Oriental Mythology
- Downloads：4102
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-04 06:51:31
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Joseph Campbell
- ISBN：1608687287
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
It has perhaps never been more important than it is today to understand the world around us and the world’s religions。 It is now well understood that health， climate， and economic issues are truly global。 On completing The Masks of God， Campbell wrote， “Its main result for me has been the confirmation of a thought I have long and faithfully entertained: of the unity of man， not only in its biology， but also in its spiritual history， which has everywhere unfolded in the manner of a single symphony 。 。 。 irresistibly advancing to some kind of mighty climax， out of which the next great movement will emerge。” Upon the publication of this volume， in which Campbell delves into the fables and folklore of Hinduism， Buddhism， Taoism， and Shintoism， Professor Robert Gorham Davis of Columbia University wrote， “It is impossible to read this startling and entertaining book without an enlarged sense of total human possibility。” Oriental Mythology remains mesmerizing in its eloquence， its scope， and its tantalizing vision of what may next emerge。
Reviews
Shanna
，
This was another great book by Joseph Campbell。 Some parts left me slightly bored， but honestly， that's not a huge deal for me。 I think Campbell really analyzed the Eastern mythologies well， although there were a few tinges of a European take on the myths。 Despite the occasional European take， Campbell does his best to analyze the myths for what they are for their culture（s）。 （I may add to this review a little later， but I'm not too worried about it right now。） This was another great book by Joseph Campbell。 Some parts left me slightly bored， but honestly， that's not a huge deal for me。 I think Campbell really analyzed the Eastern mythologies well， although there were a few tinges of a European take on the myths。 Despite the occasional European take， Campbell does his best to analyze the myths for what they are for their culture（s）。 （I may add to this review a little later， but I'm not too worried about it right now。） 。。。more
David
，
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。
N
，
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 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。NotesEast/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 GodNear 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 IndiaPtah/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 MenUnderlying 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 MythPaleolithic: 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 Brahui2nd 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/cultsKhongs 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 IndiaDante’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。 。。。more
Brian Griffith
，
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。 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。 。。。more
Enis
，
batı miti ataerkil düzenin kökenlerini oluşturuyorsa， doğu miti anaerkil düzenin kökenlerini oluşturuyor。 Joseph Campbell bizi uzak diyarlara bir yolculuğa çıkaracak， Hindistan'dan Çin'e ve Japonya'ya ulaşan Buddha'nın anlatısı， ve dört farklı güneşin bir oluşu。 Zihnin ve bedenin dengesi mitlerin temelinde ne kadar katı gözükse de zamanla yumuşayıp kendini olması gereken biçimine sokacak。 Tanrının Maskelerine tanıklık etmek için zaman bize tarihin içinde yol almamıza izin verecek。 batı miti ataerkil düzenin kökenlerini oluşturuyorsa， doğu miti anaerkil düzenin kökenlerini oluşturuyor。 Joseph Campbell bizi uzak diyarlara bir yolculuğa çıkaracak， Hindistan'dan Çin'e ve Japonya'ya ulaşan Buddha'nın anlatısı， ve dört farklı güneşin bir oluşu。 Zihnin ve bedenin dengesi mitlerin temelinde ne kadar katı gözükse de zamanla yumuşayıp kendini olması gereken biçimine sokacak。 Tanrının Maskelerine tanıklık etmek için zaman bize tarihin içinde yol almamıza izin verecek。 。。。more
Debbie
，
I read this as part of my mystical exploration summer following my return from Southeast Asia。 I didn't finish it， but I'm not sure when I'm picking it back up。。。'cause， let's face it， unless you experienced some powerful touch with reality that causes you to examine the fibers of this world and what it is and what it all means and why were there human beings creating bizarre monuments in the jungle and then you realize human beings are still doing it， but skyscrapers look normal to you， but big I read this as part of my mystical exploration summer following my return from Southeast Asia。 I didn't finish it， but I'm not sure when I'm picking it back up。。。'cause， let's face it， unless you experienced some powerful touch with reality that causes you to examine the fibers of this world and what it is and what it all means and why were there human beings creating bizarre monuments in the jungle and then you realize human beings are still doing it， but skyscrapers look normal to you， but big giant heads that are smiling made out of huge carved blocks of stone don't。。。yeah， then you just don't pick up Campbell's work。 Which is a shame - because the man is brilliant。 And really， shouldn't we all be thinking about this kind of stuff all the time？ Crisis of faith or not？ 。。。more
Keerthi Vasishta
，
More familiar to me than Vol 1。 The book is very very engaging and interesting， however I seemed to get lost in the information and unlike the first volume， the arguments are somewhat lost in the comparitive study of mythologies。 This does not however kill the core threads of what Campbell is writing about and therefore remains a solid piece of writing。
