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The Masks of God #2
The Masks of God, Volume 2: Oriental Mythology
An exploration of Eastern mythology as it developed into the distinctive religions of Egypt, India, China, and Japan.
576 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
209 people are currently reading
5934 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Campbell
427 books6,243 followersJoseph Campbell was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. He was born in New York City in 1904, and from early childhood he became interested in mythology. He loved to read books about American Indian cultures, and frequently visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where he was fascinated by the museum's collection of totem poles.
Campbell was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. While abroad he was influenced by the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the novels of James Joyce and Thomas Mann, and the psychological studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These encounters led to Campbell's theory that all myths and epics are linked in the human psyche, and that they are cultural manifestations of the universal need to explain social, cosmological, and spiritual realities.
After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, and then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 40s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He also edited works by the German scholar Heinrich Zimmer on Indian art, myths, and philosophy. In 1944, with Henry Morton Robinson, Campbell published A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. His first original work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, came out in 1949 and was immediately well received; in time, it became acclaimed as a classic. In this study of the "myth of the hero," Campbell asserted that there is a single pattern of heroic journey and that all cultures share this essential pattern in their various heroic myths. In his book he also outlined the basic conditions, stages, and results of the archetypal hero's journey.
Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the four-volume series The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, introduced Campbell's views to millions of people.
Campbell was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. While abroad he was influenced by the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the novels of James Joyce and Thomas Mann, and the psychological studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These encounters led to Campbell's theory that all myths and epics are linked in the human psyche, and that they are cultural manifestations of the universal need to explain social, cosmological, and spiritual realities.
After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, and then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 40s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He also edited works by the German scholar Heinrich Zimmer on Indian art, myths, and philosophy. In 1944, with Henry Morton Robinson, Campbell published A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. His first original work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, came out in 1949 and was immediately well received; in time, it became acclaimed as a classic. In this study of the "myth of the hero," Campbell asserted that there is a single pattern of heroic journey and that all cultures share this essential pattern in their various heroic myths. In his book he also outlined the basic conditions, stages, and results of the archetypal hero's journey.
Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the four-volume series The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, introduced Campbell's views to millions of people.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
January 7, 2025
Literature professor Joseph Campbell was not on the cutting edge of scholarship. Popular in the 80’s for a PBS special with Bill Moyers 'The Power of Myth' he was criticized for a generalist appeal and his lack of a specialized approach. Ditching a PhD pursuit at Columbia U. in 1929, he spent five years during the Great Depression in a shack in Woodstock reading sixteen hours a day. Campbell was friends with John Steinbeck and Heinrich Zimmer, completing the latter's posthumous works on Indian art and philosophy. He lived in a Greenwich Village apartment with his wife for fifty years, teaching literature at a liberal arts college.
Campbell's contributions were in the arenas of comparitive mythology and religion, and the idea that all myths are variations of the same story, the 'Hero's Journey'. He incorporated psychoanalytical aspects of Freud and Jung into an understanding of subconscious symbology within myths. His theory on the evolution of mythology spanned primitive animal spirit worship, mother goddess cults, astrological priesthoods and modern romantic idealism. He saw Thomas Mann and James Joyce embodying the artist as makers of contemporary myths. His oft repeated phrase 'follow your bliss' meant to connect with our inner spirit.
The work at hand is a moderately lengthy summary of mythology and religion from near to far east. Ancient principles of human sacrifice and reincarnation are superseded by the battle of good over evil and imperatives for heathen conversion. The western and masculine forces of Zoroastrianism and the Abrahamic religions are seen as subverting earlier eastern worship of feminine fertility. Ancient Egyptian and Hindu polytheism were swept away by monotheism and non-dualistic Hinduism. In the far east Confucian moral philosophy and Taoist magic are replaced by Buddhism imported over Silk Road trade routes.
Campbell's widely discursive style is at times entertaining and at times wearying. If you are familiar with the people and places he bounces between it's a stimulating montage of history and religion. If not it could become disconcerting. Published in 1963, the research and sources are from the mid-20th century and earlier and seem quite dated. Reading quotes from Mortimer Wheeler on archaeology or Heinrich Zimmer on Indology may be fun from a historiographical standpoint but would be better augmented with more recent interpretations. These shortcomings are partly mitigated by the keen perception and wit of Joseph Campbell.
Campbell's contributions were in the arenas of comparitive mythology and religion, and the idea that all myths are variations of the same story, the 'Hero's Journey'. He incorporated psychoanalytical aspects of Freud and Jung into an understanding of subconscious symbology within myths. His theory on the evolution of mythology spanned primitive animal spirit worship, mother goddess cults, astrological priesthoods and modern romantic idealism. He saw Thomas Mann and James Joyce embodying the artist as makers of contemporary myths. His oft repeated phrase 'follow your bliss' meant to connect with our inner spirit.
The work at hand is a moderately lengthy summary of mythology and religion from near to far east. Ancient principles of human sacrifice and reincarnation are superseded by the battle of good over evil and imperatives for heathen conversion. The western and masculine forces of Zoroastrianism and the Abrahamic religions are seen as subverting earlier eastern worship of feminine fertility. Ancient Egyptian and Hindu polytheism were swept away by monotheism and non-dualistic Hinduism. In the far east Confucian moral philosophy and Taoist magic are replaced by Buddhism imported over Silk Road trade routes.
Campbell's widely discursive style is at times entertaining and at times wearying. If you are familiar with the people and places he bounces between it's a stimulating montage of history and religion. If not it could become disconcerting. Published in 1963, the research and sources are from the mid-20th century and earlier and seem quite dated. Reading quotes from Mortimer Wheeler on archaeology or Heinrich Zimmer on Indology may be fun from a historiographical standpoint but would be better augmented with more recent interpretations. These shortcomings are partly mitigated by the keen perception and wit of Joseph Campbell.
March 8, 2019
Make no mistake, the Masks of God series by Joseph Campbell is something fierce.
The level of scholarship and devotion to the whole subject of mythology blows me away. Where the first book devoted itself to ancient mythos, the kind we can only infer from lacking sources, this Oriental Mythology tackles time-periods closer to home if not always particularly close.
The exceptions to this are Taoism and Buddhism. Both of these are treated in the perfect storytelling-way that the rest are treated. (And no worries, Christianity will get its day with equal time.)
This is Campbell, after all.
What we get here is Babylonian, Egyptian, Buddhist, Taoist, and a smattering of some others.
Did I enjoy the collective treatment and the positioning that showed us, in grand glory, how traditions and stories carry on from one culture to another? Hell, yeah. Did I appreciate the insight and the perspicacity of the author in laying it out in such an obvious and clear-as-day manner?
What do you think?
Yeah. I'm a fanboy. For good reason. Campbell has reshaped our society in more ways than one. Our whole way of looking at things has changed thanks to him. And no matter what your persuasion, a God Fearing Christian or any other faith, a clear eye is better than none.
I can and will thank the man for this. :)
Never go blindly.
The level of scholarship and devotion to the whole subject of mythology blows me away. Where the first book devoted itself to ancient mythos, the kind we can only infer from lacking sources, this Oriental Mythology tackles time-periods closer to home if not always particularly close.
The exceptions to this are Taoism and Buddhism. Both of these are treated in the perfect storytelling-way that the rest are treated. (And no worries, Christianity will get its day with equal time.)
This is Campbell, after all.
What we get here is Babylonian, Egyptian, Buddhist, Taoist, and a smattering of some others.
Did I enjoy the collective treatment and the positioning that showed us, in grand glory, how traditions and stories carry on from one culture to another? Hell, yeah. Did I appreciate the insight and the perspicacity of the author in laying it out in such an obvious and clear-as-day manner?
What do you think?
Yeah. I'm a fanboy. For good reason. Campbell has reshaped our society in more ways than one. Our whole way of looking at things has changed thanks to him. And no matter what your persuasion, a God Fearing Christian or any other faith, a clear eye is better than none.
I can and will thank the man for this. :)
Never go blindly.
September 5, 2013
Excellent information, not crazy about the delivery.
Really not crazy about it.
I remember liking the Masks of God series a lot more when I was a teenager, but on a recent 2nd run-through I found it somewhat less satisfying. It made me feel unclean for liking Campbell in the first place, actually.
Why?
For one thing, Oriental Mythology is replete with massive amounts of information and anecdotes concerning various Eastern religions, but Campbell makes it quite clear where his personal judgments reside. This is where Comparative Mythology becomes something more like "Competitive Mythology". Apparently some religions are simply better than others. Some are more sophisticated. Some are more mature. (According to Campbell, these would be the religions of the West.) And the man gets very patronizing when he describes some of the quaint 'Oriental' myths that fail to measure up, so to speak.
The part I liked: as usual, I did enjoy some of the material taken directly from sacred texts. Good stuff, although where Campbell takes his interpretations is often a different matter.
Note: This is also the volume where I invented the Joseph Campbell Masks of God drinking game.
(You are strongly advised not to try it. I'm fairly sure it leads to fatal alcohol poisoning.)
Anyway, it's fairly simple. Every time Joseph Campbell mentions one of the following, you must take a drink: The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler, Thomas Mann, or Nietzsche.*
One final thought: Joseph Campbell fervently fondled the words of great men (not women, never any women!) men like Nietzsche, Spengler, and company.. and he was NOT sorry. He was possibly their greatest fan. They are the glorious shining bricks in this pompous monolith of mythological dissection.
This series is the sort of thing that begs to be read aloud at your next DMV visit or on public transport of your choice. Make a fun game out of it. Who will beat you to death with their shoe first?
* For total obliteration, add James Joyce and Freud.
Really not crazy about it.
I remember liking the Masks of God series a lot more when I was a teenager, but on a recent 2nd run-through I found it somewhat less satisfying. It made me feel unclean for liking Campbell in the first place, actually.
Why?
For one thing, Oriental Mythology is replete with massive amounts of information and anecdotes concerning various Eastern religions, but Campbell makes it quite clear where his personal judgments reside. This is where Comparative Mythology becomes something more like "Competitive Mythology". Apparently some religions are simply better than others. Some are more sophisticated. Some are more mature. (According to Campbell, these would be the religions of the West.) And the man gets very patronizing when he describes some of the quaint 'Oriental' myths that fail to measure up, so to speak.
The part I liked: as usual, I did enjoy some of the material taken directly from sacred texts. Good stuff, although where Campbell takes his interpretations is often a different matter.
Note: This is also the volume where I invented the Joseph Campbell Masks of God drinking game.
(You are strongly advised not to try it. I'm fairly sure it leads to fatal alcohol poisoning.)
Anyway, it's fairly simple. Every time Joseph Campbell mentions one of the following, you must take a drink: The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler, Thomas Mann, or Nietzsche.*
One final thought: Joseph Campbell fervently fondled the words of great men (not women, never any women!) men like Nietzsche, Spengler, and company.. and he was NOT sorry. He was possibly their greatest fan. They are the glorious shining bricks in this pompous monolith of mythological dissection.
This series is the sort of thing that begs to be read aloud at your next DMV visit or on public transport of your choice. Make a fun game out of it. Who will beat you to death with their shoe first?
* For total obliteration, add James Joyce and Freud.
January 20, 2025
Именно на Кембъл принадлежи мисълта, че сънят е личен мит, а митът е колективен сън.
