Jain Journal 2007 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

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JAIN JOURNAL : VOL-XLII, NO.1 JULY. 2007
clad in the hardest stone (i.e. the sky) chose righteousness, and (SO shall they all) who will satisfy Ahura Mazdā continually with just actions. 13
Without knowing of this creation myth in advance, it may be easy to read here three pairs of ethical value ; 'good and bad,' "falsehood and righteousness' and 'the best and the worst' in order, and naturally realize that the good and righteous Spirit must have created 'life' with no doubt. 'Not-life should come only from the bad and false Spirit, the adversary of Ahura Mazdā who has 'the Holiest Spirit' (Spenta Mainyu) within Himself. Then, why could the reader connect 'good' with life'? Why is it possible to consider 'life' as the creation of the 'good' Spirit ? ... Because we ourselves belong to
life'l4 and we naturally choose to take sides with Ahura Mazdā, the einbodiment of Life and Wisdom's who is expected to win the battle with the bad Spirit (Angra Minyu), the creater of ‘not-life' equal to the destroyer of life' when there arises the Renewal of Man, Nature and Cosmos at the end of Time (Frashokéréti).
From the side of 'life', 'not-life' is equal to evil. It must be quite rational and very much understandable to everyone in life. In Zoroastrianism the criterion of 'good' and 'evil' simply depends on the Life-centred ethics, which means that the respect for life' itself is equal to the worship of God' and 'the natural Law' at the same time.7
13. Mary Boyce, Zoroastrians -- Their Religious Beliefs and Practices -- London,
1979, p.20.
14. Cf. Kanoko Tanaka, “The Life-Ethics of Yasna 30.4 and its Educational
Effects on the Zoroastrian Youth," The 6th World Zoroastrian Congress, Teheran, 1996.
15. Piloo Nanavutty, The Gathā of Zarathushtra---Hymns in Praise of Wisdom
---, Ahmedabad, 1999. p. 63.
16.
Ditto, p.63.
17. On the above pointed matters, sce: Kanoko Tanaka, Absence of the Buddha
Image in Early Buddhist Art -- Toward its Significance in Comparative Religion --, New Delhi, 1998, pp. 106-107.