Drives and Desires (was: Daoism vs Zoroastrianism)

However, all of this needs to have a foundation - you need to also honestly respond to the question: "What is in it for me?". You owe this to yourself before you even make the choice to become a Mazdayasni.
Well, what is the motor of our personalities anyway? In the deepest sense it is drive, and in the immedaite sense it is desire. Zarathushtra fully understood this. Drives and desires motivate people both to live in general and to choose the things they choose for themselves in life. It is self-evident to all actors Zarathushtra portray in "The Gathas".
What he then did in "The Gathas" was to place the drives and desires of himself and others within a bigger and social context. His ethics places drives and desires where they should be as to be fulfilled in their deepest, most long-term, most fulfilling sense.
Not speaking of drives and desires risks losing out on the very foundation of a Zoroastrian ethics. It's like constructing the walls and the roof of a beautiful house while forgetting to build a basement. How do you then expect the house to stay in place?
This is all especially important when showing the differences between Zoroastrianism, Daoism and Buddhism: Zoroastrianism views drives and desires as productive and good in themselves. Daoism views them as possibly productive but equally damaging and problematic. favoring a balancing of drive and desire in themselves. Buddhism sees drives and desires as problematic in themselves, the idea of nirvana is an existence where none of them are left to roam. As do Christianity and Platonism too.

Ushta
Alexander

2011/8/20 Special Kain

I am not sure if this talk about drives and desires makes things unnecessarily more complicated.
As far as I understand The Gathas, we are encouraged to educate ourselves and then base our choices on long-term thinking. Plus we are requested to nurture good thoughts in order to become better persons, since it is our deeds that make us what we are. We must be brutally honest with ourselves and fully commit ourselves to the truth and contribute to civilization and all its benefits. Because civilizations will prove better in the long run.

Ushta,
Dino

Von: Alexander Bard
An: Ushta@yahoogroups.com
Gesendet: 19:33 Samstag, 20.August11
Betreff: [Ushta] Daoism vs Zoroastrianism

I agree with Dino on the differences between Daoism and Zoroastrianism.
Zoroastrianism is pro-active in a sense that Daoism is not. And Zoroastrianism is not against any drives and desires other than it advocates the LONG-TERM drives and desires when these collide with short-term impulses.
Therefore Zarathushtra's focus on thinking BEFORE speaking BEFORE acting.

Ushta
Alexander

2011/8/20 Special Kain

Another difference between Zoroastrianism and Daoism is that in Daoism people want to become immortal and live forever. There were several meditation practices and chemical experiments that were devoted to this ideal. For example, there is one Daoist school that would have its followers create an "astral foetus" within their physical bodies in order to survive one's physical death.