Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Zoroastrianism


Please read Fisher, pages 231-234.

1. Zoroastrians Today: There are less than 200,000 Zoroastrians living today. Recent figures suggest around 2 to 3.5 million practitioners of this religion. In 1990’s it was considered a religion almost at the brink of extinction. Most Zoroastrians (known also as Parsis) live in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. There are also some in UK and USA. Up until very recent time they were a persecuted group living under Muslim domination.

2. Importance of Zoroastrian Religion: “The importance of Zoroastrianism”, R.C. Zaehner wrote, “lies not in the number of those who profess it, but rather in the influence it has exercised on other religions, and particularly on Christianity, through the medium of the Jewish exiles in Babylonia who seem to have been thoroughly impregnated with Zorastrian ideas.” The Concise Encyclopedia of Living Faiths edited by R.C. Zaehner, page 200 (1986 edition).

3. Who are the Zoroastrians? Zoroastrians are dedicated to the divine message revealed by Zarathushtra Spitama, one of the earliest prophets to teach monotheism, the belief in one God. The ancient Greeks knew Zarathushtra Spitama as Zoroaster.

4. Zarathushtra: Zarathushtra was born perhaps in 6th century BCE. As a young boy he was interested in nature and wanted to know as to how the world was created. His search for creation and the creator lead him to God with whom he communed after several years of meditation. When he was around 30 years old, he introduced a religion known today as Zoroastrianism.

5. Ultimate in Zoroastrian Religion: Zarathushtra spoke of one God whom he called Ahura Mazda. This compound term in Avestan language describe the divine as both masculine and feminine. Ahura is masculine gender while Mazda is feminine. Ah of Ahura refers to “life”, and has been translated as “Lord of Life” while Mazda means “superior wisdom”.

6. Gender Equality: By using the term Ahura Mazda, Zoroastrians believe, Zarathushtra conveyed the equality of males and females before the Creator and that the deity was beyond one particular sexual designation.

7. Ahura Mazda: God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. God is formless and invisible. God is eternal and “unchanging”. God is the creator of life and the source of all goodness and happiness. God is worshiped as Supreme Being. Zoroastrians believe that God’s creation is pure and should be treated with great love and respect. Hence some consider Zoroastrianism as the first “ecological religion”.


8. Fire: Fire provides heat and light and it is the source of life and growth. Hence, fire has remained the centre of all religious rituals of the ancient Indo-Iranians. Even today fire plays an important role in the religious ceremonies of the Zoroastrians.

9. Sacred Fire: The sacred fire must be kept burning continually and has to be fed at least five times a day. Prayers also are recited five times a day. The founding of a new fire involves a very elaborate ceremony. There are also rites for purification and for regeneration of a fire.

10. Not Fire Worshippers: Zoroastrians are not fire worshipers. But they believe the veneration of fire is able to generate an intimate communion with Ahura Mazda, the source of all life. When Zoroastrians stand in devotion before a sacred fire they believe that they are standing in the presence of the radiating power of Ahura Mazda.

11. Tower of Silence: When a believer dies, his or her body is brought to the Tower of Silence, where vultures shall eat the corpse, so that neither fire nor earth becomes contaminated. Water, earth, air, and fire are all sacred according to the Zoroastrian belief. Hence a dead corpse should not pollute these.

12. Sacred Scriptures: Avesta, or the Zend Avesta is the Zoroastrian scripture. The Avesta consists of fragmentary and much-corrupted texts; it is written in Old Iranian language, a language similar to Vedic Sanskrit. The major sections of the Avesta are four:
a. The Yasna, a liturgical work that includes the Gathas (songs).
b. The Vispered, a supplement to the Yasna.
c. The Yashts, hymns of praise.
d. The Videvdat, a detailed code of ritual purification.

13. Good and Evil: In Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda has an adversary called Angra Mainyu, which means destructive spirit. Angra Mainyu is believed to be the originator of death and all that is evil in the world. Ahura Mazda is perfect and abides in Heaven, while Angra Mainyu is evil and dwells in the depths of Hell. When a person dies, they will either go to Heaven or Hell depending on their accumulated deeds.

14. Zoroastrian Aspirations: A devout Zoroastrian strives to think “Good Thoughts” (Humata), speak “Good Words” (Hukhta) and do “Good Deeds” (Harshta).

15. Initiation: Generally at the age of seven, Zoroastrians are given a sudreh (shirt) and kusti (cord) as part of an initiation ceremony, known as navjote or sudreh-pooshi ceremony. These garments are considered sacred. They tie the kusti around the sudreh three times to remind themselves of “Good Words, Good Thoughts, and Good Deeds”. Read more by clicking on:
http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/navjote/index.htm

16. Householder Practitioner: Zoroastrianism is a home oriented religion. There is no tradition of monasticism or celibacy. Zoroaster himself was a family man and most worship happens in the family home.

17. Contribution to the Community: Zoroastrianism is community inclined. And it is a religion that promotes good and profitable community action. Zoroastrians work towards improving the local community and society in general. They tend to give generously to charities and are often behind educational and social initiatives. The Parsis community in India is better known for its industrious contributions to Indian society.

18. Faravahar: The faravahar is one of the best-known symbols of Zoroastrian religion. The winged disc has a long history in the art and culture of the ancient near and middle east. It symbolizes the Spirit of human, (or some consider that as the guardian angel) which is considered to be perfect and if humans follow the direction of the Spirit within they will be led to perfection. The three “H” of the Zoroastrian faith – Humata, Hukhta, and Harshata are depicted in the bottom three layers in the symbol.

Questions to Explore:

1. Discuss the main features of Zoroastrian religion.

2. Explain in detail the sudreh-pooshi ceremony of the Zoroastrians.

3. Do you agree with the following statement: Zoroastrianism is primarily an ecological religion. Explain your answer.