The Mazdeyasnic Way

I like the Humanism a lot. It is modern and intellectual. I think it is a step towards final goal of human in life. That is why I have chosen to be a laic Humanist.

But in parallel with it, I found the new "Mazdeyasnism" as an ancient path that is very much in line with the views of humanism without disturbing the secular aspect of it. Zarathustra or the person behind this guidance is older and more relevant to the meaning of Humanism than Plato, Socrates or Confucius. Therefore, I want to present this insight to others as well. Hope it gives them at least the same joy that gives myself.

An insight and not a religion

Mazdeyasnism or ”Zarathustrianism” is an insight and not a religion. An Iranian or Aryan philosophy. Aryan or rather Arya is the old expression for the name Iran. In its old form, it has nothing to do with the Nazis. But Iran and Arya are the same thing and the very word Indo-Europeans as a link between India and Europe is the same as Iranians. Normally, Iranians have been peacefully assimilated with the local population and developed the area.

But we should not lose the word about Mazdeyasnism and the term religion. Religion in particular is a Semitic store that calls those who claim to be able to predict the future for prophets. The process of delivering religion and prophets is specific to the Semitic religions so that as a result it has been claimed that they have delivered 124,000 prophets to the world. Prophets who of entire regions of the world have emerged only in the Semitic regions of the Middle East.

The reason for this emergence is that they believe that their God is separated from their servants as they call themselves. Servants who are considered too sinful for the sake of their permanent guilts and therefore are not worthy enough in order to their God come into contact with them. Therefore, a prophet is needed in order to their God deliver his message to them.

The insight of the Zarathustra

Whereas according to Zarathustra's insight, Existence is the same as Ahuramazda (God) and human as part of this Existence is not separated from it and therefore there is no need for any prophet. Zarathustra in his ”Gathas” (his writings) calls himself "Mantran" or the teacher of the thoughtful words.

As mentioned above, in the Mazdeyasnism the Existence is the same as the Ahuramazda (God), which is constantly evolving during an evolutionary process. "Ahu-ra-mazda" means "the Existence-that has-the great wisdom". This means that the great wisdom is considered a part of this Existence. The Existence means admittedly what ever that exists, and if there is any insight of the existence of a great wisdom, then it is also included in the Existence.

This great wisdom itself is the basis of the so-called "Maynavi" world (a world beyond the material), a world consisting of mental ability and psyche (the mentality), which is still part of the Existence because it simply exists. (A little more about the Maynavi world will come later in this text). Ahuramazda which is the same as Existence is not a perfection and omnipotent capability given that there are many shortcomings in it, which are fundamental in reality. Therefore, human assistance in the development of the Existence and the elimination of these shortcomings and defects is the distinct insight of Mazdeyasnism.

Mazda, the wisdom of the Existence

The wisdom of the Existence, called Mazda, consists of two poles. "Sepanta Maynu" and "Angara Maynu". Sepanta Maynu is a constructive life force, a good visualization of light which is also called the good wisdom. It is a twin of Angara Maynu (the devil), the power of destructive darkness that is in an eternal battle with Sepanta Maynu. It is also called the evil wisdom. It is obvious that Angara Maynu or the devil is the source of all shortcomings, defects and the evilness.

The documentation of the Zarathustra’s word

Gathas are the documentation of the Zarathustraic insight the significance of which had been forgotten from the end of the Achaemenid period (about 300 BC) to about a few hundred years ago even among those who memorized the words and preserved them. During the Parthian period (circa 150 BC), these conservators invented a kind of alphabet with the help of which one could also register the tone of the words. In this way, Gathas reached future generations in the same way as it was pronounced from Zarathustra's mouth, although one did not understand a bit of it or sometimes misinterpreted and even distorted the meaning.

It was not until a few hundred years ago that the efforts of some Europeans decrypted the text on Gathas so that the true Zarathustraic insight reappeared after thousands of years. The European Renaissance and the school of humanism organized at the time of the Renaissance were heavily indebted to the Gathas of Zarathustra and the writings of Plato. Plato who his disciple, Aristotle, considers all the words of his master from Zarathustra.

The book "Avesta" is a text which, in the absence of the views of the Gathas, was made from the collection of old and later messy texts, and is not only less relevant to the Zarathustra's own words but also sometimes contradictory to them and also to the Avesta's other own texts. But of course one cannot deny Avesta's citation value in linguistics and archeology.

Gathas are based on two main pillars

1. The purpose of life is to create a life of balance and happiness for all living beings on the earth

2. The purpose of human existence is to help Ahuramazda in the evolution of Ahuramazda itself and in the life and to have peace and prosperity in them.

There are two worlds in the Gathas

1. The concrete material world

2. The Maynavi world (world of mentality) which is intangible and is found in the thoughts and mental capacity of living beings. The other name of this world is called the world of ”Farrevashi” and is demonstrated by the symbol of ”Farrevahar”. We do not gone lost if we claim that a person spends more than ninety percent of her/his life in the Maynavi world through her/his mental activity.

