SPENTA MAINYU

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: "Ignorance is an outlook on life."

YOU ARE IN DARKNESS

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 CYRUS, ALEXANDER, THE HELLENISTIC AGE

The first ruler of the Persian Empire Cyrus the Great made Zoroastrianism a state religion which resulted in further spreading of the effect of the belief system. Cyrus (his name in old Persian was Kurush), the ruler of a small kingdom in the land called Persia, brought together under his banner the tribes of Persis (the people we call now the Persians and the area the modern province of Fars in Iran) revolted against his Median overlord Astyages, defeated him about 549 BC and occupied the Median capital Ecbatana (modern Hamadan in Iran) later on invaded Asia Minor (Anatolia) and the land of Babylon. Cyrus was the founder of the Achaemenid empire. His son Cambyses and later on Darius (522-486 BC) enlarged his lands to the borders of Thrace, Egypt, Central Asia, and the Indus Valley. In the meantime Macedonian Kingdom under the leadership of Philip II invaded the whole of Greece. His son Alexander took over the kingdom in 336 BC and in the following 13 years Alexander captured all the Persian dominions, and encouraged Greek type dominions. Greek type cities (Alexandria in Egypt) were established throughout the Empire. Following his death in 323 BC the Empire was divided into three separate entities: Macedonian empire, Egyptian empire (Ptolemes were in charge), and Seleucid empire. Alexander the Great and Seleucids that came with him killed majority of the priests who had been entrusted with the oral tradition of the 'good religion'. Nothing was written down. Because writing was considered as an unsuitable form of art for alien and sacred words. That is why a great deal of information on the practices of that era was gathered from Greek and Persian texts. For the following 300 years, from western Europe to the borders of India, a Greek origined cosmopolitan culture prevailed. This was called the Hellenistic Age.

 PARTHIANS AND SASSANIANS - THE 'AVESTA' COLLECTED

Persian Empire was rebuilt by the Parthians - a north Iranian tribe. 200 years later, Parthians started the process of adopting Zoroastrianism as the state religion, eventually drove Seleucids out of Iran and controlled the eastern Hellenistic lands between 250-229 BC. Parthians were the first ones to collect in writing the traditions of the belief. This written material has formed the basis of the Avesta - the sacred book of the Zoroastrianism. Parthians have fought continuously with Rome like Sassanians who established their rule in 224 AD. During their rule for almost 400 years they have reinstated the Zoroastrianism as the official state religion and established an ecclesiastic organization, comprising of the priests, magi, temples, rites and devotions. Unifying state and church was the Zoroastrian ideal. But one of the consequences of this unity was - as it used to be before the birth of Zararathustra - the priests becoming over confident and extremely powerful. During their rule the Sassanians accomplished a national renaissance in arts and crafts and knowledge.

With the Sassanian rule (after 224 AD.) Zarathustran belief system was decreed state religion. Avesta was collected, written, a Pahlavi translation and a commentary were added. In the later Pahlavi texts it was stated that Greek and Indian origined material was inserted into the Avesta. Greek material can be found in the Cosmological myths: Earth was created in the beginning in an embryonic and spiritual state. It was materia prima in the Aristotelian sense. The creation of the 'Beneficient Immortal Ones'-Amesha Spentas is reinterpreted as being almost a Plotinian like procession of the ordered stages that lie between the 'One' (Plotinus' God) and the material universe. Formation of the material world was effected by the transformation of light - the most basic, and subtlest element - first into water, then into ground, and later into heavy elements. In the Sassanian period the dualist - Mazdaist doctrine, which replaced the monotheist doctrine of the Gathas in the Achaemenid period, at long last accepted as unchangeable.

Under the rule of the Arabs the majority of the population was forced to adopt Islam. The Islamic occupying forces destroyed most of the documents on Zoroastrianism. Islam was able to establish its rule in 300 years. In this period tolerance was shown to Jews and Christians. But Zoroastrians were the target of persecution despite the fact that their 'messenger' was also a recipient of a direct 'message' from the 'supreme being.' Zoroastrians fled the region and emigrated to India to find religious freedom. They settled in and around Bombay. It was 10th century AD. These people were called Parsees (Persians). They maintained a firm grip on their religion but being too far away and cut off from their roots their belief stayed static. The Avesta was used as a potent force in prayers but no one could read it. Two priests drew on mystical eastern beliefs in order to satisfy the need for a modern interpretation of Zarathustra's teachings. Further changes followed. Further reforms were made towards the concept of monotheism. Theosophy introduced further changes towards mystical. Gujarati translations of the Little Avesta were produced by the Reform movement. Parsees were now able to read the Avesta but there was no one to interpret and disseminate. There were factions and splits and most of the old doctrine was lost under a mixture of other, more argumentative faiths. The remnants of the 'good religion' could be found today at the Yazdi plateau. It is amazing that the Zoroastrian belief system is still alive despite the Islamic tyranny of the last 1300 years. Around 30.000 believers are thought to be existing still in Iran. In the form of Parsee religion more than 100.000 people are thought to follow their faith around Bombay, and other areas in western India.