Luis
，
Inicia com uma reflexão sobre o diálogo mítico entre Oriente e Ocidente: a tradição contemplativa oriental e a contrapartida ocidental que revela a separação entre as esferas divina e humana。 Aborda mitologias que se desenvolveram na Suméria， no Vale do Nilo， na Índia dravídica， védica e budista， na China taoísta e confuciana， na Coréia， no Tibete e no Japão。
Zach
，
The Masks of God: Oriental Mythology is an incredible， nigh exhaustive exploration and analysis of the foundations and cross pollinations of oriental mythology。 From the layered cultures of India， China， Japan， Tibet， and Iran， it's all here。 The foregrounding and contrasting with the mythologies of the west is worth the price of admission， but what follows is a deep treasure trove of how Hinduism， Buddhism， Zoroastrianism， and several others came to be， why， and how they developed。 This is a go The Masks of God: Oriental Mythology is an incredible， nigh exhaustive exploration and analysis of the foundations and cross pollinations of oriental mythology。 From the layered cultures of India， China， Japan， Tibet， and Iran， it's all here。 The foregrounding and contrasting with the mythologies of the west is worth the price of admission， but what follows is a deep treasure trove of how Hinduism， Buddhism， Zoroastrianism， and several others came to be， why， and how they developed。 This is a gorgeous and loving tome for any who seek to understand more about the symbolism of these mythologies。 Here's a favorite quote:The Indian Buddhist was disillusioned in the universe， the Chinese Buddhist in society， the Japanese -- not at all。 So that， whereas the Indian retreat was to the Void and the Chinese either to the Family （Confucius） or to Nature （Lao Tzu）， the Japanese did not retreat but stood exactly where he was， simply magnified his kami into Buddha-things， and saw this world itself， with all its joy as well as oddities and sorrow， as the Golden Lotus World， right here and now。 。。。more
Taylor Brown
，
Not sure if Campbell is here somewhat disorganized or if the Orient is simply that far beyond me， but I had much trouble following this volume。
Mert
，
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 myt 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。 。。。more
Dmitri
，
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 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 the 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 might be 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 are fun from a historiographical standpoint but might be better augmented with more recent interpretations。 These shortcomings are partly mitigated by Joseph Campbell's keen perception and wit。 。。。more
Bradley
，
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。 （An 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。 。。。more
Sophia
，
A great insight into belief systems
John Div
，
The book clearly expands on the rich mythology of the Orient， starting with the Egyptian and steadily moving towards the Far East in Japan。 Compares it with the west， where in the west they slay the Dargon。 In the east， we ride the Dragon。
nicholas cruciani
，
Great scholarly work
Robert Zoltan
，
An incredible journey through the mythologies that have shaped the world， and amazing insights into human nature and the mystery of reality itself。
David Meditationseed
，
One of the pillars of education is to be able to relate different information， to reflect on them， to find relationships， divergences， motives， perspectives， perceptions， and to bring forth from this ocean of knowledge a river of wisdom。This book by Campbell goes that way。 The theme is still mythology and now with the lighthouse pointed to the oriental。It is a great journey not in the encyclopedic form or as if it were a dictionary entries， but on the contrary。 It is a book that discusses at the One of the pillars of education is to be able to relate different information， to reflect on them， to find relationships， divergences， motives， perspectives， perceptions， and to bring forth from this ocean of knowledge a river of wisdom。This book by Campbell goes that way。 The theme is still mythology and now with the lighthouse pointed to the oriental。It is a great journey not in the encyclopedic form or as if it were a dictionary entries， but on the contrary。 It is a book that discusses at the same time that it informs。 That reflects and inquires。 Which draws lines in the east but that surrounds the west and encompasses the abstract borders of myths。 。。。more
Miss Ravi
，
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 با 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 اعتقادی 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。 。。。more
A。 Kursat
，
"Her şey hayaldir;Bırak gitsin ve Her şey düzen içinde; Bırak gelsin。" Doğu mitolojisi ile uzakdoğunun，batılı yönden， anlaşılması zor olan mitolojileri netleşiyor。 "Her şey hayaldir;Bırak gitsin ve Her şey düzen içinde; Bırak gelsin。" Doğu mitolojisi ile uzakdoğunun，batılı yönden， anlaşılması zor olan mitolojileri netleşiyor。 。。。more
Alex Obrigewitsch
，
