Mazdaism Part 2

Dear Parviz

But that is precisely my point:
How do you AVOID people from focusing on "perfection" (I have always argued that the only perfection that exists philosophically is death, because death is the only state we know of where nothing moves or changes, and if something is indeed perfect than it can not change, because it if changed it would no longer be perfect), well you make their object of desire something that always moves, always changes, and why then not make it the process of transformation itself? This is totally in line with Zarathushtra and with his later followers Baruch Spinoza and Gilles Deleuze (please feel free to check these thinkers at Wikipedia if you like).
So if you desire things to be static and never change (wrongly assuming that this is what haurvatat is, Sigmund Freud correctly called this "the death drive") then you will have to let go of Mazda. The whole point in being a Mazdayasni is to make change and transformation IN ITSELF that which is sacred. This is why we have made tolerance and openness not only social necessities within Zoroastrianism but sacred attitudes in themselves. This is why we created the first human rights etc. We appreciate that which keeps us moving, and WHILE moving, we live within haurvatat. Haurvatat is not a fixed utopia in the future, haurvatat is accessible in the here and now, the old expression "Enjoy the ride!" is appropriate for us as Mazdayasni.
- Dölj citerad text -


Ushta
Alexander

2009/1/28 Parviz Varjavand

Dear Alexander,

I like very much what you have added to the idea of Mazdaism.

The only problem may arise when some persons develop a notion that because we move, we must be on the path of becoming perfect, becoming God. Whole lot of Div-Yasna baggage can then be put on top of the very simple proposal that you are presenting. Our worst enemies could then become well wishing friends who put extra straws on the camels back until it breaks.

The simple truth is that we don't know where we are going. The best we can do is to leave as small a footprint on the planet as we can so that we do not destroy it..

Ushta Ve,
Parviz Varjavand

--- On Wed, 1/28/09, Alexander Bard wrote:

From: Alexander Bard
Subject: [Ushta] Mazdaism
To: Ushta@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 11:35 AM


Why not go even deeper and say that Ahura is fundamentally BEING and Mazda is BECOMING?
Ahura is that which has existence and Mazda is that which is transforming, changing within existence, that through which existence shows its many expressions?
Because what is the art of asking a question (which always forgoes the capacity to make a decision) if not the fundament of consciousness? And thereby the ultimate foundation of Mazda?
Just a proposal...
Please note one important thing that makes Mazdayasna different from all classic philosophy: In Mazdayasna being is not superior to becoming and becoming is not superior to being, the two are completely intertwined, each one would be pointless without the other, could not even exist without the other.
And while it is true that we still know very little about The Universe, we know quite a lot about The Observer of this Universe, namely ourselves and our perception of The World we live in. And that is where The Divine appears to us, in the awe we feel towards Existence, in our capacity of materialising Mazda in relation to Ahura.
Ushta
Alexander

2009/1/28 Parviz Varjavand

What is Mazda ?

I think that the ability to make a choice is Mazda.

Ahoora is that which simply IS.
Is Ahoora Good? The answer is "Yes".
Being is better than not being. That's the only goodness we can bestow upon Ahoora. Ahoora can not hold the other adjectives that we associate with goodness, such as justice or compassion…Etc.
Most of what is in the Ahooraic state does not have the luxury of choice. There are laws that govern the behavior of the Ahoora and those laws are called Asha. The Earth has no choice but to rotate around the Sun and this Asha governs its behavior.

In Time, a very small part of Ahoora comes to life, and with life begins a process of Choice. This choice is the struggle of the life-form to secure greater Ushta or rewards for itself. The earth worm goes towards moister and away from the dry place. The naked Asha of the situation is that if the worm goes to the dry place, it will die, and if it goes towards the moister, it will live. So the worm chooses the Vahishtayi Ashem or that Asha that will give it the Ushta or reward of staying alive. It chooses one Asha over another.

As the life form evolves from the earth worm to the human, the choices of which Asha to choose over another also become complex. What are the Ashas Obama should choose to fix the economy and create more peace? Any Asha he chooses will have consequences, but what is the Vayishtayi Ashem in each case, that best of Asha that will result in the greatest of Ushta. That ability of the Mind to have consciousness and choose one Asha over another, I call Mazda.

Is Mazda present in all life forms? I don't know.
Is Mazda present in beyond earthly life forms? I don't know.
Is there an Ahoora Mazda? Yes
What is it? I don't know, but I just described the form of it that makes sense to me.
The formula I just described, makes my mind celebrate and so it is Mazdayasna to me, I call it "Mazdeism".

The way the mind celebrates when it understand something complex, I call Mazdayasna. The way the mind celebrates when it can not understand something complex, yet it clings to some "Sacred" old text for guidance, I call Div-Yasna or celebrating the Div. The majority of humans on earth follow Div-Yasna, so be very polite to them so that they will let you live. Otherwise the most insignificant of them can latch on to you and make life miserable for you.

Ushta Ve,
Parviz Varjavand