Like the air that surrounds beings on the earth, the Maynavi world encompasses us and results that through the psyche and mental ability, all living beings are interconnected. The psyche, like the Wi-Fi that connects the computers, plays the role of connecting living beings to each other. The brain resembles a computer processor. The activity of the processor is performed using the operating system and other Apps, which together with the Datas on the memory can be seen as a reflection of the mental ability of the living beings and their wisdom.

Maynavi world is based on the great wisdom or Mazda. The thoughts are not only generated by the brain but are also a reception of the resonance between one's wisdom and the great wisdom (Mazda). All the elements of the Maynavi world are illustrated in the symbol of Farrevahar (please see the bottom of this post). Mental ability itself consists of thoughts and feelings.

These two worlds are interconnected during our lifetime. As long as this relationship stems from Sepanta Maynu or the constructive life force, we are in balance and in good health, but when this relationship is disturbed by Angara Maynu or the destructive force, we fall out of balance and become ill. Then one feels increasing discomfort and anxiety. Which leads to an unstable and finally imbalance mentality. An imbalance mentality is the nest to the evil wisdom. Evil wisdom can come from three sources. Human's own subconscious, other people's indoctrinations that also affect the subconscious and finally the evil natural laws.

Everything received through our mental consciousness is registered and archived in our subconscious which in proper time comes automatically up by our "De'ena" (conscience, inner intellect) to our attention and hopefully leads the intellectual one. But if we feed ourselves with disisinformation and evil thoughts, these will first and foremost disturb ourselves before anyone else. It is in this way that we cultivate the evil wisdom within ourselves which counteracts not only ourselves but also the others and the surroundings.

When we die, our bodies and brains become other substances in the nature and so our psyche and mental ability are also destroyed. Whereas the influence of our De'ena i.e. the influence of our thoughts, speech and behavior remains in the mental capacity of our descendants and depending on the type of them, they can also after learning and through inheritance be passed on to the mental capacity of future generations and to their DNA. In the same way that the thoughts of old philosophers, the words of old poets and the behavior of old heroes after thousands of years still remain in our mental capacity and will remain so for the foreseeable future of comming generations. Zarathustra calls this immortality in the mental capacity of the survivors "the home of the anthem."

Zarathustra has discovered six rules that have come up in his Gathas

1. The existence of duality or antipolarity in the Existence. In other words, there is no meaning to anything without its opposite

2. The good are the phenomena that cause balance, happiness and development in the human, in the life and in the Existence, whereas the bad are the phenomena that prevent this balance, happiness and evolution

3. This measurement exists only in the thoughts of living beings or in other words only in the maynavic world (the world of mentality)

4. The human has wisdom by means of which she/he can judge between good and evil. The emphasis on the wisdom is another distinct insight of the Mazdeyasnism

5. Living beings have freedom of choice and life is based on choice. There are therefore no commands or verdicts in the Mazdeyasnism. It's all about free choice

6. Based on the relationship between action and reaction, our actions are our own responsibilities

In Mazdeyasnism there is no sin and no reward. Moreover Mazdeyasnism is not achieved through belief in anything but through personal insight. Insight is created by a tool called wisdom, but when wisdom is rejected, conviction is required and in addition if there is also the fear involved, then the blind faith is needed. Whereas when mental cognition is created, there is simply no need for faith. No special rituals are needed either.

Emshaspandan

Zarathustra has identified in the Gathas six attributes or maynavic (in addition to the material) qualities of Ahuramazda or the Existence, which he has referred to as "Emshaspandan" or "forward driving forces". These attributes can be find also in the human as a part of the Existence which are:

1. "Asha" which means the straightness and the harmony. Asha is the norm of being, with reference to the harmony that the phenomena in the Existence behave according to. This harmony is the same as the straightness, and if any rule does not follow the straightness, it will be changed so that it conforms to the straightness and thus remains stable and harmonized. Accordingly, and in line with one of the most fundamental behaviors, the Existence is undergoing evolutionary movement to remedy its shortcomings. On the other hand, the term Asha also refers to the Utopia against which the Existence moves and along this path human can hurry to the assistance of the Ahuramazda

2. "Vohumaneh" which means good thought, and points to the resonance between human thought and the good thought of the Existence. The situation that occurs in the Maynavi world (the world of mentality). The world that goes on in our mental capacity and is our truth which constitutes over 90% of our existence

3. "Kheshatra" which means to be in control of oneself or in other words to conquer own mental ability which can resembles to a desk in the brain where thoughts and emotions intersect. The first and most important kingdom that a human being can acquire is to master the own mental ability or conquer her/himself

4. "Armaity" which means inner peace or tranquillity. At that time, peace shines from the human and from her/his thoughts, speeches and deeds

5. "Ahurvatat" which means to mature and develop. As mentioned above, there are shortcomings and defects in the Existence, including in the human life and in her/his society. The elimination and evolution of these shortcomings is the philosophy of human existence as the assistance of the Ahuramazda, which is recognized as the path of the Mazdeyasnism

6. "Amaretate" or immortality which is the end result of the previous attributes. As for human, it refers to the memories of her/his thoughts, statements and deeds in the Maynavi world of the survivors's mental ability

The Existence in itself is eternal. It has always existed and will always exist. Only its components are deformed during longer and shorter periods into other shapes and conditions. Human physics at the end of its life is also transformed into other materials as a result of the same principle. But until now, her/his personality or mental pattern could remain through the memories of her/his thoughts, speeches and actions in the Maynavi world (world of mentality) of the survivors. It seems that the human species is the highest known form of evolution of matter that could happen so far.

