ZOROASTRIANISM A COSMIC BATTLE

Transcription

1 2008 International Order Of Kabbalists ZOROASTRIANISM A COSMIC BATTLE By M.E. Henbury-Ballan (1989) The concept of an eternal battle between the forces of Good and Evil is ever present in the religions and esoteric teachings of both the West and the East. Since man's emergence from his primitive state we have become enamoured with this concept, particularly as we reach the end of the millennium with its tales and prophecies of the final confrontation between these opposing forces. Even in our 20 th century, while nuclear annihilation hangs over us like the sword of Damocles, we delight in the surge of fantasy, fiction and films like Star Wars, Willow, etc. Yet this concept first reached its initial surge in the philosophy and beliefs of Zoroastrianism. Its story begins in the 3 rd millennium with the Indo-Europeans based somewhere in east Europe, who around 3,000 BC began to split up into various tribes. Some travelled southwards to Greece and Italy, others went north and settled in the area we now call Scandinavia, while a third group moved east into Persia and India. It is because of this common descent that the ancient languages of these countries have a similar root pattern. The important group which influenced the development of Zoroastrianism was the 3 rd group which we refer to as Indo-Iranians, but who themselves are referred to as "Aryas" or "Aryans" meaning "the noble ones". They travelled eastwards in two main waves - the first around approximately 2,000 BC, who passed through northern Persia leaving only a few settlers, on to north-west India where they took over the Indus Valley civilisation. The second wave came in to Persia, and settled around 1,500 BC. It was their religion that was to provide the basis for Zoroastrianism, just as the Hebrew religion was the base for Christianity. The Indo-Iranians or Aryas were nomads, travelling from pastures to pastures, on foot with their herds. They travelled light, so did not stay in one place long enough to build temples or even statues of their gods. Theirs was a religion that related to their natural surroundings and forces - from the mountain tops, with the sky as the roof of their temple and their domestic fires as a focus for their ritual offerings. Their imagery was drawn from the wind, rain, the storm and the sun. They were portrayed not as gods in human form, but forces which surrounded man and thus showed characteristics of hospitality, contract, victory, communication, etc. Even their demons were of a similar abstract nature: wrath, greed, lies, lust, etc. The world was thus filled with spirits that man had to treat with caution and thus made offerings to. There was already at this stage a primitive caste system, in that the peasants had no real hope of life after death; the sunlit paradise was only for the men of power and wealth, priests and princes. It was from this nomadic people with their beliefs, that the prophet Zoroaster (or more correctly, Zarathushtra) was born. History to date places him around 600 BC but growing evidence of the language he used is now persuading us to date him around 1,500 BC, which means that he lived when Persia was emerging from the Stone Age. This, in essence, would make him the first of the great prophets of the world's religions. Zoroaster was a descendant of the first wave of settlers. His people had become settled agriculturalists who were threatened by the second wave of Indo-Iranian settlers. We know very little of his life - he was a priest, he was married and had several children. At the age of thirty he had the first of what was to be a series of visions which inspired him to preach a new message. His teachings were at first rejected, he suffered persecution and was forced to leave his home. It took a further 10 years before he made his first convert, being his cousin. Soon afterwards his message found interest and favour with a local king, Vishtasp, and Zoroaster's religion became the official teachings of a small