 ARYAS, ASHA AND ALL-POWERFUL PRIESTS

Around 2000 BC nomadic tribes, (which we know them as Indo-Iranians but they called themselves, the noble ones) Aryas passed through northern Persia on their way to India. There they absorbed eventually the Indus Valley civilization. Some of them settled in lands en route and adopted an agricultural way of life. Their religion was based on their past as nomads. They did not have any temples and images. Fire was the ritual central point. Their religion was simple, fatalistic, sacrificial and polytheistic. They had gods and satans but they were abstract forces rather than representational, drawn either from nature (wind, rain) or from the nature of man, relating to concepts such as truth or lie, victory or procrastination. There was sacrifice to please the gods and to ensure that the world continued on the path of Asha. Priests had authority over ordinary people and were possibly even more powerful than kings. (Why? Have a guess.. Because only they had the knowledge to interpret the wishes of the 'supreme beings.' They were the writers and introducers of those ideas in the terminology they have invented. So naturally they were the only ones in a position to interpret what they have invented.)

 ZARATHUSTRA - WHEN DID HE LIVE? - OR - DID HE EVER LIVE?

As these people were living their relatively peaceful lives, 500 years later came a second wave of invading warlike nomads, using new weapons, causing misery and injustice in general. Into this era of change and movement came the 'messenger.' He was called in ancient Iran, Zarathustra, which later on corrupted into the Greek word Zoroaster (Hence the Zoroastrianism). The origin of the name Zarathustra is said to be Zuryastara in Sanskrit. He is known as Zoroastres as well. Choose the one you like. Zarathustra is thought to have been born, among other places, in Azerbaidjan (Ataro-Patakan, Azerbaizhan). He may as well have been a native of the Greater Chorasmia. Although there are suggestions that he was a Midianite who fled there to avoid religious persecution. As it is with these belief systems there are numerous speculations. Anyway, Zarathustra preached for 10 years with no luck. He set off for distant lands and at last managed to win one of the smaller princes, Vishtaspa (Hystaspes in Greek) over to his belief. This acted as a catalyst for the 'good religion' to spread towards east and west Iran and to Medea. This religion is called Zoroastrianism due to the name of the 'messenger' but also as 'Mazdaizm' based on the name of its 'supreme overseer' Ahura Mazda. The 'code book' it had was called the Avesta. As it is customary with all these 'messengers,' except Mohamed, we do not exactly know when Zarathustra lived. Furthhermore it is not clear whether he actually lived or not. Some of the written sources quote statements to the effect that 'Zarathustra lived 258 years before Alexander' with a note that 'there is little reason to doubt this statement.' This Alexander, as you might have guessed is 'Alexander the Great' and the occasion must be the conquest of Iran by him in 330 BC. There are three alternatives as to when he lived: 630-553 BC., 628-551BC., 618-541BC. But still that is not the end of the story. He is a matter of myth and legend. When he lived is not clear. This date 'around 600 BC.' was thought to have been set by the priests of the belief system and magi in later years. But recent research on Avesta suggests that Zarathustra must have lived at least 600 years earlier than this date most possibly around 1400 BC. He is thought to have died 77 years of age. He lived for many years at the court of Hystaspes whose Princedom is thought to have covered the present day Tadjikistan and Northern Baluchistan which may be described as Greater Chorasmia (Khorezm-Harezmi-Harzem). He lived and taught among the semi-nomadic tribes far from the Babylon and Western Iran. Zarathustra reformed the ancient belief system of the ancient Iranians.

