DISCUSSIONS ABOUT ZOROASTRIANISM
you are invited to join!

# 20) Q: In the YASNA, hat 45#2 Ashu Zartosht talks about two gem, Angra Mainyu and Spenta Mainyu,which are twin. But in the Zoroastrian philosophy Ahuramazda is the manifestation of all goods in the world and every good thing came from him. So, how is possible that Angramainyu came from Mazda too? I mean, Angramainyu is malicious wisdom.why Ahuramazda created him? Or,if we accept that the intention of Ahuramazda from creating this two is to bring life and death, then why they are twin, why they have a one source? Or, essentially, Angramainyu does not exist inthe material world - its only in our mind?

A: Mazda did not create the mainyus. The mainyus from the root word Ma, which means mind, or thought, are ways of thinking, that, if we follow them, can lead us to become a certain way. Mainyu has been translated as a spirit, but in the Gathas it is used as synonym for mind and thought. (Being used as a synonym means that in several passages it is used instead of thought and or mind in the original language, the most often are Vohu Mainyu and Vahista Mainyu, for Vohu Manah and Vahishta Manah.)

In 1929 Maria Wilkins Smith in a book she titled The Gathas, a Study in Syntax, actually examined all the times this happen in the Gathas . She came to a firm total of 20 times. This use of mainyu for mind and or thougt, appeared in the Gathas; but says that it is possible to read it as a synonym as many as 4 more times. This means that out of all the Gathas as many as 24 times mainyu is used instead of mind or thought. This establishes the fact that the root of the word is ma and it is inextricable linked to thought and mind. That is why Jafarey, Bode and others translate it as mentality ( at least some times).

Now a mentality, or a way of thinking cannot be created by Mazda because this way of thinking is the reaction of the creature, in our case humans, to something that makes us think. Remember that I said that MOST translators say that Mazda is the Father (pta) of Spenta Mainyu? Well He is the father because He is the source of a Mind that thinks in Spenta Ways. That is, He is Spenishto and so is His mainyu. Spenishto, by the way, is never used for a human or any other creature. This points out that by Nature, Mazda is Spenishto Most Progressive or Edifying not that he created mainyus, which are ways of thinking.

True, as you say, Zarathushtra talks about two Mainyus (mentalities two ways of thinking in men not in nature) But, take a good look at Y30. In verse 5 Zarathushta says that the wrongful mentality ( Aka mainyu, NOT angrah which is NEVER, joined to mainyu in the Gathas) chose worse actions, but thet Progressive mentaliity (Spenta Mainyu), chose Asha (Righteousness). Then in verse 6 Zarathushtra goes on to call the choice of the wrongful (Daevas and their followers) a Worst mind (Aka Manah) and not a spirit of any kind! Since we know that mainyu is interchangeable with manah, there is no question that mainyu refers to mind and thought and NOT to spirit.

Mazda did not create angra. (Hostility or Destruction) Men who choose a way of thinking that is bad or senseless, (Aka) end up choosing an aka manah (Bad or worst mind) and not a vohu manah. (Good Mind) All these ideas of mainyus as spirits come from Sassanian and Christian interpretations. Zarathushtra was not a Semite - Aryans thought in terms of minds, not spirits. It is because most of us have lived under Abrahamic influenced cultures, philosophies and terminologies, that we find it difficult to break our thought patterns and look at Zarathushtra independently, evaluating him by what he said and not by using terms foreign to him and his culture. Aka and Spenta are names for ways of thinking in men. Mazda, being God and also Haurvatat itself, does not think in any other terms than Vahishta (Best) and Spentaoish ( Most Progressive and Edifying).

But, as to your last question, Yes! Angrah and Aka are not in God's mind but in human minds. They are there because men chose wrong. God, who never ( I know Dina disagrees) chose wrong, has no aka or angrah in Him. He could not, because He is the source of All Good.

# 21) Q: Why did G-d let his revalation go through the history of the Jews and Jezus ?

A: God does not 'let' or not 'let'. Humans are free to choose what they do. Historically Zarathushtra's message was deviated over millennia into something that did not resemble the original. This happens to all ancient religions for many reasons, including the ignorance of the message by the masses, the manipulations by 'god traders', governments and others. The lack of printing presses to preserve the very original message etc.

Judaism was  basically a Henotheist religion, in which Yahweh was the particular god of the Hebrew tribes and supposedly greater than the gods, also real, of the gentiles. It was not till the Jewish Exile, that Yahweh starts to exhibit some of the qualities of a Universal God. Basically the Jews in exile came under the influence of Persian religion, which was already deviated from the Original teachings of Zarathushtra, but had indeed preserved the Universality of Mazda. It is at that point that we see massive changes in the nature of Yahweh. As it happened the Jews were able to syncretize from their religion and the Persian religion a New Judaism, better than the previous one, while the deviated Mazdayasna degenerated into absolute ritualism. This is the Judaism that served as one of the main basis for Christianity.

Mazda is not like Yahweh or Allah, Mazda is interested in results and improvement in actions of righteousness, in good thinking in good rule etc. These are the ways to god likeness. God likeness, in turn, is the Mazda's goal for human kind. The call of Yahweh and Allah is to blind obedience , blind faith and/or submission. The Call of Mazda is to Good Thoughts, Words and Deeds and what is Good is defined as what is in harmony with the ethical dimension of the Law of the Cosmos (Asha). Thus it does not matter to Mazda if you call Her/Him Yahweh, Allah  etc., rather it is righteous, Asha like, thoughts words and deeds, that Mazda seeks.

So, to say that His revelation was  'let' by God to go through others, has no meaning in a Mazdayasni context. Mazda is God of All and is discovered, rather than revealed. Indeed, S/He does not need to be revealed, Her/His handiwork, is there for all to see and realize and seek Her/Him. If Mazda's aim of having  humanity achieve godlikeness through Asha like choices, in thought word and deed, are furthered by one human religion or another, it does not matter to Mazda. Zarathushtra's message is only claimed to be the Best, Greatest and Sublimest, it is never claimed to be the only one.

next page