Why do the Jedi insist on the concept of "No Attachment"? [duplicate]

Question

At the surface, it sounds like a complete butchering of the Buddhist concept of attachment, which is not what most people think, and has more to do with more to do with denying ourselves suffering and pain (the dukkha) than forcing ourselves to become closer to fellow human beings. The tenet is most often expressed as the fact the Jedi don't marry - which is closer aligned to Catholicism with roots in theology.

Considering:

1. There isn't anything central to the "Light Side" which prohibits love, romance or marriage
2. The Jedi's restrictions on Anakins emotions ...

... help create the greatest mass murderer that the Galaxy has ever seen

Is there some in-unviverse basis as to why this concept is even remotely a good idea? This is noting that the New Jedi Order seems to start a reversal on the idea. Is this because it was proven such a colossal failure?

Answer 1

In Episode IV Obi-Wan claims, "for a thousand generations, the Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy." Taking at this at face value, if their traditions had worked for 20,000 years or more they must have been doing something right. Historical orders of warrior monks, such as the Knights Templar or Buddhist sects in Japan, have been quite successful for centuries.

In Episode I, Yoda believes Anakin is too old to be trained as a Jedi, at the age of nine or so. In Episodes II and III, we see younglings who are no more than four or five. This suggests Jedi begin their training at a very young age indeed, perhaps in infancy. The training (brainwashing?) to reject attachment may be more effective when the recipient starts so young.

That said, in Episodes I-III the Jedi are distinctly arrogant and complacent. In Episode II, Mace Windu asserts it is "not in his character" for Count Dooku to do anything evil, which turns out to be quite wrong. And of course, they fail completely to notice Palpatine's schemes.

As noted in Richard's answer, Obi-Wan seems blind to the possibility of a romantic relationship between Anakin and Padme. At the beginning of Episode III, Anakin is spending the night in Padme's apartment instead of some Jedi barracks, but no one seems to notice. (That, or the Jedi are deliberately turning a blind eye to it, which would be a colossal failure of judgment.) Later, when Anakin is in obvious distress (video in Richard's answer), Yoda fails to show compassion or give any helpful advice, instead just repeating Jedi doctrine at him.

All in all, the Jedi of the prequels are a pathetic lot. Their rules may have served them well in the past, but they are totally inadequate for the case of Anakin. So to answer your question, simply telling Anakin to reject attachment is a terrible idea, but the Jedi don't realise that until it is far too late.

In Episodes IV-VI, I think Obi-Wan and Yoda know this. They are old and haunted by their past failures. For them, Luke is a desperate throw of the dice to try and bring down the Empire.

Answer 2

Yoda is very clear that a "fear of loss" leads directly to the Dark Side of the Force, something that is directly borne out by Anakin's later actions.

Arguably, had Obi Wan taken greater steps to prevent Anakin's improper relationship with Padmé (which, bluntly anyone with half a brain could have seen), then he wouldn't have joined the Emperor and the Galactic Empire wouldn't have come about.

Answer 3

In the extended universe, Luke has romantic encounters which do not bring him down towards the dark side. Similarly in Knights Of The Old Republic, a romance is possible with the main female character. I believe that what happens with Anakin Skywalker is proof that banning romantic relationships is bad for the Jedi Order. When Luke restarts it in the EU, he has no such ban. No Attachment as far as romance goes basically destroys the Jedi Order in EP3.

Answer 4

Let's read the Jedi Code:

There is no emotion, there is peace

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge

There is no passion, there is serenity

There is no chaos, there is harmony

There is no death, there is the force

and the Sith Code:

Peace is a lie. There is only passion

Through passion I gain strength

Through strength I gain power

Through power I gain victory

Through victory my chains are broken

The force shall free me

As we can see, the Jedi fear that sentiments can lead to the dark side through passion Siths uses passion to raise the dark side.

The "detachment" policy is meant to induce serenity.

In the "Dawn of the Jedi" and other books, the pursuit of the "Light Side" is not a constant. At the start, the Jedi pursued equilibrium and harmony between the dark and light side and, for some period of time, there were the "grey Jedi".

Luke could be seen as an example of a more grey Jedi; even they employed detachment to achieve serenity. Lastly, while these philosophies may not make sense to use, remember that we are not Jedi and these philosophies were not intended for us.