В този втори том от своя магнум опус Кембъл се е захванал да разкаже за различните маски, под които се явява този колективен сън, сънуван от човечеството от делтата на Нил до остров Хокайдо. Издигат се пирамиди край Нил за един единствен човек, считан за бог. Издигат се зикурати в двуречието между Тигър и Ефрат, чийто модел символизира вселената, а царете на Шумер и Ур вземат в отвъдното и целия си царски двор. В Индия древните дравидски (и понякога доста кръвожадни) божества безмилостно поглъщат арийските си волни събратя, оставяйки само имената им. Буда проправя средния път от Индия през Китай до Япония. Конфуций, Лао Дзъ, Мо Дзъ, Менций и древните китайски философи спорят за идеалното общество. В Япония превръщат чая и самоубийството в изкуство.
Насред множеството легенди и преразкази, придружени с опит за историческа хронология и солидно количество паралели - къде удачни, къде изсмукани от пръстите - Кембъл е доста консистентен в гледната си точка за Изтока. Изтокът - по Кембъл - изповядва насоченост навътре, дуализмът е унищожен за сметка на личностната трансформация в посока откъсване от реалността и просветление, или в подчинението на личността на утвърдените обществени йерархии и касти като вечни и неизменяеми еквиваленти на божествения ред. Единствената форма на бунт е аскетизмът, а той - подобно и на по-светските философски източни школи - също набляга на заличаването на аз-а.
Донякъде съм съгласна, донякъде - не. Доводите на Кембъл се подриват на първо място от дразнещата му субективност. Той е избирателен в поднасянето на факти и материали, и ги поднася спрямо вече оформеното си мнение, а не обратното. На второ място, Кембъл неизтощимо цитира западни автори от зората на 20-ти век, когато възгледите са били формирани от класическата имперска надменност и на всичкото отгоре са били все още оскъдни откъм по-дълбочинно познаване на т. нар. “Изток”. На трето място - Кембъл често забравя, че говори за Изтока и се втурва в описване на Запада. На четвърто място - ясната подредба не е авторовото форте, той във всичките си книги клони към поток на мисълта, което обаче конкретно в такова заглавие е неудачно. В резултат изскачат митологични мотиви без обяснение и контекст, или пък контекст - без прилежащите митологични мотиви. История, археология, антропология и митология не успяват да образуват хомогенна смес.
С две думи, енциклопедичността е много далеч от материала в книгата. Тя е по-скоро едно субективно - и доста интригуващо - мнение. Това мнение е ограничено и читателят следва да се запознае с всяка основна митологична “школа” поотделно в различни други публикации, за да си изгради по-богата и нюансирана представа. Но и тук има сочни зрънца, пришпорващи въображението и любопитството към нашия пъстър и необятен свят. Както и куп неприятни истини.
April 14, 2018
آن روز که به دیدن گنجینهی موزهی لوور رفته بودم از جوزف کمبل ممنون بودم که حجم عظیمی از اطلاعات را در کتاب «اساطیر مشرق زمین» گردآورده تا من جرعهای از آن بنوشم و دستکم در هنگام تماشای مجسمهها و اشیاي قدیمی کلمه و کلماتی برایم آشنا باشند و من بین موزه و صفحات کتاب در رفتوآمد باشم.
جوزف کمبل در این کتاب اساطیر را از منظر دینی بررسی میکند. او با سفری عظیم در مشرق زمین به شکلگیری مذاهب کهن میپردازد و رشد و استمرار این ادیان را در نقاط مختلف نشان میدهد.
«اگر تنها یک قلمروی تجربهی انسانی باشد که بتواند چیزی بیتردید ویژه و بینظیر، چیزی منحصربهفرد، به ما عرضه کند، بلاشک قلمروی زندگی مذهبی است.»
کمبل با کندوکاو در میان اشیای یافته شده سعی میکند اشتراکات مذهبی دنیای کهن را پیدا کند. پرستش زن-خدا و کشف اشیایی که طرحی از گاو بر خود دارند و دنبال کرد ردّ این نقشها در نقاط مختلف مشرق زمین او را به این سو میکشاند که نقل قولی از پرفسور آنتون مورتگات بیاورد؛ «زن-خدا مادر و نرهّ گاو مقدس یعنی قدیمیترین ترجمان یا نمایش معنوی ملموس و برجسته یا معنیدار فرهنگ زراعی دهکده نمودار افکاری هستند که شکل خود را طی هزارهها در خاور نزدیک حفظ کردهاند.»
اما انسانها شکل بیرونی مذهبشان را عوض میکنند. از پرستش مادرخدا و یا خدا دانستن فراعنه کمکم به مفاهیم دیگری روی میآورند. به طوری که میتوان بعد از گذشتن از اینها به این فکر کرد که انگار یک مفهوم مشترک، نوعی نظم راستین وجود داشته که نمود بیرونیشان به نظر یکسان میرسد اما اصطلاحی که برایش به کار برده میشود متفاوت است. مثلاً در مصر ماعات، در هند دهْرمَ، در خاور دور تائو و در سومِر مه خوانده میشد. گویی انسان با هر ا��تقادی همواره مایل بوده به مفهمومی قدّسی چنگ بزند تا امنیت روانی داشته باشد و تکیهگاهی محکم برای گذر از طوفان حوادث.
سرزمین هند، کشور هفتادودو ملت، سه فصل از این کتاب را به خود اختصاص داده؛ هند باستان، هند بودایی، هند در دوران طلایی. در بخش هند باستان به تمدن درهی سند و ردیابی پرستش مادر-خدا میپردازد. بعد از آن به سراغ عصر ودایی میرود و بعدتر از آیین جِین صحبت میکند. اما در هند بودایی تا میتواند بودا، دوران پیش از روشنگری و پس از آن را تا میتواند میشکافد و اینکه چطور بودیسم منشعب شده است و در این انشعابات چطور تغییر پیدا کرده و براساس شرایط و نیازها و ویژگیهای بومی هر منطقه رنگ عوض کرده است. بالاخره کمبل وقتی از هند میگذرد به چین میرسد و قاعدتاً باید از کنفوسیوس، تائویسم و بودیسم در چین بنویسد. کمبل سلسلهی امپراتوران چینی را برمیشمرد و اشارت مختصری به دوران حکمرانی هر کدام دارد.
ژاپن آخرین منزلگاه کمبل در این کتاب است. جایی که گمان میروند به اندازهی هند و حتی چین در گذشتهی کهن خود پربار و غنی نیست، آنچنان که کمبل میگوید برای خود گذشتهای اساطیری ابداع کردند. و در ژاپن یافتن وجه متعالی فرد از طریق مناسک شینتو ایجاد میشود. نظرگاه بنیادی اخلاقی شینتو این است که فرایندهای طبیعت نمیتوانند بد باشند و در نتیجه دل پاک از فرایندهای طبیعت متابعت میکند. اصطلاحات اساسی آن «دل روشن» (آکاکی کوکورو)، «دل پاک» (کییوکی کوکورو)، «دل درست» (تاداشی کی کوکورو) و «دل راست» (نائوکی کوکوو) هستند که هر چهار به هم پوسته «سهای مهای شین» میشوند: پاکی و سرخوشی روح.
خواندن این کتاب دقت و تمرکز میخواهد که من همواره آنها را همراه نداشتم. بنابراین فکر میکنم بخشهایی از کتاب برای من دستکم نیاز به خوانش دوباره و چندباره دارد.
جوزف کمبل در این کتاب اساطیر را از منظر دینی بررسی میکند. او با سفری عظیم در مشرق زمین به شکلگیری مذاهب کهن میپردازد و رشد و استمرار این ادیان را در نقاط مختلف نشان میدهد.
«اگر تنها یک قلمروی تجربهی انسانی باشد که بتواند چیزی بیتردید ویژه و بینظیر، چیزی منحصربهفرد، به ما عرضه کند، بلاشک قلمروی زندگی مذهبی است.»
کمبل با کندوکاو در میان اشیای یافته شده سعی میکند اشتراکات مذهبی دنیای کهن را پیدا کند. پرستش زن-خدا و کشف اشیایی که طرحی از گاو بر خود دارند و دنبال کرد ردّ این نقشها در نقاط مختلف مشرق زمین او را به این سو میکشاند که نقل قولی از پرفسور آنتون مورتگات بیاورد؛ «زن-خدا مادر و نرهّ گاو مقدس یعنی قدیمیترین ترجمان یا نمایش معنوی ملموس و برجسته یا معنیدار فرهنگ زراعی دهکده نمودار افکاری هستند که شکل خود را طی هزارهها در خاور نزدیک حفظ کردهاند.»
اما انسانها شکل بیرونی مذهبشان را عوض میکنند. از پرستش مادرخدا و یا خدا دانستن فراعنه کمکم به مفاهیم دیگری روی میآورند. به طوری که میتوان بعد از گذشتن از اینها به این فکر کرد که انگار یک مفهوم مشترک، نوعی نظم راستین وجود داشته که نمود بیرونیشان به نظر یکسان میرسد اما اصطلاحی که برایش به کار برده میشود متفاوت است. مثلاً در مصر ماعات، در هند دهْرمَ، در خاور دور تائو و در سومِر مه خوانده میشد. گویی انسان با هر ا��تقادی همواره مایل بوده به مفهمومی قدّسی چنگ بزند تا امنیت روانی داشته باشد و تکیهگاهی محکم برای گذر از طوفان حوادث.
سرزمین هند، کشور هفتادودو ملت، سه فصل از این کتاب را به خود اختصاص داده؛ هند باستان، هند بودایی، هند در دوران طلایی. در بخش هند باستان به تمدن درهی سند و ردیابی پرستش مادر-خدا میپردازد. بعد از آن به سراغ عصر ودایی میرود و بعدتر از آیین جِین صحبت میکند. اما در هند بودایی تا میتواند بودا، دوران پیش از روشنگری و پس از آن را تا میتواند میشکافد و اینکه چطور بودیسم منشعب شده است و در این انشعابات چطور تغییر پیدا کرده و براساس شرایط و نیازها و ویژگیهای بومی هر منطقه رنگ عوض کرده است. بالاخره کمبل وقتی از هند میگذرد به چین میرسد و قاعدتاً باید از کنفوسیوس، تائویسم و بودیسم در چین بنویسد. کمبل سلسلهی امپراتوران چینی را برمیشمرد و اشارت مختصری به دوران حکمرانی هر کدام دارد.
ژاپن آخرین منزلگاه کمبل در این کتاب است. جایی که گمان میروند به اندازهی هند و حتی چین در گذشتهی کهن خود پربار و غنی نیست، آنچنان که کمبل میگوید برای خود گذشتهای اساطیری ابداع کردند. و در ژاپن یافتن وجه متعالی فرد از طریق مناسک شینتو ایجاد میشود. نظرگاه بنیادی اخلاقی شینتو این است که فرایندهای طبیعت نمیتوانند بد باشند و در نتیجه دل پاک از فرایندهای طبیعت متابعت میکند. اصطلاحات اساسی آن «دل روشن» (آکاکی کوکورو)، «دل پاک» (کییوکی کوکورو)، «دل درست» (تاداشی کی کوکورو) و «دل راست» (نائوکی کوکوو) هستند که هر چهار به هم پوسته «سهای مهای شین» میشوند: پاکی و سرخوشی روح.
خواندن این کتاب دقت و تمرکز میخواهد که من همواره آنها را همراه نداشتم. بنابراین فکر میکنم بخشهایی از کتاب برای من دستکم نیاز به خوانش دوباره و چندباره دارد.
August 28, 2017
The second book in Campbell's seminal quartet, this one is much more engrossing and interesting than the first, as it covers Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Tao and Shinto. The East, IMO, is more myth-heavy than the West. I enjoyed it immensely, even though it's a painstaking read.
