--- In [email protected], "do.rflex" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > "Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out > what was going on without bothering everybody with a lot of > questions, and then being unexpectedly called away before you > find out how it ends." > > ~~ Joseph Campbell
Excellent. I attended a talk by Joseph Campbell once, and liked him immensely. He was just so in love with figuring out the movie, even though he *knew* that he would be called away before he learned how it ends. I got the feeling that he laughed a lot. A lot. Really nice man. > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > Please don't interpret my three previous rants this > > morning as indicating I don't like myth. I *love* > > myth. I see a good myth the same way that Joseph > > Campbell did, as a kind of "consciousness battery" > > that "stores" the essence of a certain state of > > attention, a certain level of consciousness. > > > > The best myths can elevate and inspire higher states > > of consciousness. But the worst can *lower* states of > > consciousness. I'm a proponent of being careful about > > WHICH myths one chooses to be inspired by. > > > > For example, many of the myths in the Bible and in > > the Gita and in the Vedas are about the glorious nature > > of *revenge*. I'm sorry, but I don't see those myths > > of warfare and genocidal slaughter as uplifting. I see > > them as a way of perpetuating a *low* state of conscious- > > ness by glorifying it. > > > > Many of the myths of humanity are about "heroes." And > > many of those heroes prove their herohood in battle; > > they are warriors. Do I see upliftment and inspiration > > in tales of the warrior mindset? Sometimes. Being will- > > ing to fight to the death for what one believes IS > > inspiring, IF "what one believes" is inspiring in itself. > > > > The noble warrior fighting for justice is way cool, IF > > it's really justice. But if what the hero is fighting > > for is really INJUSTICE (for example, the perpetuation > > of the caste system, or the ascendancy of one race or > > religion over another), is it really "justice" that is > > being portrayed? > > > > I've seen people on this forum justify war by pointing > > to the Gita, and holding it up as an example of how an > > evolved and/or enlightened person does and should act. > > I've seen people on this and other forums point to > > stories in the Vedas about some supposed "hero" killing > > enough of his fellow human beings to fill lakes with > > blood as noble, and in accord with the laws of nature. > > > > I'm sorry, but I think those folks may be missing the > > *point* of myth by focusing on the *wrong* myths. > > Which is more uplifting and consciousness-transforming, > > the myth of Jesus' anger when he's turning over the > > tables of the money-changers in the temple, or the > > myth of him teaching people to forsake anger and revenge > > and turn the other cheek? > > > > Well, kinda depends on the reader of the myth and what > > they're *looking* for in a myth, doesn't it? For those > > who *get off* on righteous anger, the temple myth prob- > > ably gets their Clint "Make my day" blood pumping. But > > for those who might be looking for a more noble way of > > living one's life on planet Earth, the "Turn the other > > cheek" myth might be more uplifting. > > > > Gordon Charrick once said (wisely), "You know you've > > created God in your own image when he hates the exact > > same people that you do." > > > > I say (possibly not as wisely), "You can discern the > > extent of a person's spiritual progress by *which* > > myths he or she chooses to focus on." > > > > Most of us here are familiar with the plotlines of the > > myths that make up the bulk of Indian, Biblical, Jewish, > > and Islamic traditions. Most of them center on war and > > battle and righteous anger and "justified killing." And > > if you *get off* on those tales, so be it. > > > > Me, I get off on other myths. Some of them are about > > the Buddha, and since *his* story wasn't written down > > until centuries after his death, *they* might be *just* > > as fictional as some of the tales of gods and goddesses > > cavorting in Brahmaloka. But the Buddha myths -- if > > they are myths -- are often *cooler* than the myths of > > other spiritual traditions in my opinion. They center > > on *rejecting* warfare, on *rejecting* righteous anger > > (and anger itself), and focus instead on Finding Another > > Way To Live, one that isn't so damned barbaric. Here are > > a few lines of one of these myths, from the beginning of > > the Dhammapada: > > > > We are what we think. > > All that we are arises with our thoughts. > > With our thoughts we make the world. > > Speak or act with an impure mind > > And trouble will follow you. > > As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart. > > > > We are what we think. > > All that we are arises with our thoughts. > > With our thoughts we make the world. > > Speak or act with a pure mind. > > And happiness will follow you. > > As your shadow, unshakable. > > > > Look how he abused me and beat me, > > How he threw me down and robbed me. > > Live with such thoughts and you live in hate. > > > > Look how he abused me and beat me, > > How he threw me down and robbed me. > > Abandon such thoughts, and live in love. > > > > Cool myth. Not exactly movie material, though. You can't > > exactly imagine Clint saying this and the audiences in > > the theater cheering like they do when he says, "Go ahead, > > make my day," and then wastes the bad guy with the most > > powerful handgun known to man. They cheer at that, too, > > and then they leave the theater in a certain state of > > consciousness, and with a certain look on their faces. > > > > Compare and contrast to the look on the faces of the > > audiences leaving a showing of, say, Gandhi, after hearing > > Ben Kingsley say, "When I despair, I remember that all > > through history the ways of truth and love have always won. > > There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time > > they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. > > Think of it...always." Different look on their faces, and > > different state of consciousness behind those faces. > > > > Many, many spiritual teachers through history have said, > > "What you focus on you become." > > > > I'm suggesting that this focus extends to the myths that > > we revere, and that we should take some care about which > > ones we choose to focus on. > > >
