Product Description

"Myth comes from the same zone as dream... from the great biological ground, whatever it may be. They are energies and they are matters of consciousness." -- Joseph Campbell

DURING THE FINAL YEARS OF HIS LIFE, Joseph Campbell embarked on a speaking tour in which he drew together all that he had learned about what he called the "one great story" of humanity. These remarkable talks were filmed and are presented here in the order and manner in which Campbell himself intended, with enhanced images and in minimally edited form. As seen on PBS.

The Programs
1. The Inward Path—The core myths of the great Asian religions.
2. Enlightened One—The Buddha and enlightenment, East and West.
3. Our Eternal Selves—Yoga and transcendence.
4. The Way to Illumination—Kundalini yoga and the seven chakras.
5. The Experience of God—Tibetan Buddhism and the spiritual journey that is death. Presented and Hosted by Academy Award®-Winner SUSAN SARANDON

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10016 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-04-29
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 282 minutes

Amazon.com
Joseph Campbell, the late mythologist who became a household name among public television viewers in the 1980s, embarked on a series of final lectures for TV audiences before his death. Joseph Campbell: Mythos II is part of that effort, with a special emphasis on the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Campbell begins the five programs on this two-disc set by reminding us that the purpose of myths is to relate human beings to their world. Early myths, says Campbell, connect humans to their place in the plant and animal world; later myths relate human society to the workings of astronomical cycles. It's an evolving process. When we're in accord with nature, says Campbell, we reap nature's bounty. Hinduism and Buddhism are both efforts to relate people to their place in a cycle of existence that does not end until one transcends that cycle. Hinduism, Campbell says, is to Buddhism as Judaism is to Christianity: the older religions are traditions, while Buddhism and Christianity are "credo religions," i.e., newer, "I believe" faith systems. Campbell spends some time discussing the development of Buddhism from monastic beginnings to its later appeal to millions of people, from an era of no images of the Buddha to the creation of beautiful sculptures of him immersed in transcendent consciousness. Campbell goes on to discuss, at length, the workings of yoga and their connection to increasingly sophisticated orders of love. (He also explains why the lowest cakras--pronounced "chakras"--are ruled by Dharma.) Finally, Campbell explains why the moment of death is the moment of illumination in Buddhism, and why the Boddhisatva of Compassion (i.e,, the Dalai Lama to some people) is so important. This is a wonderful collection underscoring how unique Campbell was to a Western understanding of the role of myths in our lives. --Tom Keogh

Blogcritics Magazine
"Highly engrossing and totally entertaining"

BeliefNet.com
"Inspiring and illuminating"

Customer Reviews

Mythos II rocks the house, better than Mythos I
This second set is, in my opinion, more interesting than than vol 1. His lectures on chakras and the tibetan book of the dead or just wonderful stuff. Too bad the JC foundation has no lectures of his perseptions of james Joyce on film or video [they do have a good book however] but his A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake: Unlocking James Joyce's Masterwork ranks as one of the finest "translations" on that tome and the last volumn of the Masks of God is incredable. You will not be dissapointed in this series and since less than a year ago the set was going for as high as 100.00, its a bargan!! Susan Saraden does an good job in her seques. This is not the place to blab about JC and his thoughts but I find that I go back and watch this series often and hear something new as I grow through the stages of my life- a constant source of thought provoking and inspiration and a remarkable look at human consciousness. If you have an open mind, this will expand it.

MythosII
This ia an outstanding compilation of mythological concepts that explore the very nature of our own humanity.

Joseph Campbel - Mythos II
Joseph's material continues to delight and inform - this is a brilliant recording of the master.