Some of you may have seen this wallpaper for Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=mini_home&mini_id=54078. It shows Yoda evolving from a drawing of the Buddha. I assume everyone knows the Zen connections with Yoda, but did you know his eyes are based off of Albert Einstein's? It's true. And so is this: Dagobah is very close to the word dagoba--a Buddhist burial mound or monument containing the remains of a notable teacher or monk. Stupa or pagoda are the more well known terms, but dagoba is the oldest. So, if you're going to link Yoda to the Buddha it is apt indeed to call his planet a living monument to a great master.

Oh and in case you were wondering what's up with the A-OK sign the Buddha's making alongside Yoda, that's called a mudra. Mudra means gesture and is typically a kind of hand signal in Buddhist artwork. If you see a statue of an Asian-looking fellow with one hand raised like he's waiting for a high five and another down low you'll know that your stone-carved little friend is expressing no fear or benevolence. The A-OK sign means discussing or explaining the teachings of the Buddha. It's like he's saying, "The Eightfold Path is oh-tay!"

In Buddhism there is no distinction between body and mind. Body and mind are said to be one. This is something you can test yourself. If you worry about something you'll notice your shoulders get tense or your stomach churns. That's body worrying, just like mind is. If you're angry, you may have a clenched fist or a scowl. Same sort of thing happens when you're concentrated or sad or happy--"the body expresses what the mind is doing. It also works the other way. If the body is tired, the mind (ie, the brain) doesn't work at it's optimal level. I get really stupid and snappy if I'm hungry. This is the basic idea behind the whole mudra thing--if you hold your hand in a particular way--say with palm up in a gesture of giving--you are encouraging the mind to settle down and be more open. Now, I don't know about mudras. I like to think of them more as Buddhist gang signs. I mean, if I make the A-OK sign is that going to make my mind more pedagogic? Honestly, I don't know. But in other ways I see how this principle works. If I sit with good posture my mind tends to be more focused. If I slouch, I get sleepy. If I hold my head up, I feel more confident. If I hang it, more insecure. If I smile, even if I don't feel like smiling, my mind becomes less fixated on all the gloomy stuff. That one's really weird, but it seems to work.

Anyway, you can verify or not verify all this for your self. But at least you'll be able to impress your friends with your mudra art knowledge next time you get Chinese.