జొరాస్ట్రియన్ మతం: కూర్పుల మధ్య తేడాలు
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ట్యాగులు: చరవాణి సవరింపు చరవాణి ద్వారా వెబ్ సవరింపు |
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పంక్తి 10:
యుక్త వయసులో ఉన్న జొరాస్తర్ (జరాతుస్త్ర) కు [[స్వప్నం]]<nowiki/>లో సృష్టి కర్త అయిన అహురా మాజ్డ పంపిన ఓహు మనా (Vohu Manah) అను దేవ దూత దర్శనమిచ్చి దైవ ప్రకటకన చెప్పగా [[దేవుడు]] ఒక్కడే అని నమ్మిన జొరాస్తర్ ఆయ పెద్దలకు వ్యతిరేకంగా ప్రచారం చేయసాగాడు. పూజారులు నమ్మే దేవతలను దేవుళ్ళను దెయ్యాలుగా వర్ణించసాగాడు. దెయ్యాల మతాన్ని వీడమని వారితో చెప్పేవాడు. ఆగ్రహించిన పెద్దలు జొరాస్తర్ ను అంతంచేయాలనుకొని పలుమార్లు విఫలమయ్యారు. జొరాస్తర్ తన [[బోధన]]<nowiki/>లతో బాక్ట్రియా (Bactria) సామ్రాజ్యపు రాజైన విష్తాస్ప (Vishtaspa) ను ప్రభావితం చేయగలిగాడు. జొరాస్తర్ ముగ్గురు స్త్రీలను [[పెళ్ళి|వివాహం]] చేసుకొని ఆరుగురు పిల్లలకు తండ్రి అయ్యాడు. శతాబ్దాల తరువాత బాక్ట్రియాలో ఉన్న ప్రజలు జొరాస్త్రమతాన్ని స్వీకరించారు. చివరికి ట్యురాన్ (Turan) సామ్రాజ్యానికి, [[పర్షియా]] సామ్రాజ్యానికి జరిగిన [[యుద్ధం]]<nowiki/>లో ట్యురాన్ దేశపు [[రాజు]] చేతిలో జొరాస్తర్ మరణించాడు. మరణానికి ముందే జొరాస్తర్ తన వంశంనుండి ముగ్గురు [[రక్షకులు]] కన్యకలకు జన్మిస్తారని ప్రవచించాడు <ref>The Zoroastrian Origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - by Darrick T. Evenson.</ref> .
==Overview==
===Theology===
Zoroastrians believe that there is one universal, transcendent, all-good, and uncreated supreme creator deity, [[Ahura Mazda]], or the "Wise Lord". (''Ahura'' meaning "Lord" and ''Mazda'' meaning "Wisdom" in [[Avestan]]).<ref name=britannica>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Duchesne-Guillemin|first=Jacques|title=Zoroastrianism |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/658081/Zoroastrianism|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> [[Zoroaster]] keeps the two attributes separate as two different concepts in most of the [[Gathas]] yet sometimes combines them into one form. Zoroaster also claims that Ahura Mazda is omniscient but not omnipotent.<ref name=":1" /> In the Gathas, Ahura Mazda is noted as working through emanations known as the [[Amesha Spenta]]<ref name=":7" /> and with the help of "other [[ahura]]s",<ref name=":0" /> of which [[Sraosha]] is the only one explicitly named of the latter category.
Scholars and theologians have long debated on the nature of Zoroastrianism, with dualism, monotheism, and polytheism being the main terms applied to the religion.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> Some scholars assert that Zoroastrianism's concept of divinity covers both being and mind as [[Immanence|immanent]] entities, describing Zoroastrianism as having a belief in an immanent self-creating universe with consciousness as its special attribute, thereby putting Zoroastrianism in the [[Pantheism|pantheistic]] fold sharing its origin with Indian [[Brahmanism]].<ref>François Lenormant and E. Chevallier [https://books.google.com/books?id=l0NtAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA38 ''The Student's Manual of Oriental History: Medes and Persians, Phœnicians, and Arabians''], p. 38</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwIkZaZvItAC&pg=PA81 |title=General Sketch of the History of Pantheism |author=Constance E. Plumptre |page=81 |date=2011|accessdate=2017-06-14|isbn=9781108028011}}</ref> In any case, Asha, the main spiritual force which comes from Ahura Mazda,<ref name=":5" /> is the cosmic order which is the [[antithesis]] of chaos, which is evident as ''druj'', falsehood and disorder.<ref name=":6" /> The resulting cosmic conflict involves all of creation, mental/spiritual and material, including humanity at its core, which has an active role to play in the conflict.<ref name="iranica.com">{{cite web|title=Zoroastrianism: Holy text, beliefs and practices|date=2010-03-01|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zoroastrianism-i-historical-review|website=Encylopedia Iranica|accessdate=2017-06-14}}</ref>
In the Zoroastrian tradition, druj comes from Angra Mainyu (also referred to in later texts as "Ahriman"), the destructive spirit/mentality, while the main representative of Asha in this conflict is [[Amesha Spenta|Spenta Mainyu]], the creative spirit/mentality.<ref name=":4" /> Ahura Mazda is [[immanence|immanent]] in humankind and interacts with creation through emanations known as the Amesha Spenta, the bounteous/holy immortals, which are representative and guardians of different aspects of creation and the ideal personality.<ref name=":7" /> Ahura Mazda, through these Amesha Spenta, is assisted by a league of countless divinities called [[Yazata]]s, meaning "worthy of worship, and each is generally a [[Hypostasis (philosophy and religion)|hypostasis]] of a moral or physical aspect of creation. According to Zoroastrian [[cosmology]], in articulating the [[Ahuna Vairya]] formula, Ahura Mazda made the ultimate triumph of good against Angra Mainyu evident.