Joseph Campbell - Sukhavati
Sukhavatiis like an extra-credit master class for anyone who was captivated by Bill Moyers' landmark seriesJoseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. Produced, directed, and edited by Maxine Harris with the support of the Joseph Campbell Foundation (as part of a "Collected Works" series of DVDs), this simple, 78-minute program combines soothing imagery and music from around the world with relevant excerpts from some of Campbell's seminal lectures on mythology. The title refers to Campbell's "place of bliss," or his life's calling: To fully grasp and teach mythology as a common trait of humanity--a way of interpreting life experience and philosophy through universal narratives that transcend ethnic and cultural differences. Specifically, these Campbell excerpts emphasize "Sukhavati" as a voluntary shifting of perspective that allows "joyful participation in the sorrows of the world." As Campbell observes, with illustrative examples taken from various mythologies from around the world, "we are in a free fall into the future," and our anxieties about the unknown can be eliminated if we embrace uncertainty and "transform hell into a paradise." This acceptance of life's miseries is enhanced through Campbell's peerless ability to comparatively interpret mythologies related to cycles of life, death, and rebirth. While Campbell himself is shown only briefly in lecture clips, his words serve as voice-over narration to Harris's well-chosen images. The combination is awkward at times (it's not easy to follow Campbell's lecture when you're being lulled into a state of new-age relaxation), but the program succeeds in presenting the essence of Campbell's philosophical worldview.--Jeff Shannon