and coordination through a rigoruos physical regimen. Self-Defense lessons are a major part of the exercises, since a Jedi, with or without formal training, frequently comes in conflict with scounddrels and ne'er-do-wells of the world. The self-defense drills begin with simple hand-to-hand techniques and usually culminate in practice with a sword and other weapons( Guns and other hand hels weapons). Depending on the Teacher, the interval between stages of training can be brief.
Throughout the learning process, a Jedi student learns to cast aside his preconceived notions of how the Universe functions, to see the flow of the Force and understand how it influences everyday life - to "unlearn what he has learned." Jedi Teachers should foster intuitive thinking, since it encourages students to experiance the world around them through their feelings rather than through their senses, which can be deceived. The Jedi believe that the entire experience of being a Jedi leads up to the goal of becoming closer tot he Force. The sooner a Jedi begins to explore the mysteries of the force, the more they discover.