<ref name=":16">{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ahunwar-middle-persian-form-of-avestan-ahuna-vairya-name-of-the-most-sacred-of-the-gathic-prayers-y|title=AHUNWAR |work=Encyclopaedia Iranica|access-date=2019-07-13}}</ref> Ahura Mazda will ultimately prevail over the evil [[Angra Mainyu]], at which point reality will undergo a cosmic renovation called [[Frashokereti]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/frasokrti|title=FRAŠŌ.KƎRƎTI |work=Encyclopaedia Iranica|access-date=2019-07-13}}</ref> and limited time will end. In the final renovation, all of creation—even the souls of the dead that were initially banished to or chose to descend into "darkness"—will be reunited with Ahura Mazda in the [[Kshatra Vairya]] (meaning "best dominion"),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/sahrewar|title=ŠAHREWAR |work=Encyclopaedia Iranica|access-date=2019-07-13}}</ref> being resurrected to immortality. In [[Middle Persian literature]], the prominent belief was that at the end of time a savior-figure known as the [[Saoshyant]] would bring about the Frashokereti, while in the Gathic texts the term Saoshyant (meaning "one who brings benefit") referred to all believers of Mazdayasna but changed into a messianic concept in later writings.
Zoroastrian theology includes foremost the importance of following the Threefold Path of Asha revolving around Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds.<ref name=":9" /> There is also a heavy emphasis on spreading happiness, mostly through charity,<ref name=":10" /> and respecting the spiritual equality and duty of the genders.<ref name=":11" /> Zoroastrianism's emphasis on the protection and veneration of nature and its elements has led some to proclaim it as the "world's first proponent of ecology."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://parliamentofreligions.org/content/what-does-zoroastrianism-teach-us-about-ecology|title=What Does Zoroastrianism Teach Us About Ecology?|last=|first=|date=|website=Parliament of the World's Religions|archive-url=|archive-date=|url-status=|access-date=}}</ref> The Avesta and other texts call for the protection of [[water, earth, fire and air]] making it, in effect, an ecological religion: "It is not surprising that Mazdaism ... is called the first ecological religion. The reverence for Yazatas (divine spirits) emphasizes the preservation of nature (Avesta: Yasnas 1.19, 3.4, 16.9; Yashts 6.3–4, 10.13)."<ref>[[Richard Foltz]] and Manya Saadi-nejad, [https://www.academia.edu/9387070/Is_Zoroastrianism_an_Ecological_Religion "Is Zoroastrianism an Ecological Religion?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101215651/http://www.academia.edu/9387070/Is_Zoroastrianism_an_Ecological_Religion |date=2016-01-01 }}"</ref> However, this particular assertion is undermined by the fact that early Zoroastrians had a duty to exterminate "evil" species, a dictate no longer followed in modern Zoroastrianism.<ref>[[Richard Foltz]], "Zoroastrianism and Animals," ''Society and Animals'' 18 (2010): 367–378</ref>
===Practices===
[[File:Dinastia tang, shanxi, straniero dal volto velato, 600-750 ca.JPG|thumb|upright=1.15|An 8th century [[Tang dynasty]] [[Chinese ceramics|Chinese clay figurine]] of a [[Sogdia]]n man wearing a distinctive cap and face veil, possibly a camel rider or even a Zoroastrian priest engaging in a ritual at a [[fire temple]], since face veils were used to avoid contaminating the holy fire with breath or saliva; [[Museum of Oriental Art (Turin)]], Italy.<ref>Lee Lawrence. (3 September 2011). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904332804576540533071105892 "A Mysterious Stranger in China"]. ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''. Accessed on 31 August 2016.</ref>]]
The religion states that active and ethical participation in life through good deeds formed from good thoughts and good words is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay. This active participation is a central element in Zoroaster's concept of [[free will]] and Zoroastrianism as such rejects extreme forms of [[asceticism]] and [[monasticism]] but historically has allowed for moderate expressions of these concepts.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/darvis|title=DARVĪŠ |work=Encyclopaedia Iranica|access-date=2019-07-13}}</ref>
In Zoroastrian tradition, life is a temporary state in which a mortal is expected to actively participate in the continuing battle between Asha and Druj. Prior to being born, the ''urvan'' (soul) of an individual is still united with its ''[[fravashi]]'' (personal/higher spirit), which has existed since Ahura Mazda created the universe. The fravashi before the urvan's split act as aids in the maintenance of creation with Ahura Mazda. During life, the fravashi act as aspirational concepts, spiritual protectors, and the fravashi of bloodline, cultural, and spiritual ancestors and heroes are venerated and can be called upon for aid.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/fravasi-|title=FRAVAŠI |work=Encyclopaedia Iranica|access-date=2019-07-13}}</ref> On the fourth day after death, the urvan is reunited with its fravashi, in which the experiences of life in the material world are collected for the continuing battle in the spiritual world. For the most part, Zoroastrianism does not have a notion of [[reincarnation]], at least not until the Frashokereti. Followers of [[Ilm-e-Kshnoom]] in India believe in reincarnation and practice vegetarianism, among other currently non-traditional opinions,{{sfn|Boyce|2007|p=205}}<!