November 15, 2020
Campbell's Masks of God series is, I think, the finest version of world history ever written. He exposes the choices, stages, tragedies and breakthroughs in an unfolding chorus of consciousness, expressed through art, story, and vision, that represents the real power and glory of the human adventure.
December 11, 2013
The Masks of God: Volume II, Oriental Mythology (1962) by Joseph Campbell is again one of those marathons of the mind. The knowledge that Campbell pours out is relentless for the entire 516 pages, but at the same time it is captivating to explore the development of ancient mythology and religion and civilization beginning with Central Asia (what is currently known as the Middle East), then to ancient India, then progressing to China and finally to Japan, ending briefly with Tibet.
In Chapter One, ''The Dialogue in Myth of East and West,'' Campbell explains how primitive belief of men who believed kings were in fact gods in flesh (found and explored in Campbell's Volume I, Primitive Mythology) is now becoming altered and slightly changed. Campbell writes:
''Man had been made not to be God but to know, honor, and serve him; so that even the king, who, according to the earlier mythological view, had been the chief embodiment of divinity on earth, was now but a priest offering sacrifice in tendance to One above--not a god returning himself in sacrifice to Himself'' (p 7).
In effect, the power structure of society is now changed. Priests are given the most high honor once held by kings, and this can still be found in monarchies where kings and queens in the social hierarchy are below the Church. Basic religion, at its earliest stages, has started to shape social belief structures.
In addition, primitive men who once thought they could know God, the Creator, by being, and later pretending to be, gods, is now starting to shift their paradigms of thought. Rather than being gods, men sought to know God and His relationship and connection to all men. Campbell explains:
''And the goal of knowledge cannot be to see God here and now in all things; for God is not in things. God is transcendent. God is beheld only by the dead. The goal of knowledge has to be, rather, to know the relationship of God to his creation, or, more specifically, to man, and through such knowledge, by God's grace, to link one's own will back to that of the Creator'' (p 11).
Only eleven pages in and we are beginning to see massive shifts in belief systems held for hundreds of years, and these shifts, or man's attempt to define and explore God's relationship to humanity will later help inspire the creation of most religions still found today (i.e., Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity and Taoism).
One of the reasons for this new attempt to define or understand God is humanity's conception and naming of the Ego, which is still often discussed and debated in professional circles of education and philosophy. ''As long as an illusion of ego remains,'' Campbell explains, ''the commensurate illusion of a separate deity also will be there; and vice versa, as long as the idea of a separate deity is cherished, an illusion of ego, related to it in love, fear, worship, exile, or atonement, will also be there'' (p 14).
One might liken this age of humanity as its infanthood. The infant first begins to shape the image of him-herself and once the Ego has been formed, the words utter out at the age of two or three, ''I want.'' The same happened to humanity. Humanity formed the Ego and then started to shape the wants, which can be classified in classic India's Four Ends, also discussed by Freud as the ''pleasure principle.'' Humanity, under Indian doctrine of that time period, defined the Four Ends as: [1] love and pleasure (kāma); [2] power and success (artha); [3] lawful order and moral virtue (dharma); and, [4] release from delusion (moksa); (I am currently going through a ''release of delusion'' in regards to modern civilization's absurd social structures and I believe number three is there to prevent number four from ever happening--which we will see later with China's horrific reaction to Tibet's religious order) (p 21).
Now, as the infant grows into a child, decisions must be made. Humanity is now entering into the state of childhood. The child must no longer focus on ''I want'' but must seek a greater understanding of self in his-her role in the family's hierarchal structure and later in the classroom's hierarchal structure. Remember, the role of godhood, priesthood and kinghood have all been established (especially in ancient Sumer and Egypt), but the role of Self is only now beginning to form. ''It is normally expected that an educated ego should have developed away from the simple infantile polarity of the pleasure and obedience principles toward a personal, uncompulsive, sensitive relationship to empirical reality, a certain adventurous attitude toward the unpredictable, and a sense of personal responsibility for decisions,'' writes Campbell. ''Not life as a good soldier, but life as a developed, unique individual, is the ideal. And we shall search the Orient in vain for anything quite comparable. There the ideal, on the contrary, is the quenching, not development of the ego'' (p 22).
What comes next might amaze you. The most developed minds begin to see ancient stories and myths of gods and divinity as nothing more than stories created by artists. The ego has died and the wild fantasy of childish eyes beside the campfire and all listening to gods battling demons in the thunderous skies become less than what we might think of as religion and more of creative understanding over one's creation, which some might argue is the next stage of a child's development. F.M. Concord explains, ''Greek theology was not formulated by priests nor even by prophets, but by artists, poets and philosophers...The mythology, consequently, remains fluid, as poetry; and the gods are not literally concretized, like Yahweh in the garden, but are known to be just what they are: personifications brought into being by the human creative imagination'' (p 30-31).
''These are the two discordant great themes,'' explains Campbell, ''of what may be termed the orthodox Occidental mythological structure: poles of experience of an ego set apart from nature, maturing values of its own, which are not those of the given world, yet still projecting on the universe a notion of anthropomorphic fatherhood--as though it should ever have possessed, or might ever come to possess, either in itself or in its metaphysical ground, the values, sensibilities and intelligence, decency and nobility of a man'' (p 32)!
So ends Chapter One.
I will not go in great detail with the rest of the book but one can gain a glimpse of Campbell's scope presented in the above section pertaining to his first chapter.
As Campbell starts to shape the early history of the world one sees how humanity and structured religion and civilization has not been around for very long. In much respect, after reading Campbell's accounts of ancient civilizations, I do not count the Sumerian and Egyptian efforts in language, religion and social orders as the age of humanity's formation of a mature civilization, but instead it is more an infantile conception of things to come. For one thing, despite originating around 3500-3100 B.C., Sumer and Egypt remained in the youthful Bronze Age (roughly 3200 - 2200 B.C.), toying with the invention of the wheel (c. 3500 B.C.) and the mature Iron Age (approx. 1200 B.C. - 400 A.D.) still had not come, and would slowly filter out and reach Japan very late in the game. Meanwhile, the perfection of weaponry and the wheel into a common form of transport, later developing into the emergence of the horse-drawn chariots, sword, and compound bow for war, would not be established until roughly c. 2000-1600 B.C., almost 1500 years after the wheel was invented. The reason the wheel is of vital importance is because it is then and only then we begin to see true, mature civilizations seeking to stretch its arms and legs through formalized religion, trade and war across Central Asia, Europe and India.
Campbell dates Egypt thus (p 58-59):
Predynastic Periods, c. 2900 B.C.
Old Kingdom Egypt, c. 2850-2190 B.C.
Middle Kingdom Egypt, c. 2052-1610 B.C.
The Nile for much of its Egyptian rule was a well-protected valley that cut off Egyptian society from outsiders and invaders and allowed dynasties to stay in power; the Hyksos, ''a mixed horde of Asiatic aliens,'' however, invaded the northeast frontier in c. 1670-1570 B.C. through the assistance of war chariots and compound bows and these men ruled without Re and lived without divine command as the Egyptians once lived (p 103). The Egyptians, like the Sumerians, are now exposed to the outside world, much like infants stepping out the front door of their home for the first time, and we begin to see the fall of these two great empires. Mature civilizations? Not in the least.
''We see the first signs of the new force in the sudden appearance, shortly following c. 2000 B.C., of the light two-wheeled chariot drawn by a pair of well-trained steeds. The wheel, as we know, had already appeared in Sumer c. 3200 B.C., and...At some point in place and time, however, roughly c. 2000 B.C. And probably north of the Caucasus range, the light two-wheeled chariot drawn by two swift horses came into use, and the wheels, which now were spoked, revolved freely on their axles, so that the cars could be readily turned...Furthermore, in Southeastern Europe, c. 1500 B.C., a new weapon, the sword, appeared, contrived for slashing from the saddle. From somewhere men were coming who had learned to ride'' (p 172-173). And Rome would later follow across the lands.
What comes next is not at all surprising. Humanity is maturing as it looks upon the power that is brought with the creation of the wheel and so forms religions out of this idea known as a ''wheel.'' The son of a king comes along and becomes the first Buddha around 563-483 B.C., and other such sages begin teaching about what awaits in death (here we may further note the maturing thought found in humanity). Such teachings later branch off into sects. One such belief is ''the idea of the wheel of rebirth'' and the ''First Turning of the Wheel of the Law'' (p 250, 281).
In addition, the origins of Zoroastrians can be placed between c. 1200 and c. 500 B.C., and distinguish the world into good and evil (please note the similar time frame correlating to the advancement of the wheel and the sword). Zoroaster from Persia, explains Campbell, should be seen more as a symbol of tradition, like Homer, rather than one man (and some might argue the same to William Shakespeare) and the Zoroastrians believed ''the world, consequently, is a compound wherein good and evil, light and dark, wisdom and violence, are contending for victory. And the privilege and duty of each man--who, himself, as part of creation, is a compound of good and evil--is to elect, voluntarily, to engage in battle in the interest of the light'' (p 7).
However it would be the Jains that form its ''religion without God'' (p 231) and establish two roads of afterlife, which other religions also share. The Jains believed in the Road of Flame that was a path to heaven and to the gods in the sun and this road was for those who were in essence righteous (p 234). The Road of Smoke (p 218) is a path to the moon, to the ancestors, and to a new life back on earth. The approach to afterlife is to accomplish enough good deeds in hopes of being worthy to ascend the higher road and the goal is to not be born again on earth, but to take one's seat in the house of the gods. Many religions share this view of paradise.
Winding down, there does seem to be a common agreement in the scattered histories of a ''mythic flood.'' A flood that encompassed the entire planet at the same time seems to be highly unlikely, however, and instead explained and interpreted ''as a local, not as a general Mesopotamian (let alone universal) catastrophe. It is of course possible that in each little city state itself the local flood was overinterpreted as a cosmic event, rendering present the mythological Deluge'' (p 121-122).
Campbell goes on to discuss in-depth about Buddhist India, the Indian Golden Age, Chinese Mythology, Japanese Mythology, and ends with a short chapter about Tibet's period of suffering at the hands of China.
It is with great satisfaction, therefore, that I strongly recommend this book for those serious scholars and other curious minds out there who take great interest in the history of the world. Excelsior!
Finally, please don't forget to check out my websites:
www.cgfewston.net
www.cgfewston.me
In Chapter One, ''The Dialogue in Myth of East and West,'' Campbell explains how primitive belief of men who believed kings were in fact gods in flesh (found and explored in Campbell's Volume I, Primitive Mythology) is now becoming altered and slightly changed. Campbell writes:
''Man had been made not to be God but to know, honor, and serve him; so that even the king, who, according to the earlier mythological view, had been the chief embodiment of divinity on earth, was now but a priest offering sacrifice in tendance to One above--not a god returning himself in sacrifice to Himself'' (p 7).
In effect, the power structure of society is now changed. Priests are given the most high honor once held by kings, and this can still be found in monarchies where kings and queens in the social hierarchy are below the Church. Basic religion, at its earliest stages, has started to shape social belief structures.
In addition, primitive men who once thought they could know God, the Creator, by being, and later pretending to be, gods, is now starting to shift their paradigms of thought. Rather than being gods, men sought to know God and His relationship and connection to all men. Campbell explains:
''And the goal of knowledge cannot be to see God here and now in all things; for God is not in things. God is transcendent. God is beheld only by the dead. The goal of knowledge has to be, rather, to know the relationship of God to his creation, or, more specifically, to man, and through such knowledge, by God's grace, to link one's own will back to that of the Creator'' (p 11).