In this， the second volume in Campbell's Masks of God series， the shift is made to the East， where the masks by which the divine is revealed through myth are pulled back to reveal but further masks。 For it is the tendency of the Occidental myth and religions， even through the proliferation of a profuse multiplicty of gods and spirits， to manifest or disclose in the end nothing but nothingness， the very absence of God。Focusing on the numinous nature of the Brahmanic and Buddhist mythos， the speec In this， the second volume in Campbell's Masks of God series， the shift is made to the East， where the masks by which the divine is revealed through myth are pulled back to reveal but further masks。 For it is the tendency of the Occidental myth and religions， even through the proliferation of a profuse multiplicty of gods and spirits， to manifest or disclose in the end nothing but nothingness， the very absence of God。Focusing on the numinous nature of the Brahmanic and Buddhist mythos， the speech which tends arationally towards silence - the unspeaking ineffable which enshrouds， disclosing while concealing， the divine aspect of nothingness， the free-play of joy abounding through life and death entwined， which moves silently beyond all concepts， representations， and doctrines which aggregate about the ficticity of the self。 For one must experience， through the religious fear and trembling， the symbolic cypher which embodies for us the absent face of the divine - the terrifying face of God of which to see would be death。Of key import to the Oriental mythical religions is the ethical element - the transposition of one's own life upon the mythical plane or strata。 Campbell quotes Mann on this fictive reinscription of the self， through an effacive writing， termed， perhaps troublingly， a mythical identification （for ehat is identified with is a non-identity; a dissolution of all identity in the nothing of the divine）: "Life 。。。 [is] the reconstruction of the myth in flesh and blood。" And it is through "the solemn play of life as myth 。。。 [that] time [is] abrogated and life [becomes] a festival， a mask" （54）。 In this way does one's life， in letting go of and foregoing any grasping or clutching at one's own， become significant - through divine transformation， displacing the self within the mythical playspace， transforming one's life into the root of the otherwise - the difference that is free in the expression of nothingness at our abyssal heart。Such a transformation can take on a multitude of expressive appearances - the withdrawal from the worldly， the ecstatic joy of sexual copulation in which each self is lost in the fleeting communality of the between which is neither-nor， or in the ritual of dance or custom。 No matter the means of expression， what is expressed is always that which， though ever evading essentiality， moves through our abyssal heart - the affirmation of life as enrapt with death， falling away from oneself in the finitude of existence， through which destruction is only ever manifest as attendant of a further creative motion from out of the joint nothing。 Perhaps this is evoked most picturesquely in the affirmation of the Fujiwara， who， "instead of a graveyard vision 。。。 saw in the world， rather， a festival of the beauty of falling blossoms" （490）。 The divine， in all its terrifying beauty， moves silently through this life which is but a slow fall or reclining back into the nothingness of death - the infinite play through the differential manifestations of finitude。This is not to say that the Oriental mythos in all of its diverse manifestations equally adequately express this divinely human element。 For much of Buddhism falls into error， taking its world negation too far， tumbling over into life negation。 In seeking oblivion， they manifest a despising of life， a sickness which fails to see that death is always an earthly （non-）experience， intertwined with life， and that the nothing， while ever apart from this world， is intimately bound up， through its withdrawal， with the disclosive eventing of life itself。 Being and nothing are interwoven - their separation is not so simple as an ascetic refusal。There remains， of course， much left unspoken of here。 Continuing on to the Occident， perhaps we shall arrive at， through the divine mirrorplay of the mask， the positive manifestation of joy which in the Orient ever remains a staunch and resolute abiding in the suspension of the between of Being and nothing。 。。。more
Antti
，
Simply brilliant。 Read this during a long trip in Asia。 It still lasts very well。
Terragyrl3
，
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 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。 。。。more
Blaine
，
Everyone interested in cultural differences and cultural history should read Joseph Campbell。 His insights into the foundational differences in world cultures are essential knowledge。
Graeme Rodaughan
，
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。
Michael
，
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 Skele 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。 。。。more
Jake
，
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。 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。 。。。more
Mackenzie
，
All the Joseph Campbell books scratch a really deep itch to understand your favorite stories in the grand context of the history of humanity。 I haven't ventured past The Power of Myth， but I'm especially excited to challenge my preconceptions with some of the non western myths he discusses。 All the Joseph Campbell books scratch a really deep itch to understand your favorite stories in the grand context of the history of humanity。 I haven't ventured past The Power of Myth， but I'm especially excited to challenge my preconceptions with some of the non western myths he discusses。 。。。more
Dr。J。G。
，
Informative and often horrifying， but one cannot help reflecting that it takes fringe practices rather than mainstream philosophy of a great culture - perhaps more than one - and such portrayals can make anything at all look ugly。
Sharada
，
Absolutely great！！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Oriental Mythology
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Oriental Mythology&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Oriental Mythology&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0