From the Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed

Myth & Psychology

In myth, depth psychologists found material to delineate the structure, order, and dynamics of both the psychic life of individuals and the collective unconscious of society. Sigmund Freud utilized themes from older mythological structures to exemplify the conflicts and dynamics of the unconscious psychic life (in, for example, his Oedipus and Electra complexes). Carl Jung, in his psychological interpretations of the large body of myths that have been collected from cultures throughout the world, saw evidence for the existence of a collective unconscious shared by all. He developed a theory of archetypes - patterns of great impact, at once emotions and ideas - that are expressed in behavior and images (see also Psychology). Both Jung and Freud viewed dreams as expressions of the structure and dynamic of the life of the unconscious. The dream, they pointed out, in many of its particulars resembles the narrative of myth in cultures in which myth still expresses the totality of life.

Géza Róheim (1891-1953), a Hungarian anthropologist, applied Freudian theory in interpreting archaic myths and religion and, more generally, in explaining the development of human culture. The most comprehensive study of myths from the perspective of depth psychology, however, was made by the American scholar Joseph Campbell (1904-87). In The Masks of God (4 vol., 1959-67) he combined insights from depth psychology (primarily Jungian), theories of historical diffusion, and linguistic analysis to formulate - from the perspective of the dynamics that are found in mythical forms of expression - a general theory of the origin, development, and unity of all human cultures.

Gerard

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Both Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell were greatly influenced by Buddhism as a psychological tool to living a balanced and harmonious life. Too few Westerners understand the concepts of Buddhism. Whereas the biblical 10 commandments tends to place a guilt trip on the individual {Thou Shalt Not}, the way to enlightenment prescribed in Buddhism is a discipline of psychological requirements.

The following is the path Buddhism lays out for the individual to find within themselves the guiding light within.

The Four Noble Truths

1. Life means suffering.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

 

1. Life means suffering.

To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime,
we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death;
and we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression. Although
there are different degrees of suffering and there are also positive experiences in life that we perceive as the opposite
of suffering, such as ease, comfort and happiness, life in its totality is imperfect and incomplete, because our world
is subject to impermanence. This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive for, and just as happy moments
pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance
thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround
us, but also ideas, and -in a greater sense- all objects of our perception.
Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent
things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour, pursue of wealth
and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or in short: craving and
clinging. Because the objects of our attachment are transient, their
loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow. Objects of attachment
also include the idea of a "self" which is a delusion, because
there is no abiding self. What we call "self" is just an imagined
entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

The cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha. Nirodha
means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. The third
noble truth expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion.
Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment. This means that
suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause
of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels
that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom
from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is
not comprehensible for those who have not attained it.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement, which is described more detailed in the
Eightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence
(hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism); and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth. The latter
quality discerns it from other paths which are merely "wandering on the wheel of becoming", because these do
not have a final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual
rebirth is subject to karmic conditioning. Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects will disappear gradually, as
progress is made on the path.

The Noble Eightfold Path

1. Right View	Wisdom
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech	Ethical Conduct
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort	Mental Development
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

The Noble Eightfold Path describes the way to the end of suffering, as it was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama. It is
a practical guideline to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions;
and it finally leads to understanding the truth about all things. Together with the Four Noble
Truths it constitutes the gist of Buddhism. Great emphasis is put on the practical aspect, because it is only through
practice that one can attain a higher level of existence and finally reach Nirvana. The eight aspects of the path are
not to be understood as a sequence of single steps, instead they are highly interdependent principles that have to be
seen in relationship with each other.

1. Right View

Right view is the beginning and the end of the path, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really
are and to realise the Four Noble Truth. As such, right view is the cognitive aspect of wisdom. It means to see things
through, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas, and to understand the law of karma
and karmic conditioning. Right view is not necessarily an intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just a matter of
intelligence. Instead, right view is attained, sustained, and enhanced through all capacities of mind. It begins with
the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature
of all things. Since our view of the world forms our thoughts and our actions, right view yields right thoughts and right
actions.

2. Right Intention

While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the
kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical
and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which
means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion,
and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop
compassion.