Only eleven pages in and we are beginning to see massive shifts in belief systems held for hundreds of years, and these shifts, or man's attempt to define and explore God's relationship to humanity will later help inspire the creation of most religions still found today (i.e., Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity and Taoism).
One of the reasons for this new attempt to define or understand God is humanity's conception and naming of the Ego, which is still often discussed and debated in professional circles of education and philosophy. ''As long as an illusion of ego remains,'' Campbell explains, ''the commensurate illusion of a separate deity also will be there; and vice versa, as long as the idea of a separate deity is cherished, an illusion of ego, related to it in love, fear, worship, exile, or atonement, will also be there'' (p 14).
One might liken this age of humanity as its infanthood. The infant first begins to shape the image of him-herself and once the Ego has been formed, the words utter out at the age of two or three, ''I want.'' The same happened to humanity. Humanity formed the Ego and then started to shape the wants, which can be classified in classic India's Four Ends, also discussed by Freud as the ''pleasure principle.'' Humanity, under Indian doctrine of that time period, defined the Four Ends as: [1] love and pleasure (kāma); [2] power and success (artha); [3] lawful order and moral virtue (dharma); and, [4] release from delusion (moksa); (I am currently going through a ''release of delusion'' in regards to modern civilization's absurd social structures and I believe number three is there to prevent number four from ever happening--which we will see later with China's horrific reaction to Tibet's religious order) (p 21).
Now, as the infant grows into a child, decisions must be made. Humanity is now entering into the state of childhood. The child must no longer focus on ''I want'' but must seek a greater understanding of self in his-her role in the family's hierarchal structure and later in the classroom's hierarchal structure. Remember, the role of godhood, priesthood and kinghood have all been established (especially in ancient Sumer and Egypt), but the role of Self is only now beginning to form. ''It is normally expected that an educated ego should have developed away from the simple infantile polarity of the pleasure and obedience principles toward a personal, uncompulsive, sensitive relationship to empirical reality, a certain adventurous attitude toward the unpredictable, and a sense of personal responsibility for decisions,'' writes Campbell. ''Not life as a good soldier, but life as a developed, unique individual, is the ideal. And we shall search the Orient in vain for anything quite comparable. There the ideal, on the contrary, is the quenching, not development of the ego'' (p 22).
What comes next might amaze you. The most developed minds begin to see ancient stories and myths of gods and divinity as nothing more than stories created by artists. The ego has died and the wild fantasy of childish eyes beside the campfire and all listening to gods battling demons in the thunderous skies become less than what we might think of as religion and more of creative understanding over one's creation, which some might argue is the next stage of a child's development. F.M. Concord explains, ''Greek theology was not formulated by priests nor even by prophets, but by artists, poets and philosophers...The mythology, consequently, remains fluid, as poetry; and the gods are not literally concretized, like Yahweh in the garden, but are known to be just what they are: personifications brought into being by the human creative imagination'' (p 30-31).
''These are the two discordant great themes,'' explains Campbell, ''of what may be termed the orthodox Occidental mythological structure: poles of experience of an ego set apart from nature, maturing values of its own, which are not those of the given world, yet still projecting on the universe a notion of anthropomorphic fatherhood--as though it should ever have possessed, or might ever come to possess, either in itself or in its metaphysical ground, the values, sensibilities and intelligence, decency and nobility of a man'' (p 32)!
So ends Chapter One.
I will not go in great detail with the rest of the book but one can gain a glimpse of Campbell's scope presented in the above section pertaining to his first chapter.
As Campbell starts to shape the early history of the world one sees how humanity and structured religion and civilization has not been around for very long. In much respect, after reading Campbell's accounts of ancient civilizations, I do not count the Sumerian and Egyptian efforts in language, religion and social orders as the age of humanity's formation of a mature civilization, but instead it is more an infantile conception of things to come. For one thing, despite originating around 3500-3100 B.C., Sumer and Egypt remained in the youthful Bronze Age (roughly 3200 - 2200 B.C.), toying with the invention of the wheel (c. 3500 B.C.) and the mature Iron Age (approx. 1200 B.C. - 400 A.D.) still had not come, and would slowly filter out and reach Japan very late in the game. Meanwhile, the perfection of weaponry and the wheel into a common form of transport, later developing into the emergence of the horse-drawn chariots, sword, and compound bow for war, would not be established until roughly c. 2000-1600 B.C., almost 1500 years after the wheel was invented. The reason the wheel is of vital importance is because it is then and only then we begin to see true, mature civilizations seeking to stretch its arms and legs through formalized religion, trade and war across Central Asia, Europe and India.
Campbell dates Egypt thus (p 58-59):
Predynastic Periods, c. 2900 B.C.
Old Kingdom Egypt, c. 2850-2190 B.C.
Middle Kingdom Egypt, c. 2052-1610 B.C.
The Nile for much of its Egyptian rule was a well-protected valley that cut off Egyptian society from outsiders and invaders and allowed dynasties to stay in power; the Hyksos, ''a mixed horde of Asiatic aliens,'' however, invaded the northeast frontier in c. 1670-1570 B.C. through the assistance of war chariots and compound bows and these men ruled without Re and lived without divine command as the Egyptians once lived (p 103). The Egyptians, like the Sumerians, are now exposed to the outside world, much like infants stepping out the front door of their home for the first time, and we begin to see the fall of these two great empires. Mature civilizations? Not in the least.
''We see the first signs of the new force in the sudden appearance, shortly following c. 2000 B.C., of the light two-wheeled chariot drawn by a pair of well-trained steeds. The wheel, as we know, had already appeared in Sumer c. 3200 B.C., and...At some point in place and time, however, roughly c. 2000 B.C. And probably north of the Caucasus range, the light two-wheeled chariot drawn by two swift horses came into use, and the wheels, which now were spoked, revolved freely on their axles, so that the cars could be readily turned...Furthermore, in Southeastern Europe, c. 1500 B.C., a new weapon, the sword, appeared, contrived for slashing from the saddle. From somewhere men were coming who had learned to ride'' (p 172-173). And Rome would later follow across the lands.
What comes next is not at all surprising. Humanity is maturing as it looks upon the power that is brought with the creation of the wheel and so forms religions out of this idea known as a ''wheel.'' The son of a king comes along and becomes the first Buddha around 563-483 B.C., and other such sages begin teaching about what awaits in death (here we may further note the maturing thought found in humanity). Such teachings later branch off into sects. One such belief is ''the idea of the wheel of rebirth'' and the ''First Turning of the Wheel of the Law'' (p 250, 281).
In addition, the origins of Zoroastrians can be placed between c. 1200 and c. 500 B.C., and distinguish the world into good and evil (please note the similar time frame correlating to the advancement of the wheel and the sword). Zoroaster from Persia, explains Campbell, should be seen more as a symbol of tradition, like Homer, rather than one man (and some might argue the same to William Shakespeare) and the Zoroastrians believed ''the world, consequently, is a compound wherein good and evil, light and dark, wisdom and violence, are contending for victory. And the privilege and duty of each man--who, himself, as part of creation, is a compound of good and evil--is to elect, voluntarily, to engage in battle in the interest of the light'' (p 7).
However it would be the Jains that form its ''religion without God'' (p 231) and establish two roads of afterlife, which other religions also share. The Jains believed in the Road of Flame that was a path to heaven and to the gods in the sun and this road was for those who were in essence righteous (p 234). The Road of Smoke (p 218) is a path to the moon, to the ancestors, and to a new life back on earth. The approach to afterlife is to accomplish enough good deeds in hopes of being worthy to ascend the higher road and the goal is to not be born again on earth, but to take one's seat in the house of the gods. Many religions share this view of paradise.
Winding down, there does seem to be a common agreement in the scattered histories of a ''mythic flood.'' A flood that encompassed the entire planet at the same time seems to be highly unlikely, however, and instead explained and interpreted ''as a local, not as a general Mesopotamian (let alone universal) catastrophe. It is of course possible that in each little city state itself the local flood was overinterpreted as a cosmic event, rendering present the mythological Deluge'' (p 121-122).
Campbell goes on to discuss in-depth about Buddhist India, the Indian Golden Age, Chinese Mythology, Japanese Mythology, and ends with a short chapter about Tibet's period of suffering at the hands of China.
It is with great satisfaction, therefore, that I strongly recommend this book for those serious scholars and other curious minds out there who take great interest in the history of the world. Excelsior!
Finally, please don't forget to check out my websites:
www.cgfewston.net
www.cgfewston.me
July 3, 2009
Bill Moyers summarizes this passage from Oriental Mythology in his introduction of Campbell in The Power of Myth (an audio collection of interviews which I finished around the same time).
For Moyers, Campbell's life epitomized the idea of the dance. As I understand, an attempt to experience the awe of all religious and mythological experience without constraining himself with the burden of subscribing to a particular doctrine. A personal view that lends itself well to the expansive 4-part series The Masks of God.
By chance, I began with Oriental Mythology, the second of this series. Starting with the division of Eastern and Western thought as far back as seen with the ancient Egyptians, Campbell's survey of Eastern mythology is geographically and chronologically expansive. The effort to cover so much material left me at times disjointed and unable to fully appreciate the ideas within. Perhaps Campbell presumes a greater familiarity with the esoteric aspects of many of the subsects of Hinduism, Buddhism and Eastern ancient history, but I suspect the writing simply suffers from the vast amount of information attempted in summary form.
Though the book suffers stylistically at times, Campbell's love of storytelling emerges throughout. At times, you can almost hear the enthusiasm he feels when relating the countless allegories and fables he acquired out of a lifetime of intellectual curiosity. He's become a member of my pantheon of individuals with whom one could only wish to spend a dinner conversation.
____________________________________
Two passages, both Taosit, stuck me as particularly worth noting.
Well- and so our friend the sociologist met his friend the Shinto priest at a lawn party in the precincts of an extensive Japanese garden, where paths, leading down among the rocks, turned to reveal unforseen landscapes, gravel lawns, craggy lakes, stone lanterns, trees curiously formed, and pagodas. And our friend the sociologist said to his friend the Shinto priest, "You know, I've now been to a number of the Shinto shrines and I've seen quite a few rites, and I've read about it, thought about it; but you know, I don't get the ideology. I don't get your theology."
And the Japanese gentleman, polite, as though respecting the foreign scholar's profound question, paused a while as though in thought. Then he looked, smiling, at his friend.
"We do not have ideology," he said. "We do not have theology.
We dance."
For Moyers, Campbell's life epitomized the idea of the dance. As I understand, an attempt to experience the awe of all religious and mythological experience without constraining himself with the burden of subscribing to a particular doctrine. A personal view that lends itself well to the expansive 4-part series The Masks of God.
By chance, I began with Oriental Mythology, the second of this series. Starting with the division of Eastern and Western thought as far back as seen with the ancient Egyptians, Campbell's survey of Eastern mythology is geographically and chronologically expansive. The effort to cover so much material left me at times disjointed and unable to fully appreciate the ideas within. Perhaps Campbell presumes a greater familiarity with the esoteric aspects of many of the subsects of Hinduism, Buddhism and Eastern ancient history, but I suspect the writing simply suffers from the vast amount of information attempted in summary form.