 ZARATHUSTRAN BELIEF SYSTEM AND MITHRAISM

There are no documents on the religion of the region where Zarathustra was born. Zarathustra's teachings are linked to Mithraism. As it is explained under the title 'Mithraism,' Mithra was the ancient Persian god of light. Zarathustra also lived as that god figure. So a comparison with the closely related Vedic belief system will give us an idea. Vedic Indians have Indo-Iranian origins as well. But it is impossible to know the developments between the Indo-Iranian period and the epoch when Zarathustra appeared. The first thing we know is that the Indo-Iranian belief system was polytheistic. Among the 'supreme beings' (called 'Daivas', or 'devas' in Sanskrit, 'heavenly ones' in English) there were the ones like Mitra and Varuna, called as 'lords' or Asuras (Ahuras in Iranian) who all had distinct ethical personalities. These supreme beings were determined in accordance with the caste system in the society and each one of them was the supreme overseer of a caste. But Zarathustra rejected the cults of all the supreme beings except Asura (Ahura in Iranian) and Ahura Mazda who is transcendent, immanent and impersonal. In his transcendence he is beyond all creation, yet the cosmos depends upon him for existence. In his immanence he is within all creation. But he is not identical with that creation. Creation is not his body. He has no spatial location. - Moslems will be able to detect their 'supreme creator's basic characteristics in this definition. The bull and the haoma (Sanskrit 'soma') plant were sacred in the Indo-Iranian belief system. Bull would be sacrificed and the priests and people would drink the fermented juice of the haoma plant at the sacred ceremonies. Zarathustra forbid these presentations to the 'supreme entities' he rejected. (Animal sacrifice and spilling of the blood and drinking of the haoma juice. This haoma juice must have been fermented it would have been intoxicating. Intoxication is the perfect catalyst for a 'softened' perception, comprehension and skepticism which all create a crooked perception of the environment as a whole and lead to a credulous person).

Zaratusthra thought that the belief in the 'supreme entity' should be an extremely intense personal experience - like his - and should not require priestly interpretations, so he sacked all the priests (This belief shows itself in Islam - exactly as it was formulated by Zarathustra. There is no class of priests in Islam, and the 'belief system' does not allow any intercessor between the human being and the 'supreme entity.' Although that is changed to a considerable extent and heads of Islamic sects and groupings and powerful and convincing imams became in actual fact the irtercessors between the believer and the believed, showing the way, doing their interpretations, as if Qoran did not exist as the 'code book' of the belief system and 'the word of the supreme overseer.' The Arab nationalism and imperialism is the main culprit). He declared that the 'Wise Lord' should be worshipped by virtuous acts and not by meaningless ceremonies; by selfless love and not by the spilling of the blood. He took care to separate mythology and theology. But he preserved the presentation of fire. Because fire was the symbol of 'truth,' 'order,' and the 'original light of god.' And to the people his message was clear: 'Stand up against the injustice.'

 12.000 YEARS, AMESHA SPENTAS, SATANS, GOOD vs. EVIL

Zarathustran cosmology has four peiods, 3000 years each. Ahura Mazda within the 'light' and Angra Mainyu down below in 'darkness' ruled in Zurvan Akarana (endless time). At he end of first 3000 years Angra Mainyu scaled the emptiness in between and attacked Ahura Mazda. Ahura Mazda reasoned that unless restricted by real finite conditions their fight could go on forever and made an agreement with Angra Mainyu and introduced a time limit to their war. Then Ahura Mazda read Ahuna Vairya, which is believed to be the core of the Zarathustran belief system. Angra Mainyu in great confusion fell to the abyss to stay there for another 3000 years. During this period Ahura Mazda started creating. First he completed the spiritual creation which also included six Amesha Spentas. (Two of these appear in Qoran as Harut and Marut, the remaining four are the four archangels of Judaism and Islam, of course under different names). Then he started the material creation. He created the sky, water, earth, plants, primeval ox and the primeval man (gayomart). Then Ahura Mazda presented the preexistent spirits of men - the Fravashis - with a choice: They may continue forever their existence in an embryonic form or attain physical bodies on the earth to ensure his victory over Angra Mainyu. They chose the latter proposition. In the meantime Angra Mainyu has completed an alternative creation including six satans for six Amesha Spentas (beneficient souls), and a hierarchy of angels for himself. His armies were formed by the evil forces like evil 'gin's (djinn, genie, demon, evil spirit) dervec and fairies. Angra Mainyu responded to Ahuda Mazda's each creation with his own. Ahura Mazda always created 'good' and Angra Mainyu-Ahriman the 'evil.'