2 kingdom in north-east Persia. In time it was to spread throughout Persia and become the official religion of what was, for 1,000 years, one of the major empires of the world. Zoroastrians believe that their prophet was the one chosen by God to receive his special message. This is contained in 17 hymns, the Gathas. Of course, the prophet gave much more teaching than this, but little has survived apart from this fragment given in verse form for ease of memorising. The Gathas now form the central part of the major act of worship called "yasna". One of the principal characteristics of his teachings is the emphasis on personal religion, inspired we believe by his conviction that God had called to him and appeared to him personally. All men and women (there is no particular differentiation) have a personal responsibility to choose between good and evil. It is the basis on how they exercise their free will that men would be judged in the hereafter. Those whose good deeds, words and thoughts would outweigh the evil would go to heaven, regardless of their social status, and vice versa as regards evil deeds or thoughts, they would then go to hell. This moral democracy, of course, offended the established priests and princes who had seen paradise as their sole preserve. Zoroaster taught that God was the true good creator of all things, of the sun, moon and stars, of the spiritual and material worlds, of man and all other life forms. The wise Lord (Ahura Mazda) is the bountiful sovereign and friend of all mankind. God was in no way responsible for evil in the world, this comes from the Destructive Spirit (Angra Mainyu) whose nature is one of contrived violence and destruction. It was he who created the demons, who rules hell and who has opposed God from the beginning of time. For the Zoroastrians the "Devil" could not be a fallen angel, for that would make the good creator ultimately responsible for evil - an idea inconceivable to them. The world is thus the battleground in which the forces of good and evil do battle. This world and man were conceived and created to help God in this battle. He also created a number of heavenly beings, the most important being the Bounteous Immortals (Amesha Spentas), the sons and daughters of God and who in some way relate to the Archangels of Jewish and Christian belief. But, like the gods of the Indo-Iranians, they do not reflect personifications of human nature, but show an important abstract dimension to their natures as illustrated in their names. They are Good Mind (Vohu Manah), Righteousness (Asha), Devotion (Armaiti), Dominion ikshathra), Wholeness (Haiirvatat) and Immortality (Ameretat). The Bounteous Immortals must not be seen just as heavenly figures but also as ideals to inspire the mind of man. So by sharing in the good mind, by a life of devotion and righteousness, man shares in God's dominion and attains wholeness and immortality. Each of the Bounteous Immortals is thought to represent and protect one of the six creations which together constitute the pure good creation of God - they are: cattle, fire, earth, metal, water and plants. In important acts of worship, a representative of each category is present and therefore represents the presence of the Bounteous Immortals, so that the earthly and heavenly worlds are both symbolically present. The seventh creation is man himself, who represents God, and is present in the ritual in the person of the priest. Zoroaster contrived to teach that the world was essentially good, but spoiled at present by attacks of evil. He looked forward to the day when the battle with evil would reach its climax, when good would triumph and the world would be restored to the perfect state. At this last battle the dead will be raised and judged, the evil will go to hell and the righteous would dwell with God in eternal bliss. The spread of the teaching of Zoroaster went hand in hand with the growth and development of the Persian Empire. The first 1,000 years after the death of the prophet are shrouded in mystery, but it appears that Zoroastrianism spread across the Persian plateau largely through

3 the movements of tribes and tribal battles. By the 7th century BC when the Medes came to power in Western Persia, Zoroastrianism was evidently a power in the land. The Persian Empire really began to emerge through the leadership of one man, Cyrus, who ascended the throne of a small kingdom called Anshan in 559 BC. Within nine years he had seized the throne of the Medes, captured the wealthy King of Lydia (modern Turkey) and by 539 BC had taken Babylon and its vast empire. So within twenty years Cyrus had risen from being king of a petty kingdom to being emperor over what was then the largest empire in the world. However, Cyrus was more than a great warlord, he established for himself a considerable reputation for tolerance and justice. In liberating the Jews from exile in Babylon, the book of Isaiah speaks in glowing terms of this noble king. Even the dynasty which ruled Persia after him - the Achaemenids - contrived to uphold his ideals but more importantly, it also spread Zoroastrianism throughout the realm. The people largely responsible for this were the Magi, the priestly tribe of the Medes who continued in office throughout all the periods of Zoroastrianism history in Persia. The Magi acted as royal chaplains and travelled widely across the lands on both military and diplomatic missions. Plus they themselves settled in many corners of the Empire and gave the teachings to all they came in contact with. However, the original Empire was brought to an end by Alexander the Great, who tried to unite the cultures of Persia and Greece, but was seen by the Persians as a foreign interloper, especially as he killed priests and burnt down the royal palace of Persepolis. The next stage in Zoroastrian development came with the gradual introduction of the natural Persia dynasty, the Parthians, who expelled the Seleucids that had succeeded after Alexander. Although the Parthians were primarily a feudal culture and little is known of them, they ruled Persia for 400 years. Their domain extended as far as that of their forebears, the Achaemenids and they were the largest power to confront the might of Rome. They had good relationships with Lorael; they invaded in 40 BC, and deposed the hated Herod, putting a Jew in his place. Unfortunately, the Romans returned two years later and restored Herod to his kingship. It would be interesting to speculate how different history may have been if Lorael at the time of Jesus had been under the sway of the more tolerant Persians. It was during the Parthian period that the first moves were made to collect together the ancient traditions which were to make up the Zoroastrian holy book, the "Auesta". And, of course, it was the growth and extent of the Parthian empire that made Zoroastrianism the most powerful and influential religion at the time of Christ. By 224 AD, Persia faced further internal conflicts when the ruler of one of its provinces rebelled and a new dynasty, the Sasanians, were to rule Persia until the Muslim invasion in the 7th century AD. They were to leave behind a wealth of material splendours plus a number of writings, giving the impression that this was the most glorious period of Zoroastrian Persia. However, this all came to an end in the Muslim conquest in 633 AD. Although the Arabs showed some tolerance to the Jewish and Christian religions, they did not with Zoroastrianism. So that in all aspects of Persian life, education, promotion and equality were denied to any followers of Zoroaster. Gradually under unrelenting pressure they were forced to retreat to the obscurity of desert villages and become associated with poverty and backwardness. From then to the 20 th century, Zoroastrians have faced continual persecution and verbal/physical abuse. The oppression, poverty, injustice and isolation which they have suffered under Muslim rule is an enormous tribute to their courage, determination and faith. Yet in Iran today, there are still a few followers left in the cities, but the majority continue to