But one day, in line with the evolution, although this time with human contribution, kind of artificial humans will be created who can remain immortal in the material world. Even with the advances in genetics and DNA science, perhaps one day the physics of living beings will evolve so that they can live unusually longer or even forever. It may also be possible to reconstruct historical personalities.

The conclusion

As a result, it can be argued that Mazdeyasnism is in fact a humanistic insight. One has not been off the right path if consider it as the basis of the creation of the school of humanism because in Mazdeyasnism human as a driving factor is there to help or assist Ahuramazda (God) in the pursuit of the evolution of the Existence (the same God) as well as the triumph of the straightness, righteousness and goodness.

One is not an object of a superior power but one is an autonomous agent in the development of Ahuramazda (God, the Existence) and in the victory of the good and righteousness over evil. Thus human is a driving factor who has the right to choose freely on the basis of his own wisdom. In other words, it can be argued that human is also a central figure in the Mazdeyasnism.

One should keep in mind that the physical laws that in the Big-Bang shaped the reactions and formed the universe can be interpreted to some form of wisdom i.e. the great wisdom or Mazda or at least part of it. But if in the first place there is an existence then the possibility of a great wisdom somewhere included in it would be more rational.

If humans in future evolution give rise to the emergence of some artificial intelligence in the form of some virtual consciousness singularity, one conceivable scenario could be that human has already played the role of a catalyst for the realization of a God-form, leading a kind of artificial robot life free from human limitations and needs that would substitute the human race. Such a combination of virtual and material existence that feeds on artificial fusion and would have greater potential and flexibility for a kind of independent life on the artificial wandering planets in the universe, so that they can eventually reach the infinity of knowledge and also become independent of the universe in order to explore any kind of existence beyond the known one and reaching new levels of the knowledge.

I will not conclude without mentioning that, unlike the Semitic religions, it is not claimed that Zarathustra has received revelations from a higher power. A heavenly power that is simply not acceptable to make mistakes and therefore its revelations must be free from errors. Mazdeyasnism is a terrestrial insight from the Zarathustra itself which may have errors and lack of information like many other terrestrial phenomena. What according to the principle of evolution in the doctrine of Zarathustra himself needs to be evolved. A mission that is up to his future generations to take care of.

(The interpretation of Mazdeyasnism in this text is for the most part notes from lectures by Dr. Khosro Khazaei (Pardis), the founder of the European Zarathustrian Foundation in Brussels, as well as a few manipulations and additions of myself. For more information about the new Mazdeyasnism, please visit the foundation's website)

Farrehvashi = Maynaviworld = The World of The Mentality (Total Consciousness)

1. The governing psyche in the Farrehvashi. The anonymous part that stabilizes the form of Farrehvashi.

2. A Paarsaa (pious man) who is a representative of living being as a present ultimate in the evolution of living kind.

3. The ring of the living being's mind, which is the place of the confluence of his thoughts and feelings. He has mastered the ring of his mind and is therefore constantly in balance. The living being makes a promise by engaging his mind.

4. The psyche of the Soshyants (reformers), which is part of the governing section but is the known part of it.

5. The psyche of other living beings. The wing form and the span of which are indicative of the buoyancy or fluidity of the Farrevashi phenomenon. It is also a sign of freedom and liberty.

6. The great circle of the minds of the living which is the confluence place of their thoughts and senses. It is also the mind or rather thoughts and senses of the governing section too. In other words, it is the totality of the surrounding minds that encircles the living being that here is represented by the a Paarsaa (pious man).

7. The "Spanta Maynu" pole, or the goodness wisdom, one of twisted base pillars that embody the dual, alternating and renewable foundations of this system and affect the collective mind or the great circle.

8. The pole of the "Angarreh Maynu" or the pole of evil wisdom of the foundation of this system, which has a direct effect on the collective mind or the great circle.

9. 7&8)The sum of these two pillars represents the great wisdom or Mazda, which is the basis of the collective mind, the system of the Farrehvashi and even the existence.

According to the sign of Farrevaharr, the living being, apart from his own mind, is through the psyche and the collective mind, constantly connected with the great wisdom, including the wisdom of goodness and the evil wisdom, as well as with other living beings. And all of these together create a total consciousness. A phenomenon in which more than ninety percent of the occupation of a living being in his life takes place.