This book composes of Joseph Campbell’s lectures and unpublished notes on the idea of Eternal in Eastern mythologies, may it be called Brahman, Tao (or Dao), or Buddha nature.

Some topics are list as follows

  • How in Levantine traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), man is in exile way from god, whereas in Eastern traditions (Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism), god is within.
  • The similarities and differences concerning the relationship between god and man in Upanishads, Genesis, and Greek mythology.
  • The symbolic meaning of sun, moon, lion, bull, eagle, and snake.
  • The feminine serpent named kundalini and its full journey along the seven chakras on the spine.
  • The sound that is not made by two things striking together, the four-fold sound of AUM.
  • The purpose of raja yoga, hatha yoga (physical), karma yoga (do what you conceive to be your duty without either desire or fear for the fruits either for yourself or for others), jhana yoga (philosophy), and bhakti yoga (religion).
  • The Occidental and Oriental ideals of one’s relationship with persona.
  • The journey described in the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
  • The difference between the ancient art in Indian and Eastern Asia.
  • The ideas of non-harm (ahimsa) in Jainism, non-action (wuwei) in Taosim, and non-self in major Eastern philosophies and religions.

Eternity isn’t some later time. Eternity isn’t a long time. Eternity has nothing to do with time. Eternity is that dimension of here and now which thinking and time cuts out. This is it. And if you don’t get it here, you won’t get it anywhere. And the experience of eternity right here and now is the function of life. — Joseph Campbell