4 live in the villages of the Yazdi plain. Altogether, it is estimated that there are about 17,000 people still following the religion of ancient Persia. ZOROASTRIANISM TODAY: The main base of the religion today in terms of numbers is in India, and they are called the Parsis. In the l0 th century a small band of the faithful set out to seek a new land of religious freedom, preferring to leave Persia rather than give up their religion. In India they have lived in peace and harmony and have in time achieved a position of wealth and power with which they have campaigned for support for their fellow Zoroastrians back in Iran. THE ZOROASTRIAN BELIEFS: The l0 th century was not only the time of the "Pilgrim Fathers" of the religion but was also a time of great literary activity among those in Persia. A number of texts were produced to encourage, inspire and instruct the faithful in the contemporary language known as pahlavi or middle persian. The holy book, the "Avesta" was at that time in a language only understood by a few learned priests. So translations, summaries and explanations were produced, as well as defences of the faith against Muslim, Christian and Hindu teachings. And although they were written in the 9 th and 10 th centuries, they can be taken as definite statements of traditional Zoroastrian thought. It was during the Middle Persian period that the names of God and the "Devil" (Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainiju) were conceived as Ohrmazd and Ahriman. Ohrmazd, it is taught, lives on high in perfect goodness and light, whereas Ahriman dwells from eternity in darkness. Battle between these two primal spirits was inevitable, so Ohrmazd created the heavenly and material worlds to aid him in the battle. First he created the heavenly beings, then the world in purely spiritual form, that is invisible and intangible. In Zoroastrian belief the material world is a visible manifestation of the spiritual and so in no way is corrupt or evil. The essential characteristics of evil are violence, chaos, and the desire to destroy. When Ahriman saw the beauty of what Ohrmazd had created, he tried to destroy it with misery, suffering, disease and death. None of these evils therefore come from God or were part of his plan for creation. They are unnatural afflictions brought about totally by Ahriman, who seeks continuously to destroy the perfection of the divine creation. In the Zoroastrian myth of creation it is told that Ahriman defiled all parts of creations so that all creation was afflicted with chaos, so that the earth was so badly shaken that valleys were torn across the land and mountains were raised; the sun was dislodged; fire ravished the land and shrouded it with dense smoke, and archetypal man and beast were afflicted with suffering and death. Ahriman appeared triumphant in this first cosmic battle - but then a miracle happened. The beast and man, although dying, emitted sperm; from the beast s seed grew cattle and from man came a plant whose leaves grew, separated and formed the first human couple - man is literally at one with his environment. Ahriman then sought to escape from the world, but found he was trapped within it. And from there the cosmic battle is now fought out in the arena of world history. For the first 3,000 years after the initial attack, the two forces were reasonably balanced in what is known as "the mixture period". Then the prophet Zoroaster