Though the book suffers stylistically at times, Campbell's love of storytelling emerges throughout. At times, you can almost hear the enthusiasm he feels when relating the countless allegories and fables he acquired out of a lifetime of intellectual curiosity. He's become a member of my pantheon of individuals with whom one could only wish to spend a dinner conversation.
____________________________________
Two passages, both Taosit, stuck me as particularly worth noting.
There are four things," states a Taoist work of this age (the Lieh Tzu: third century A.D.), "that do not allow people to have peace. The first is long life, the second is reputation, the third is rank, and the fourth is riches. Those who have these things fear ghosts, fear men, fear power, and fear punishment. They are called fugitives...pg. 435_______
"You misjudge me," Chuang Tzu replied. "When she died, I was in despair, as any man might well be. But soon, pondering on what had happened, I told myself that in death no new strange fate befalls us. In the beginning we lack not life only, but form; not form only, but spirit. We are blent in the one great featureless, undistinguishable mass. Then a time came when the mass evolved spirit, spirit evolved form, form evolved life. And now life in its turn has evolved death. For not nature only but man's being has its season, its sequence of spring and autumn, summer and winter. If someone is tired and has gone to lie down, we do not pursue him with shouting and bawling. She whom I have lost has lain down to sleep for a while in the Great Inner Room. To break in upon her rest with the noise of lamentation would but show that I knew nothing of nature's Sovereign Law." pg. 427
April 22, 2012
From the beginning I liked Oriental Mythology quite a bit more than the first volume Primitive Mythology, even if like that first book, it could be rather dry and scholarly and somewhat rambling in its arguments. I think part of that is I felt I could trust his arguments more. So much of Primitive Mythology is based on archeological finds it made me continually wonder how many of his "facts" had been overtaken by new discoveries in the over 50 years that passed since the 1959 publication of that first volume. In this volume, however, covering the mythologies of Egypt, India, China and Japan he's on more solid ground, with written scripture forming the basis of his study rather than archeological finds or the fluid rituals of indigenous peoples.
I found the first part of this book comparing and contrasting Oriental (Hindu, Buddhist) and Occidental (Judeo-Christo-Muslim and Classical Greek) mythologies fascinating and illuminating. He sees the two cultures, though joined at the root, "branching off" into divergent and distinctive worldviews. What is key in oriental theology Campbell believes, is the "myth of eternal return" i.e. reincarnation until and unless you can break through the unending cycle to find the divinity within. He further sees a distinction between Hinduism ("let it go") and Far Eastern Buddhism ("let it come."). Western mythologies in contrast have a vision of creation/fall/restoration in a cosmic conflict where sides must be chosen. The role of the individual in the two different worldviews are also very different. Campbell states of the Western view:
Not life as a good soldier, but life as a developed, unique individual, is the ideal. And we shall search the Orient in vain for anything quite comparable. There the ideal, on the contrary, is the quenching, not the development, of ego.
I'm not sure I'd describe the Western tradition as so different in those terms. Certainly the Christian mystical and monastic tradition emphasizes self-sacrifice, renunciation of the world and quenching of the ego as well. Although Campbell also mentions the idea of another strain in Western mythology distinct from the monotheistic "People of the Book." The Greek idea of theology as poetry and play rather than dogmatic scripture, and the Greeks in the conflict between Man and God are on Man's side--as encapsulated in the myth of Prometheus. I have to admit, if I'm aligned with any mythological school as described in the book, it's this rebellious one I find most attractive, and it's an interesting way of looking at the various mythologies. I'm curious how he'll further develop those themes in the next volume, Occidental Mythology.
But most fascinating was Campbell's demonstrations of the connections between and elucidations of Asian religions, mythology and philosophy. I don't think I've yet squeezed all I can out of his survey of Indian, Chinese and Japanese history and culture. I'll need to reread this book someday after further reading on the subject. Parts were so dry I admit I did some judicious skimming, and wished to skim more. Yet it's rare that I read a book that both makes me understand better other ideas and books I've come across and leaves me hungry for more. In the course of reading this book I put together for myself a 14-page timeline of history and was busy each night after reading chapters of Oriental Mythology googling articles on Indian and Chinese history and Hinduism and Buddhism and was browsing the Religion and History section of my neighborhood bookstore recently looking for more to read on the subjects Campbell touched upon. The book made me want to reread Lao-Tzu and Confucius and delve into Sanskrit literature--hopefully after reading Oriental Mythology with more understanding. Right to the last sentence Campbell was offering up piercing insights.
I found the first part of this book comparing and contrasting Oriental (Hindu, Buddhist) and Occidental (Judeo-Christo-Muslim and Classical Greek) mythologies fascinating and illuminating. He sees the two cultures, though joined at the root, "branching off" into divergent and distinctive worldviews. What is key in oriental theology Campbell believes, is the "myth of eternal return" i.e. reincarnation until and unless you can break through the unending cycle to find the divinity within. He further sees a distinction between Hinduism ("let it go") and Far Eastern Buddhism ("let it come."). Western mythologies in contrast have a vision of creation/fall/restoration in a cosmic conflict where sides must be chosen. The role of the individual in the two different worldviews are also very different. Campbell states of the Western view:
Not life as a good soldier, but life as a developed, unique individual, is the ideal. And we shall search the Orient in vain for anything quite comparable. There the ideal, on the contrary, is the quenching, not the development, of ego.
I'm not sure I'd describe the Western tradition as so different in those terms. Certainly the Christian mystical and monastic tradition emphasizes self-sacrifice, renunciation of the world and quenching of the ego as well. Although Campbell also mentions the idea of another strain in Western mythology distinct from the monotheistic "People of the Book." The Greek idea of theology as poetry and play rather than dogmatic scripture, and the Greeks in the conflict between Man and God are on Man's side--as encapsulated in the myth of Prometheus. I have to admit, if I'm aligned with any mythological school as described in the book, it's this rebellious one I find most attractive, and it's an interesting way of looking at the various mythologies. I'm curious how he'll further develop those themes in the next volume, Occidental Mythology.
But most fascinating was Campbell's demonstrations of the connections between and elucidations of Asian religions, mythology and philosophy. I don't think I've yet squeezed all I can out of his survey of Indian, Chinese and Japanese history and culture. I'll need to reread this book someday after further reading on the subject. Parts were so dry I admit I did some judicious skimming, and wished to skim more. Yet it's rare that I read a book that both makes me understand better other ideas and books I've come across and leaves me hungry for more. In the course of reading this book I put together for myself a 14-page timeline of history and was busy each night after reading chapters of Oriental Mythology googling articles on Indian and Chinese history and Hinduism and Buddhism and was browsing the Religion and History section of my neighborhood bookstore recently looking for more to read on the subjects Campbell touched upon. The book made me want to reread Lao-Tzu and Confucius and delve into Sanskrit literature--hopefully after reading Oriental Mythology with more understanding. Right to the last sentence Campbell was offering up piercing insights.
November 3, 2014
"Nirvana is the goal, and the mind is beginning to crack - as it must, if that goal is to be achieved." p.313
"Stars, darkness, a lamp, a phantom, dew, a bubble;
A dream, a flash of lightening, and a cloud:
Thus should we look upon the world." p.319
"Fear not, fear not, O nobly born! The Furies of the Lord of Death will place around your neck a rope and drag you along; cut off your head, extract your heart, pull out your intestines, lick up your brains, drink your blood, eat your flesh, and gnaw your bones; but in reality, your body is of the nature of voidness; you need not be afraid..." p.515
"Stars, darkness, a lamp, a phantom, dew, a bubble;
A dream, a flash of lightening, and a cloud:
Thus should we look upon the world." p.319
"Fear not, fear not, O nobly born! The Furies of the Lord of Death will place around your neck a rope and drag you along; cut off your head, extract your heart, pull out your intestines, lick up your brains, drink your blood, eat your flesh, and gnaw your bones; but in reality, your body is of the nature of voidness; you need not be afraid..." p.515
December 7, 2017
I love everything ever penned by Campbell-highly recommend! Like Bettelheim with European fairy tales, Campbell delves into the ways folktales used to act as cautionary illustrations to channel human behavior. This would be morality based on the way society actually functions, not on church teachings about how the world should be. Younger readers may not grasp how fabulous Campbell’s worldview first appeared because now it is so thoroughly believed, used, and imitated. But writers take note: His books are Number One on the syllabus for Hollywood Screenwriting 101. Everyone working in the arts or education—or anyone human—should read Campbell.
May 6, 2016
Easily my favorite so far of Campbell's books. While at times it was hard to read due to references to other studies I over all found the book a great read and very informative. I decided to read it with the hopes of learning more about oriental proto-myth and belief systems and this book more then met that goal. I would suggest the Masks of God series to anyone interested in various cultures and how their respective faiths influence that culture.
June 15, 2012
انتشارات جوانه رشد این کتاب را با نام اساطیر مشرق زمین و ترجمه علی اصغر بهرامی منتشر کرده است
محتوای ارزشمند کتاب در کنار ترجمۀ ضعیف آن درست بشکلات خوشمزه ای میماند که در پوششی از خار بسته بندی شده باشد.
محتوای ارزشمند کتاب در کنار ترجمۀ ضعیف آن درست بشکلات خوشمزه ای میماند که در پوششی از خار بسته بندی شده باشد.
July 4, 2016
Second in a set of 4 works. All of which are an indispensible resource if you have any ambition to understand Mythology and comparative religion.
July 8, 2016
Everyone interested in cultural differences and cultural history should read Joseph Campbell. His insights into the foundational differences in world cultures are essential knowledge.
December 28, 2024
Joseph Campbell fue sin lugar a dudas (junto con Mircea Eliade) uno de los más grandes mitólogos y expertos en religiones comparadas de nuestro tiempo. Famoso por su libro El héroe de las mil caras donde planteaba la interesante teoría de que las narraciones mitológicas comparten con frecuencia una estructura fundamental, con patrones básicos que se pueden hallar en relatos mitológicos a lo largo de todo el mundo a través de lo que denominó "El Viaje del Héroe"; idea que sería la influencia principal para gente como George Lucas y la concepción de Star Wars.
Pero junto al afamado El héroe de las mil caras existe otra obra fundamental en la bibliografía de Campbell: Nada más y nada menos que una ciclópea obra dividida en 4 volúmenes titulada "Las Máscaras de Dios" donde el autor busca realizar un trabajo titánico de mitología comparada de la humanidad completa desde sus albores hasta la Edad Moderna, desarrollando aún más su tesis de la unidad biológica y espiritual de la raza humana.
En este segundo volumen, Campbell expande su estudio de mitología comparada, centrándose en las mitologías mesopotámicas, egipcias, indias, chinas y japonesas, ilustrándonos la historia de religiones como el hinduismo, el budismo, el confucionismo, el taoísmo y el sintoísmo. Aparece la idea de un solo mito básico del final y el comienzo de un eón que en su forma mítica primaria, produjo los ritos de Osiris y Tammuz; más tarde, en los míticos helenísticos literarios, las leyendas de Dafne, Mirra, etc. y en las crónicas pseudohistóricas chinas y bíblicas, las leyendas de Noé, Lot - y a 8.000 kilómetros de distancia - Yu el Grande. Resulta interesantísimo además como enlaza la apertura de la antigua ruta de la seda hacia el año 100 A.E.C. que vendría a unir la Bactria Helenística, con la India budista, la Partia zoroástrica y a partir de entonces el flujo de ideas entre los cuatro dominios de la antigua Europa, el Levante, la India y Extremo Oriente no dejó de aumentar y condujo al desarrollo por todo el continente euroasiático de un vocabulario mítico común, aplicado en cada dominio a un estilo de pensamiento particular.