3. Right Speech

Right speech is the first principle of ethical conduct in the eightfold path. Ethical conduct is viewed as a guideline
to moral discipline, which supports the other principles of the path. This aspect is not self-sufficient, however,
essential, because mental purification can only be achieved through the cultivation of ethical conduct. The importance
of speech in the context of Buddhist ethics is obvious: words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start
war or create peace. Buddha explained right speech as follows: 1. to abstain from false speech, especially not to tell
deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully, 2. to abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against
others, 3. to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others, and 4. to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose
or depth. Positively phrased, this means to tell the truth, to speak friendly, warm, and gently and to talk only when
necessary.

4. Right Action

The second ethical principle, right action, involves the body as natural means of expression, as it refers to deeds
that involve bodily actions. Unwholesome actions lead to unsound states of mind, while wholesome actions lead to sound
states of mind. Again, the principle is explained in terms of abstinence: right action means 1. to abstain from harming
sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life (including suicide) and doing harm intentionally or delinquently,
2. to abstain from taking what is not given, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty, and
3. to abstain from sexual misconduct. Positively formulated, right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to
be honest, to respect the belongings of others, and to keep sexual relationships harmless to others. Further details regarding
the concrete meaning of right action can be found in the Precepts.

5. Right Livelihood

Right livelihood means that one should earn one's living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally
and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this
reason: 1. dealing in weapons, 2. dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade
and prostitution), 3. working in meat production and butchery, and 4. selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol
and drugs. Furthermore any other occupation that would violate the principles of right speech and right action should
be avoided.

6. Right Effort

Right effort can be seen as a prerequisite for the other principles of the path. Without effort, which is in itself
an act of will, nothing can be achieved, whereas misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will
be the consequence. Mental energy is the force behind right effort; it can occur in either wholesome or unwholesome states.
The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline,
honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavours that rank in ascending order of
perfection: 1. to prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states, 2. to abandon unwholesome states that have already
arisen, 3. to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4. to maintain and perfect wholesome states already
arisen.

7. Right Mindfulness

Right mindfulness is the controlled and perfected faculty of cognition. It is the mental ability to see things as they
are, with clear consciousness. Usually, the cognitive process begins with an impression induced by perception, or by a
thought, but then it does not stay with the mere impression. Instead, we almost always conceptualise sense impressions
and thoughts immediately. We interpret them and set them in relation to other thoughts and experiences, which naturally
go beyond the facticity of the original impression. The mind then posits concepts, joins concepts into constructs, and
weaves those constructs into complex interpretative schemes. All this happens only half consciously, and as a result we
often see things obscured. Right mindfulness is anchored in clear perception and it penetrates impressions without getting
carried away. Right mindfulness enables us to be aware of the process of conceptualisation in a way that we actively observe
and control the way our thoughts go. Buddha accounted for this as the four foundations of mindfulness: 1. contemplation
of the body, 2. contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral), 3. contemplation of the state of mind, and
4. contemplation of the phenomena.

8. Right Concentration

The eighth principle of the path, right concentration, refers to the development of a mental force that occurs in natural
consciousness, although at a relatively low level of intensity, namely concentration. Concentration in this context is
described as one-pointedness of mind, meaning a state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular
object. Right concentration for the purpose of the eightfold path means wholesome concentration, i.e. concentration
on wholesome thoughts and actions. The Buddhist method of choice to develop right concentration is through the practice
of meditation. The meditating mind focuses on a selected object. It first directs itself onto it, then sustains concentration,
and finally intensifies concentration step by step. Through this practice it becomes natural to apply elevated levels
concentration also in everyday situations.

Gerard

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It seems the large increase of visitors during the day of this telecast was directly related to the showing of Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed. The average number of visitors to the Myths-Dreams-Symbols website increased 6 fold on Memorial Day. But it now has returned to the normal number of visitors. It demonstrates the popularity and influence of the George Lucas' trilogy and the universal {archetypal} themes within the movies that 'unconsciously' attracts so many to it. It must have spilled over to the MDS website.

If you did not see this show I suggest you do so in its rerun this Sunday at 8:00 EST. See thye trailer below.

Gerard

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