-- the final renovation of the world includes the revival of the dead, and this revival may (subject to which tradition is being followed) be interpreted as a revival in corporeal form--> although there have been various theological statements supporting vegetarianism in Zoroastrianism's history and claims that Zoroaster was vegetarian.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.idausa.org/assets/files/campaign/Sustainable%20Activism/advocacykits/ud/adkitzoroastrianweb.pdf|title=Interfaith Vegan Coalition: ZoroastrIan KIt|last=|first=|date=|website=In Defense of Animals|archive-url=|archive-date=|url-status=|access-date=}}</ref>
<!--[[File:Zartosht.jpg|thumb|right|[[Zoroaster]]; portrayed here in a popular Parsi Zoroastrian depiction. This image emerged in the eighteenth century.{{deletable image-caption|Wednesday, 12 January 2011}}]]-->
In Zoroastrianism, water (''[[aban]]'') and fire (''[[atar]]'') are agents of ritual purity, and the associated purification ceremonies are considered the basis of ritual life. In Zoroastrian [[cosmogony]], water and fire are respectively the second and last primordial elements to have been created, and scripture considers fire to have its origin in the waters<!-- (Boyce supposes this idea is due to an identification of lightning with rain) -->. Both water and fire are considered life-sustaining, and both water and fire are represented within the precinct of a [[fire temple]]. Zoroastrians usually pray in the presence of some form of fire (which can be considered evident in any source of light), and the [[Ab-Zohr|culminating rite]] of the principal act of worship constitutes a "strengthening of the waters". Fire is considered a medium through which spiritual insight and wisdom are gained, and water is considered the source of that wisdom. Both fire and water are also hypostasized as the Yazatas [[Atar]] and [[Anahita]], which worship hymns and litanies dedicated to them.
A corpse is considered a host for decay, i.e., of ''druj''. Consequently, scripture enjoins the safe disposal of the dead in a manner such that a corpse does not pollute the good creation. These injunctions are the doctrinal basis of the fast-fading traditional practice of ritual exposure, most commonly identified with the so-called [[Tower of Silence|Towers of Silence]] for which there is no standard technical term in either scripture or tradition. Ritual exposure is currently mainly practiced by Zoroastrian communities of the [[Indian subcontinent]], in locations where it is not illegal and [[diclofenac]] poisoning has not led to the virtual extinction of scavenger birds. Other Zoroastrian communities either [[cremation|cremate]] their dead, or bury them in graves that are cased with [[lime mortar]], though Zoroastrians are keen to dispose of their dead in the most environmental way possible.
While the [[Parsi|Parsees]] in India have traditionally since the 19th century been opposed to [[proselytizing]],<ref name=":8" /> and even considered it a crime for which the culprit may face expulsion,<ref>{{cite web|last=Khan|first=Roni K|edition=Online|year=1996|title=Traditional Zoroastrianism: Tenets of the Religion|url=http://tenets.parsizoroastrianism.com/ |website=Tenets.parsizoroastrianism.com|accessdate=2009-10-08}}</ref> Iranian Zoroastrians have never been opposed to conversion, and the practice has been endorsed by the Council of [[Mobad|Mobeds]] of [[Tehran]]. While the Iranian authorities do not permit proselytizing within Iran, Iranian Zoroastrians in exile have actively encouraged missionary activities, with the Zarathushtrian Assembly in [[Los Angeles]] and the International Zoroastrian Centre in [[Paris]] as two prominent organizations and the [[Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America]] being in favor of conversion and welcoming to converts. Converts from both traditionally Persian and non-Persian ethnicities have even been welcomed at international events, even attending and speaking at events such as the World Zoroastrian Congress and the World Zoroastrian Youth Congress.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wzycongress.org/speakers-panelists/|title=Speakers and Panelists|website=7th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.11wzcperth.com.au/speakers/|title=Congress Speakers|last=|first=|date=2018|website=11th World Zoroastrian Congress|archive-url=|archive-date=|url-status=|access-date=}}</ref> Zoroastrians are encouraged to marry others of the same faith, but this is not a requirement outside of traditionalist communities where it is strictly enforced in regards to women marrying outside of the faith but not men.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2016/03/marriage-and-zoroastrian/475467/ |title=What It's Like to Have to Date Someone of Your Religion to Save It From Extinction|last=Wecker|first=Menachem|date=2016-03-27|website=The Atlantic|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-01}}</ref>
==చీలికలు ==
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