Tal vez el mejor capítulo de este volumen sea el dedicado a la India budista, al surgimiento de esta doctrina a partir del hinduismo antiguo (o Edad de Hierro India); las doctrinas del jainismo y la búsqueda espiritual en una época de importantes cambios socio-culturales; así como su expansión hacia el este y el particular (y casi que épico) proceso de sincretismo en China y Japón.
Puede que Joseph Campbell no haya logrado el nivel de conocimiento y erudición que alcanzó su colega Mircea Eliade; sin embargo hay en Campbell una manera - casi poética - de exponer sus estudios y tesis. Tal vez se deba a esta maravillosa historia de su vida: En 1929, Joseph Cambell regresaba en barco a Norteamérica, procedente de Europa. Durante el viaje, conoció al filósofo y escritor espiritual indio Jiddu Krishnamurti, con quien sostuvo largas jornadas de discusión filosófica y religiosa. Tan pronto desembarcó en Nueva York, abandonó la práctica del catolicismo y abrazó una aproximación laica al hinduismo y el budismo, lo que se vería coronado en 1956 en una peregrinación de un año a la India y Japón. "Las Máscaras de Dios" aparece entonces como un escrito surgido de su mística experiencia en oriente y he allí donde toda prosa de un peregrino, merece ser recordada!
Pero junto al afamado El héroe de las mil caras existe otra obra fundamental en la bibliografía de Campbell: Nada más y nada menos que una ciclópea obra dividida en 4 volúmenes titulada "Las Máscaras de Dios" donde el autor busca realizar un trabajo titánico de mitología comparada de la humanidad completa desde sus albores hasta la Edad Moderna, desarrollando aún más su tesis de la unidad biológica y espiritual de la raza humana.
En este segundo volumen, Campbell expande su estudio de mitología comparada, centrándose en las mitologías mesopotámicas, egipcias, indias, chinas y japonesas, ilustrándonos la historia de religiones como el hinduismo, el budismo, el confucionismo, el taoísmo y el sintoísmo. Aparece la idea de un solo mito básico del final y el comienzo de un eón que en su forma mítica primaria, produjo los ritos de Osiris y Tammuz; más tarde, en los míticos helenísticos literarios, las leyendas de Dafne, Mirra, etc. y en las crónicas pseudohistóricas chinas y bíblicas, las leyendas de Noé, Lot - y a 8.000 kilómetros de distancia - Yu el Grande. Resulta interesantísimo además como enlaza la apertura de la antigua ruta de la seda hacia el año 100 A.E.C. que vendría a unir la Bactria Helenística, con la India budista, la Partia zoroástrica y a partir de entonces el flujo de ideas entre los cuatro dominios de la antigua Europa, el Levante, la India y Extremo Oriente no dejó de aumentar y condujo al desarrollo por todo el continente euroasiático de un vocabulario mítico común, aplicado en cada dominio a un estilo de pensamiento particular.
Tal vez el mejor capítulo de este volumen sea el dedicado a la India budista, al surgimiento de esta doctrina a partir del hinduismo antiguo (o Edad de Hierro India); las doctrinas del jainismo y la búsqueda espiritual en una época de importantes cambios socio-culturales; así como su expansión hacia el este y el particular (y casi que épico) proceso de sincretismo en China y Japón.
Puede que Joseph Campbell no haya logrado el nivel de conocimiento y erudición que alcanzó su colega Mircea Eliade; sin embargo hay en Campbell una manera - casi poética - de exponer sus estudios y tesis. Tal vez se deba a esta maravillosa historia de su vida: En 1929, Joseph Cambell regresaba en barco a Norteamérica, procedente de Europa. Durante el viaje, conoció al filósofo y escritor espiritual indio Jiddu Krishnamurti, con quien sostuvo largas jornadas de discusión filosófica y religiosa. Tan pronto desembarcó en Nueva York, abandonó la práctica del catolicismo y abrazó una aproximación laica al hinduismo y el budismo, lo que se vería coronado en 1956 en una peregrinación de un año a la India y Japón. "Las Máscaras de Dios" aparece entonces como un escrito surgido de su mística experiencia en oriente y he allí donde toda prosa de un peregrino, merece ser recordada!
April 15, 2022
آخر سر هم کامل نخونده بردم پسش دادم کتاب رو زیادی تمدید کرده بودم.
ولی اساطیر رو با جزییات داشت و خوب بود.
فقط من خیلی پراکنده خوندم و مشکل اصلیم با کتاب وزنش بود.
تعداد صفحاتش هم پونصد ششصد تا بود ها، زیاد نبود؛ ولی خیلی زیادی به نسبت سایزش سنگین بود؛ حتا به نسبت کتاب های قدیمی هم که کاغذا سنگین بود.
برا همین نمیتونستم زیاد با خودم حملش کنم و راحت بخونمش.
ولی اساطیر رو با جزییات داشت و خوب بود.
فقط من خیلی پراکنده خوندم و مشکل اصلیم با کتاب وزنش بود.
تعداد صفحاتش هم پونصد ششصد تا بود ها، زیاد نبود؛ ولی خیلی زیادی به نسبت سایزش سنگین بود؛ حتا به نسبت کتاب های قدیمی هم که کاغذا سنگین بود.
برا همین نمیتونستم زیاد با خودم حملش کنم و راحت بخونمش.
April 6, 2016
In graduate school, when I asked my beloved mentor, Freudian/Lacanian David Wagenknecht about Carl Jung, his response was, "I dunno: a little too Joseph Campbell for me." There is no better or smarter human on earth than David and so I didn't read either Jung (who I worship) or Campbell (who I now really, really love) for many years. I think the wait was just fine for me (sorry Dave) but I know I will be reading at least Campbell's Masks of God for the rest of my life (and perhaps also his Skeleton's Key to Finnegans Wake at least twice more). Campbell is NOT a mere popularizer of Jung (more like a popularizer of Thomass Mann if you had choose) and not the hokey Ur-mythologist I was expecting -- but a a rigorous academic and scholar, an inspiring thinker, a terrific organizer, and a fabulous bibliographer. Admittedly, in my middle-age, I find something very comforting about these books (which in fact make no truth-claims whatsoever regarding supernatural matrices) but am not entirely sure why. I love these four books.
September 25, 2020
4/5 Stars (%78/100)
This is the second book in the series called The Masks of God by Joseph Campbell, aka the God of Mythology himself. Whenever you hear the word mythology, Campbell's name is always mentioned. Campbell is extremely important in the field of myths. I've used him as a source for hundreds of times. It is no wonder that this series is also very good.
As it can be understood from the title, this book mainly deals with Asian myths and legends. I am especially interested in Japanese mythology, so this book was great for me. I borrowed it from my university library and finished it within a day. It is very fun to read but also very informative. Great source for research but also great to just spend some time and relax.
This is the second book in the series called The Masks of God by Joseph Campbell, aka the God of Mythology himself. Whenever you hear the word mythology, Campbell's name is always mentioned. Campbell is extremely important in the field of myths. I've used him as a source for hundreds of times. It is no wonder that this series is also very good.
As it can be understood from the title, this book mainly deals with Asian myths and legends. I am especially interested in Japanese mythology, so this book was great for me. I borrowed it from my university library and finished it within a day. It is very fun to read but also very informative. Great source for research but also great to just spend some time and relax.
December 11, 2010
As with the first volume, Primitive Mythology, this is probably at least my second time reading this book. Over the years of reading Campbell's works, I am gradually absorbing and comprehending more and more of his train of thought. This is truly a remarkable set of books. On to Occidental Mythology! --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.
February 20, 2016
in addition to the usual anthropological stuff, specific focus on religion of india and china in the earliest knowable moments.
September 30, 2023
O bună introducere în tainele și misterele Orientului.
De la sumerieni, mesopotamieni, până la civiliația „târzie” a Chinei și Japoniei, cu un mare accent pe religiile intermediare din India, Campbell sumarizează foarte frumos traseul ideilor care stau la baza religiilor orientale, arătând cum multe teme religioase se aseamănă între ele (ca urmare a fie războaielor - vezi cazul impactului invaziei lui Alexandru cel Mare în Persia, fie a contactului direct - călugari budiști sau cărturari pricepuți în tainele acestei filozofii).
Cel mai frapant aspect la acest volum este modul în care, deși o religie venită din afară (fie prin asuprire ori de bună voie) este absorbită în interiorul unei culturi, aceasta nu este pe deplin integrată, ci, îi sunt adăugate elemente specifice culturii unde urmează să fie „aplicată”. Cazurile budismului din China și Japonia sunt cele mai relevante, dar și în India avem nenumărate cazuri de transformări, printre care cea mai importantă transformare survenind ca urmare a invaziei asirienilor.
Un alt punct demn de remarcat este cel care face referie la crizele acute prin care trec civilizațiile în anumite etape ale dezvoltării lor - războaiele, calamitățile, tensiunile sociale, și multe altele contribuie covărșitor la noua atitudine religioasă care va lua naștere (egal că facem referire la alterarea sistemului religios care există deja sau la adoptarea unei alte religiii din afară).
În cele din urmă, mă declar mulțumit de această achiziție.
Urmează sa trec rapid și prin volumul 1.
De la sumerieni, mesopotamieni, până la civiliația „târzie” a Chinei și Japoniei, cu un mare accent pe religiile intermediare din India, Campbell sumarizează foarte frumos traseul ideilor care stau la baza religiilor orientale, arătând cum multe teme religioase se aseamănă între ele (ca urmare a fie războaielor - vezi cazul impactului invaziei lui Alexandru cel Mare în Persia, fie a contactului direct - călugari budiști sau cărturari pricepuți în tainele acestei filozofii).
Cel mai frapant aspect la acest volum este modul în care, deși o religie venită din afară (fie prin asuprire ori de bună voie) este absorbită în interiorul unei culturi, aceasta nu este pe deplin integrată, ci, îi sunt adăugate elemente specifice culturii unde urmează să fie „aplicată”. Cazurile budismului din China și Japonia sunt cele mai relevante, dar și în India avem nenumărate cazuri de transformări, printre care cea mai importantă transformare survenind ca urmare a invaziei asirienilor.
Un alt punct demn de remarcat este cel care face referie la crizele acute prin care trec civilizațiile în anumite etape ale dezvoltării lor - războaiele, calamitățile, tensiunile sociale, și multe altele contribuie covărșitor la noua atitudine religioasă care va lua naștere (egal că facem referire la alterarea sistemului religios care există deja sau la adoptarea unei alte religiii din afară).
În cele din urmă, mă declar mulțumit de această achiziție.
Urmează sa trec rapid și prin volumul 1.
February 27, 2021
A difficult book to read...as an Occidental, trying to appreciate and understand the Oriental mind is a real challenge. It is also difficult for them to understand us. The last 5-6 pages , where the Communists try to mock and destroy the Tibetan Buddhists, gives one pause for thought.
November 24, 2020
Pre-Read: After a week of scattered reading of Jung’s MDR, Aion and Red Book, I decided to plunge into this one on the back of a year and a half of obsessive book-reading that has left me feeling counterproductively empty about the enterprise of knowledge as being somehow pedestrian, self-congratulatory and derivative. Better late than never though to come to the realization that of the 200 odd books of this period, I can count on one hand the works of truly and profoundly visionary genius, and that this year might’ve been stratospheric had I read only 10 books all of which had the sort of staggering insight these handful have had. Fingers crossed then on this JC adventure whose call was once refused and now accepted trepidatiously on some vague distant promise of transformation and apotheosis.