5 was born, and with the revelations shown to him the defeat of evil began. However, this will not happen overnight, it will take a further 3,000 years to achieve, as Ahriman tries in vain to destroy all that is good. At 1,000 year intervals, three saviours would be born - each born of a virgin who had been impregnated with the prophet's seed preserved in a lake where the maidens bathed. Each saviour in turn will destroy a part of the evil creation, until the third raises the dead and introduces the Last Judgement. From this, man will return to heaven and hell for a limited period, before he re-emerges to pass through a stream of molten metal - a final ordeal before man dwells in perfection with Ohrmazd. It will be during these cataclysmic events that the forces of good and evil will be engaged in the final battle, until good succeeds. The molten metal used in the last ordeal is used to restore the earth to its original state, by reducing mountains and filling up the valleys. Ahriman is finally rendered powerless for eternity and Ohrmazd becomes all-powerful - evil is wiped out. However, what is stressed is the "end of the world" is not an annihilation of the planet, but instead Zoroastrians look forward to the "renovation of creation" - the time when heaven and earth unite to make what is literally the best of both worlds. MAN HIS DESTINY In Zoroastrian thought, man faces two judgements. The first comes after death, when his thoughts, words and deeds are weighed in the balance of judgement. If good outweighs evil, then man's own conscience will guide him across the bridge of the Separator (Chinvat Bridge) to heaven. If evil predominates then his conscience leads him trembling to the bridge, only to fall from the bridge into the Abyss of Hell. The second judgement occurs after the resurrection. Furthermore, man has two sides to his being, the physical and the spiritual - both are creations of God. During the periods of judgement, man must be judged on both aspects of his being. The first judgement after death is one of the spirit, since the body remains on earth. In Zoroastrian belief, hell is not eternal, for they believe that the purpose of punishment is as a means of corrective treatment. In hell the punishment is made to fit the crime, so a cruel ruler who tortures or starves his people will suffer the same torments in hell. At the resurrection, all men return from heaven or hell to face their second judgement, this time in the body; and again they return to heaven or hell as appropriate, to be physically rewarded or corrected. The overall purpose is that the whole being of man, spirit and body, is corrected so that he may dwell in the perfection of being with God Man is a divine creation and so his final destiny must be with God. During his earthly life he has complete free will to act as he chooses - to support the forces of good or evil. He can live contrary to his nature but he cannot in spiritual terms change his godly nature. BALANCE Man's duty is to make his body the dwelling place of the Bounteous Immortals - his life to be determined by righteousness and devotion directed towards divine dominion, wholeness and

6 immortality - and to totally reject the demons of violence, greed and lies and to seek the bounteous creative spirit of God, and reject the negative pole. In doing this he must keep the spiritual and material sides of his nature in balance, So man has a duty to live life fully, which involves a duty to expand himself in both elements. He should thus marry and have children (to remain celibate is a sin), but should not abuse the divine gift of marriage through lust. He should not fast so the spirit is exalted over the body, nor should he be gluttonous. The health of body and soul are interdependent and should be cared for equally. Creation is godgiven, so the environment should also be cared for as should all its people and all other life forms. They seek to enjoy creation, as "misery drives away the Divine", and the spirit of happiness permeates throughout Zoroastrian ethics and rituals. If, for example, we associate evil with death and decay in the material world, then man's duty is to avoid contact. Dirt, rotting and dead matter are places where death and thus evil are present. The Zoroastrian, therefore, strives for a clean home, rites associated with birth, marriage and death, plus standards of personal hygiene - all are part and parcel of the great cosmic battle. In this way man, the fellow-worker with Ohrmazd, seeks to wipe out evil and restore the world to its God-created perfection. YEAR 2000 AD DOOMSDAY How easy it is to see how Zoroastrianism affected later religious thought, is difficult to assess. Nonetheless, I hope certain elements spring to mind when examining their beliefs and concepts that echo in later Jewish, Christian and Islamic beliefs. The view of a cosmic battle reverberates through to our own day and I wonder how much of our prophecies of "doomsday", "Armageddon", and the "second coining" relate to the elements introduced over the last 2000 years to the newer religions. Even older philosophies reflect such thought - the concepts of balance, the Bounteous Immortals, the creation of matter from spiritual force, all relate quite easily to Kabbalah. The viewpoint of heaven and hell, of the physical resurrection and judgement, illustrate, I feel, the Christian belief of merging with other religious thought (so to conquer it), then adapting it to meet the needs of its priests and theology. Zoroastrianism has added many ingredients into the melting pot of human thought and the beliefs of the Western World are the richer for it. Yet strip away the deviations and the truth rings out through clearly - a lesson for us to learn, now more than ever, before we tip the balance between ourselves (both spiritual and physical) and the beautiful world we live upon. Otherwise, Ahriman may unfortunately have the last word - violence, destruction and chaos International Order Of Kabbalists