Mind vs Wisdom (What is Mazda?) Part 2

Dear Dina
Of course there is no celebration of the harmful mind in Zoroastrianism. I never said such a thing.
But neither is there a celebration of the constructive mind only either. Not as a pre-programmed mind that can not choose. You may want that to be the case, for simplicity's sake, but that is not what you find in The Gathas.
What Zarathushtra celebrates is the EXISTENCE of mind and its capacity to choose. This is what the term "Mazdayasna" literally means!
It is the FREEDOM of the mind which we celebrate. Otherwise we could just celebrate robots who can do no wrong. And what's the point with that? It's a dead and unimaginative religion. The beauty is that there IS a mind and that this mind CHOOSES. The outcome of the choice is secondary and not what we celebrate as Mazdayasni.
Just like you as a parent should not celebrate that your child does exactly what you want but that the child does what the child wants to do with his or her own life.
Ushta
Alexander

2009/2/28


Dear Alexander,

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. There is no celebration of a destructive, harmful, inimical mind in Zarathushtra's thought.

I know we all like to gasp in admiration at the ability of a human being to think, to reason -- priding ourselves that this places us at the apex of existence. Well, sure, the ability to think is indeed a great capability. But it is only one of many great tools available for the growth (or evolution) of life forms. Imagine a person who could "think" but not feel any emotion. You would have a robot -- not exactly the apex of existence.

True, as Zarathushtra uses the term mind, it includes not only such things as rationality, judgment, analysis, etc. but also such as emotions, creativity, et cetera. But even with such an expanded idea of 'mind' -- it is still capable of both "good" activities, as well as destructive or harmful activities.

It is not mind, but a good mind (vohu manah) that is celebrated in Zarathushtra's thought.

It is not being (mainyu) but a benevolent way of being (spenta mainyu) that is celebrated in Zarathushtra's thought.

Wishing us the best,

Dina G. McIntyre.



-----Original Message-----
From: Alexander Bard
=0 ATo: Ushta@yahoogroups.com
Cc: zoroastrians@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 7:19 am
Subject: [zoroastrians] Mind vs Wisdom (what is Mazda?)

Dear Dina

I must offer friendly but immediate disagreement.
It is true that Mind can be used for both good and bad.
But what we mean with the concept of Mazdayasna is that THE VERY EXISTENCE of Mind in itself is what is worth celebrating.
It is the existence of mind which is sacred to us, not what these minds produce. And there is an enormous difference between the capacity of something and the outcome of something.
So it is indeed MIND we mean with Mazda and not wisdom even though wisdom is of course preferrable to nonsense.

Ushta
Alexander