Bailed at 70%. TBC when mind and heart are more still.
Notes
East/West
Bible’s fall is historical/geographical from a garden of Eden, so the return will also be historical and geographical. Hindu fall is psychological, maya, delusion, so the return will also be psychological, yoga.
Tao, like Dharma, is the Way, a path, the way the universe works. Yin-Yang: 1 circle, then 2 half-circles within it that gives the curved line which is half-circumference length. Ad infinitum. 1, 2, then 10,000 things of creation.
Yogi seeks stillness, nir (no)-vana (wind) so surface of pond becomes free of ripples. Far-East is fine with movement, wants to participate in the rhythm of the Dao. Samadhi, with eyes closed, or Satori, with eyes open like in a dance.
Cities Of God
Near East’s bull-god and cow-goddess makes its way to Zeus/Europa/Io, Pasiphae/Poseidon’s Bull etc. Temples organized with generative power of female/nature as central (female organ). Bull not only sired milk-yielding cows, but also ploughed the land.
Mount of earth, symbolic of goddess, cognate with stupa, omphalos, mountains like Olympos, Meru.
4500-2500BC - The new arts and ideas from Sumerian temple spread to Egypt, Indus, China, Americas, but only the ideas, not the religious experience that had given rise to them. Osiris-Isis (and then Adonis/Dionysus) all variants on common near East theme of dead-resurrected god-king.
King not warlord but instrument of eternal moral norm, maat, truth/right order, and king is only earthly force/revelation. Dynasty I (2850BC), pharaoh is Great God who worships nobody. Dynasty V (2350BC) he is Good God who worships Ra.
Memphis Priests of Ptah, in understanding the creator, also understand creativity itself, saying the God ‘saw’ thought in the heart, the way things must be, and then the tongue made them real through commandments.
Older Heliopolis Priests had Atum, who created through act of masturbation. Or spat. Atum had twins Shu/Tefnut who then had Nut/Geb who in turn had Isis/Osiris and Seth/Nephthys. Thus 9 gods were collected into a genealogy Ennead Of Heliopolis.
Ptah created in image of Atum. Horus is heart of Ptah. Thot, ancient moon-god of Hermopolis, brought in as scribe of Heliopolis. Tongue of Ptah. Immanent transcendent Ptah, 2000 years before India
Ptah/Apis Bul: Shiva/Nandi. Consort is Sekhmet (powerful one) lion goddess / Sakti (power) with lion.
Lunar bull replaced by Solar lion. Moon is lord of growth, waters, womb, but Sun is lord of light, intellect, pure reason, eternal laws that never change.
Cities Of Men
Underlying myth of divine death cut up, divided, parts buried to then turn into new creation, because reproduction without death and death without reproduction are both bad. Link between death and sex. Survival is killing and eating.
Sumerian tablets 10 mythic kings reigned 432,000 years. Warriors of Valhalla 800 each through 540 doors = 432,000 of Gotterdammerung. Precession of Equinox, goes through 360 degs (full circle of Zodiac) in 432 (base 60) years.
Western tragedy/hybris: seek immortality and fail. Daedalus. Tree of life, cross. Catastrophe is just the final-turn, but tragic mood is so dominant in West that it’s come to mean tragic turn. Eastern: seek and ye shall find. Buddha. Eastern hero is not tragic, but undying unborn, reincarnated greatness.
Indian Myth
Paleolithic: Hand-axes, pebble tools of 2 types Soan (NW) and Acheulian (South) from 500,000 BC. Vedas in 1000BC means 499,000 years of unrecorded consciousness.
Upper paleolithic Europe 30k to 10k BC developed true blades, but not India. But equatorial regions have more perishable materials that we won’t find evidence for, like leather/fiber/wood. Temperate have more durable materials, stone/metal/pottery, to us today it seems like a natural law of cultural evolution.
2500-1500BC Indus Valley. Sargon of Akkad had ships from ports as far as Meluha, could be Indus (copper/ivory/wood). Genetics of proto-Australoid, Australian aborigines might be through Ceylon/Melanesia from S.India. Indus valley figurines have S.Indian features. Baluchistan was called Gedrosia - land of dark folk. Dravidian languages still have kin in East Baluchistan/Sind of Brahui
2nd race in Indus was mediterranean that now dominant in Arabia, figurines of these (like priest in robes, leaving right-shoulder bare like Sumerian priests, current day Buddhist) seem to be higher social class. Luxurious quarters as well as quarters comparable to modern slums in same city. Eastern natives paleolithic were not threats but maybe brought in as labor. Ancient caste system.
Goddess worship dominant in India, with associated practices like human sacrifice that survived in India legally until 1835. Aryans came and abhorred the phallic cults of goddess worship. Not so much patriarchy as dominance over nature/creation/cults
Khongs of Bihar/Orissa have a sacrificial-caste: Meriahs, raised to be sacrificed to Earth goddess. (funfact: invoked story of Avatar to appeal to James Cameron to stop Vedanta mining company from raping their bauxite mountain)
Indus seals have a meditating yogi with erect phallus (Shiva) as well as yogis shielded by Cobra (Vishnu).
Greatest god of Rgved is Varuna, from vr (envelope, cover). Indra also slays greatest demon, Vritra, same root.
No sign of Hinduism in the Vedas. No reincarnation, rebirth, yoga, moksha, vegetarianism, case, nonviolence. So Aryans were assimilated into Indus complex (Dravidians). Varuna became Vishnu. Rta became Dharma. Maya. In Mahabharat, Vritra becomes a Brahmin, who from Brahma gets power of Maya. Indra is punished, though, for this Brahminicide. His powers come not from Soma but Yoga (from Indus). Final victory not by Vishnu but Shiva. Even Vritra’s power from Yoga for 60k years.
Vedas were not composed but divinely heard (Sruti), like Homeric epics of pre-bicameral breakdown age?
4 classes of brahmins for ashvamedha: Hotri (invoker: Rgved. beautiful-tongued), Adhvaryu (sacrificer: Yajurved. beautiful-handed). Udgatri (chanter. Samaved). King’s house priest.
The power of a rite came from the precision of its analogy with cosmic order. Imitative Magic. Horse tied to post (sun) at altar (earth), strewn with grass plants), wood (trees), sprinkled water (waters) and enclosed sticks (4 quarters). Whore-son (power of pure sex) clubs 4-eyed dog to death (misfortune) and warns all of harming the horse. Queen made to mate with dead horse, hieros gamos, Queen of Athens with cattle Dionysus. Varuna as stallion. Trojan Horse is Ashwamedha?
Vedic masculine gods mixing with Indus Valley ideas: Hemavati who shows Indra, Vayu, Agni of the Brahman. Proto-Shiva who is Rudra. Rud-Howl. Father of the Maruts. Vish(to be active)nu measures out earth, sky and heaven in 3 steps. Slowly, Vedic Gods became eligibly seen as manifestations of Indus Brahman.
Savitr not as sun-god or stimulator of life, but the idea of that which can stimulate, a force. Su- to excite/impel.
Lord Soma as food and matter. Agni as fire of energy, digests food in stomach, decomposes corpse into ether, constantly transforming matter.
Jain myth unprecedented, seeks to blot out universe and destroy will to live.
Greeks didn’t have a word for space/infinity. Cosmos was the harmony of observable and visible objects, built out. Indian boundlessness contrasts, dilation of laws of physics that even numbers become imprecise. Cosmology here begins with space, infinity,
Jains first stop karmic influx through reduction of involvement in world, and then literally burn away the karma through heat (tapas), so monad rises to higher plane, weightless, without wind (nir-vana)
Buddhist India
Dante’s cold-hell has no Christian precedent. But present in Zoroaster/Jain/Buddhist.
Mesopotamian axial cosmic mountain, ziggurat with 4 quarters.
Not a single piece of writing since from Indus to coming of Alexander. Greek record is first ever mention of yoga in India. Macedonian generals interaction with the naked philosophers of Taxila.
5 components of Indian mythic complex:
lunar Indus valley submission to destiny (maat/me), cosmic order, astrology.
Leonine Vedic age, devas vs asuras. First with devas then with panentheist Brahman. Return of principle of cosmic order, dharma, rta, maat. Brahmins knowledge of this order becomes root of power.
Yoga: shamanic use of breath, meditation, dance, music. Inner heat.
Great Reversal: loathing for existence. Neti neti. Jains, Sankhya. Knowledge of Purusha. Then Buddhist erasure of Purusha, void.
Double-negative. Return to world.
Buddha to Gupta 500BC to 500AD, age of great classics. Aeschylus to Boethius. Darius to Justinian. Confucius to Boddhidharma. Classical Horizon of Americas.
4 tides of Westen influence: Achaemenid, Alexander, Roman sea-trade along western coast, and then pagan refugees after Christianization of Roman Empire.
Bailed at 70%. TBC when mind and heart are more still.
Notes
East/West
Bible’s fall is historical/geographical from a garden of Eden, so the return will also be historical and geographical. Hindu fall is psychological, maya, delusion, so the return will also be psychological, yoga.
Tao, like Dharma, is the Way, a path, the way the universe works. Yin-Yang: 1 circle, then 2 half-circles within it that gives the curved line which is half-circumference length. Ad infinitum. 1, 2, then 10,000 things of creation.
Yogi seeks stillness, nir (no)-vana (wind) so surface of pond becomes free of ripples. Far-East is fine with movement, wants to participate in the rhythm of the Dao. Samadhi, with eyes closed, or Satori, with eyes open like in a dance.
Cities Of God
Near East’s bull-god and cow-goddess makes its way to Zeus/Europa/Io, Pasiphae/Poseidon’s Bull etc. Temples organized with generative power of female/nature as central (female organ). Bull not only sired milk-yielding cows, but also ploughed the land.
Mount of earth, symbolic of goddess, cognate with stupa, omphalos, mountains like Olympos, Meru.
4500-2500BC - The new arts and ideas from Sumerian temple spread to Egypt, Indus, China, Americas, but only the ideas, not the religious experience that had given rise to them. Osiris-Isis (and then Adonis/Dionysus) all variants on common near East theme of dead-resurrected god-king.
King not warlord but instrument of eternal moral norm, maat, truth/right order, and king is only earthly force/revelation. Dynasty I (2850BC), pharaoh is Great God who worships nobody. Dynasty V (2350BC) he is Good God who worships Ra.
Memphis Priests of Ptah, in understanding the creator, also understand creativity itself, saying the God ‘saw’ thought in the heart, the way things must be, and then the tongue made them real through commandments.
Older Heliopolis Priests had Atum, who created through act of masturbation. Or spat. Atum had twins Shu/Tefnut who then had Nut/Geb who in turn had Isis/Osiris and Seth/Nephthys. Thus 9 gods were collected into a genealogy Ennead Of Heliopolis.
Ptah created in image of Atum. Horus is heart of Ptah. Thot, ancient moon-god of Hermopolis, brought in as scribe of Heliopolis. Tongue of Ptah. Immanent transcendent Ptah, 2000 years before India
Ptah/Apis Bul: Shiva/Nandi. Consort is Sekhmet (powerful one) lion goddess / Sakti (power) with lion.
Lunar bull replaced by Solar lion. Moon is lord of growth, waters, womb, but Sun is lord of light, intellect, pure reason, eternal laws that never change.
Cities Of Men
Underlying myth of divine death cut up, divided, parts buried to then turn into new creation, because reproduction without death and death without reproduction are both bad. Link between death and sex. Survival is killing and eating.
Sumerian tablets 10 mythic kings reigned 432,000 years. Warriors of Valhalla 800 each through 540 doors = 432,000 of Gotterdammerung. Precession of Equinox, goes through 360 degs (full circle of Zodiac) in 432 (base 60) years.
Western tragedy/hybris: seek immortality and fail. Daedalus. Tree of life, cross. Catastrophe is just the final-turn, but tragic mood is so dominant in West that it’s come to mean tragic turn. Eastern: seek and ye shall find. Buddha. Eastern hero is not tragic, but undying unborn, reincarnated greatness.
Indian Myth
Paleolithic: Hand-axes, pebble tools of 2 types Soan (NW) and Acheulian (South) from 500,000 BC. Vedas in 1000BC means 499,000 years of unrecorded consciousness.
Upper paleolithic Europe 30k to 10k BC developed true blades, but not India. But equatorial regions have more perishable materials that we won’t find evidence for, like leather/fiber/wood. Temperate have more durable materials, stone/metal/pottery, to us today it seems like a natural law of cultural evolution.
2500-1500BC Indus Valley. Sargon of Akkad had ships from ports as far as Meluha, could be Indus (copper/ivory/wood). Genetics of proto-Australoid, Australian aborigines might be through Ceylon/Melanesia from S.India. Indus valley figurines have S.Indian features. Baluchistan was called Gedrosia - land of dark folk. Dravidian languages still have kin in East Baluchistan/Sind of Brahui
2nd race in Indus was mediterranean that now dominant in Arabia, figurines of these (like priest in robes, leaving right-shoulder bare like Sumerian priests, current day Buddhist) seem to be higher social class. Luxurious quarters as well as quarters comparable to modern slums in same city. Eastern natives paleolithic were not threats but maybe brought in as labor. Ancient caste system.
Goddess worship dominant in India, with associated practices like human sacrifice that survived in India legally until 1835. Aryans came and abhorred the phallic cults of goddess worship. Not so much patriarchy as dominance over nature/creation/cults
Khongs of Bihar/Orissa have a sacrificial-caste: Meriahs, raised to be sacrificed to Earth goddess. (funfact: invoked story of Avatar to appeal to James Cameron to stop Vedanta mining company from raping their bauxite mountain)
Indus seals have a meditating yogi with erect phallus (Shiva) as well as yogis shielded by Cobra (Vishnu).
Greatest god of Rgved is Varuna, from vr (envelope, cover). Indra also slays greatest demon, Vritra, same root.
No sign of Hinduism in the Vedas. No reincarnation, rebirth, yoga, moksha, vegetarianism, case, nonviolence. So Aryans were assimilated into Indus complex (Dravidians). Varuna became Vishnu. Rta became Dharma. Maya. In Mahabharat, Vritra becomes a Brahmin, who from Brahma gets power of Maya. Indra is punished, though, for this Brahminicide. His powers come not from Soma but Yoga (from Indus). Final victory not by Vishnu but Shiva. Even Vritra’s power from Yoga for 60k years.
Vedas were not composed but divinely heard (Sruti), like Homeric epics of pre-bicameral breakdown age?
4 classes of brahmins for ashvamedha: Hotri (invoker: Rgved. beautiful-tongued), Adhvaryu (sacrificer: Yajurved. beautiful-handed). Udgatri (chanter. Samaved). King’s house priest.
The power of a rite came from the precision of its analogy with cosmic order. Imitative Magic. Horse tied to post (sun) at altar (earth), strewn with grass plants), wood (trees), sprinkled water (waters) and enclosed sticks (4 quarters). Whore-son (power of pure sex) clubs 4-eyed dog to death (misfortune) and warns all of harming the horse. Queen made to mate with dead horse, hieros gamos, Queen of Athens with cattle Dionysus. Varuna as stallion. Trojan Horse is Ashwamedha?
Vedic masculine gods mixing with Indus Valley ideas: Hemavati who shows Indra, Vayu, Agni of the Brahman. Proto-Shiva who is Rudra. Rud-Howl. Father of the Maruts. Vish(to be active)nu measures out earth, sky and heaven in 3 steps. Slowly, Vedic Gods became eligibly seen as manifestations of Indus Brahman.
Savitr not as sun-god or stimulator of life, but the idea of that which can stimulate, a force. Su- to excite/impel.
Lord Soma as food and matter. Agni as fire of energy, digests food in stomach, decomposes corpse into ether, constantly transforming matter.
Jain myth unprecedented, seeks to blot out universe and destroy will to live.
Greeks didn’t have a word for space/infinity. Cosmos was the harmony of observable and visible objects, built out. Indian boundlessness contrasts, dilation of laws of physics that even numbers become imprecise. Cosmology here begins with space, infinity,
Jains first stop karmic influx through reduction of involvement in world, and then literally burn away the karma through heat (tapas), so monad rises to higher plane, weightless, without wind (nir-vana)
Buddhist India
Dante’s cold-hell has no Christian precedent. But present in Zoroaster/Jain/Buddhist.
Mesopotamian axial cosmic mountain, ziggurat with 4 quarters.
Not a single piece of writing since from Indus to coming of Alexander. Greek record is first ever mention of yoga in India. Macedonian generals interaction with the naked philosophers of Taxila.
5 components of Indian mythic complex:
lunar Indus valley submission to destiny (maat/me), cosmic order, astrology.
Leonine Vedic age, devas vs asuras. First with devas then with panentheist Brahman. Return of principle of cosmic order, dharma, rta, maat. Brahmins knowledge of this order becomes root of power.
Yoga: shamanic use of breath, meditation, dance, music. Inner heat.
Great Reversal: loathing for existence. Neti neti. Jains, Sankhya. Knowledge of Purusha. Then Buddhist erasure of Purusha, void.
Double-negative. Return to world.
Buddha to Gupta 500BC to 500AD, age of great classics. Aeschylus to Boethius. Darius to Justinian. Confucius to Boddhidharma. Classical Horizon of Americas.
4 tides of Westen influence: Achaemenid, Alexander, Roman sea-trade along western coast, and then pagan refugees after Christianization of Roman Empire.
November 22, 2015
I'm an admirer of Campbell's work. I've enjoyed many of his books including The Power of Myth, Myths to Live By, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, and The Inner Reaches of Outer Space. I wasn't impressed by Oriental Mythology.
I was hoping this book would provide a clear overview of the ideas in Oriental Mythology, while placing the myths of the orient in an overall context of world mythology. It seems this is what Campbell sets out to do in the introductory chapter The Four Great Domains. Yet, as the book goes on, it becomes bogged down in meticulous retellings of myth such that the book loses the forest for the trees.
For example, Campbell retells the entire story of the Buddha's life and enlightenment. I think anyone reading this book will already have at least a general familiarity with the story of the Buddha. To retell it in thorough detail is to lose focus. We don't need the original stories retold, we need the ideas and meaning of Buddhism and how they compare and contrast with other mythologies around the world.
The inclusion of a multitude of examples is done lovingly, but Campbell's affinity for his subject blinds him to utility of the book for the reader. The book is long-winded in its inclusion of myths, but doesn't include enough discussion of the implications of its examples.
As much as I was disappointed by this volume, I still have the highest respect for Campbell and will probably go on to read the other three books in the Masks of God series. I just hope they're better than this one.
I was hoping this book would provide a clear overview of the ideas in Oriental Mythology, while placing the myths of the orient in an overall context of world mythology. It seems this is what Campbell sets out to do in the introductory chapter The Four Great Domains. Yet, as the book goes on, it becomes bogged down in meticulous retellings of myth such that the book loses the forest for the trees.
For example, Campbell retells the entire story of the Buddha's life and enlightenment. I think anyone reading this book will already have at least a general familiarity with the story of the Buddha. To retell it in thorough detail is to lose focus. We don't need the original stories retold, we need the ideas and meaning of Buddhism and how they compare and contrast with other mythologies around the world.
The inclusion of a multitude of examples is done lovingly, but Campbell's affinity for his subject blinds him to utility of the book for the reader. The book is long-winded in its inclusion of myths, but doesn't include enough discussion of the implications of its examples.
As much as I was disappointed by this volume, I still have the highest respect for Campbell and will probably go on to read the other three books in the Masks of God series. I just hope they're better than this one.
Read
May 28, 2013I feel bruised and bewildered after every volume of the Masks of God, yet I keep coming back for more punishment. An overview of the mythologies of the "East", inclusive of Egypt, which surprised me. The evolutions of Buddhism as it moved from India northeastward through China and finally to Japan was the most interesting part of the book for me. The work ends somewhat incongruously with a detailed description of Chinese Communist atrocities against the Tibetans, especially the Buddhist practitioners among them, and relates this to a depiction of the Tibetan Book of the Dead and it's imaginings of hell. One of the earlier impressions I had of Campbell, that he favored Eastern religions over Western, was overturned by reading this book. Throughout he holds up the Western hero's journey, with its emphasis on autonomy and worldly engagement as preferable to Eastern detachment. Perhaps the final volume on Creative Mythology will present some answers and a summative statement on the relative merits of each mythological system.
July 7, 2021
A great follow-up to the first book. I was a little bit surprised to find that the greater portion of the book was spent on India (which he obviously adores) while a lesser portion was spent on Japan and a tinsy weensy little amount of the book was dedicated to China. I felt like the Chinese section really outlined his utter distaste for Chinese culture and showed that he felt like the culture was mostly stolen from other places in the world, most certainly Taoist belief, which seemed to be written as some watered down and mutated version of Indian thought. He didn't seem to have a taste for the Moists either. Anyway, I love this guy, but felt like he didn't really delve into Chinese culture very much and that was what I was sort of expecting. What I learned about India and Polynesia was awesome though, and lots of human sacrifice to keep it rolling - just scary enough to be interesting.
Read
August 27, 2013this book (probably series) is not meant to be a quick read. within Joseph Campbell's pages are mazes of information, quotes and citations of dialogues, anthropological studies, you name it. there is more information about ancient India, China and Japan in this book than you can imagine and I was certainly shown that I don't know as much as I thought I knew about China, especially India. Campbell's book definitely went infinitely beyond any classes I had in religion or Oriental studies. the narration, however, is surprisingly light-hearted and even humorous at times.
I picked this volume up on recommendation of my friend (who is a religion major) and thought it would be a quick read, but I was definitely wrong. I will admit I skipped a few sections just because I didn't find them relevant to what I wanted to learn, hence I am not rating this book yet and will probably return to Oriental Mythology at a later time.
I picked this volume up on recommendation of my friend (who is a religion major) and thought it would be a quick read, but I was definitely wrong. I will admit I skipped a few sections just because I didn't find them relevant to what I wanted to learn, hence I am not rating this book yet and will probably return to Oriental Mythology at a later time.
August 10, 2012
Part 2 of Campbell's massive 4 volume "Masks of God" series. Campbell's long-windedness is trying at times, but his lucid explanations of the origins of Eastern religions and philosophies more than make up for it. History, archaeology, psychology, and storytelling - this book has them all. My only real disappointment with the book is that last chapter, "Tibet: Buddha and the New Happiness", is less about Tibetan Buddhism (as one might expect) and more like a detailed laundry list of the atrocities committed by the invading Chinese Communists in the 1950s. That being said, I still feel that the book deserves a full 5 stars for Campbell's remarkable scholarship in chronicling over 5000 years of human religious thought.
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