Aryans: Zoroastrians of Iran (video)

Iranian goddess from Austria Maria Orsic

Aryan Bible (Avesta): The 16 Sacred Lands of the Aryans | OBELISK TV

(OBELISK TV) Jan. 1, 2025: The Aryan Bible story is a captivating journey into the heart of ancient [Iranian and Near Eastern] history and mythology, exploring the sacred [Zoroastrian] scripture of the Aryan people — the Avesta, known as the "Aryan Bible."

This epic narrative unveils the creation of 16 divine lands by the supreme god Ahura Mazda [possibly an Asura titan in Buddhist cosmology], a testament to light, truth, and harmony.

The Indus Valley Civilization disappeared

However, this perfection is challenged by the destructive force of Angra Mainyu [Mara Devaputra], the embodiment of chaos and darkness, whose counter-creations bring plagues, winters, and turmoil to these lands.

• [The Buddha, in "The Story of the Lineage" as translated by Thomas William Rhys Davids (Pali Text Society), speaks of his descent from "Aryans," the solar race, which came to mean "nobles" in two senses. First, they were "warriors," not exactly kshatriyas (ruling class, master race) in the Vedic caste system sense and, second, came to mean "enlightened" or arya. Hitler's Propaganda Minister Goebbels appropriated this ancient mythology and repurposed it for Nazi ends, ruining the swastika, the legendary race of enlightened beings, and the belief in a world monarch or chakravartin ruler, making these things racist, elitist, white supremacist, and hateful. India, Tibet, and much of the Buddhist sphere still remembers the goodness in these things without the racist Western cultural baggage of modern interpretations and misusages.]

As the story unfolds, we follow the migrations of the Aryan people across vast regions of the ancient world — from the fertile steppes of modern Ukraine to the mountains of Iran, the lush valleys of India, and the crossroads of Central Asia [the Saka/Scythian land of the Buddha].

Each land reflects not only divine creation but also the resilience and ingenuity of the Aryans as they navigate environmental hardships, cultural fusion, and spiritual evolution.

(Robert Sepehr) Aryan Bloodlines of Ancient Babylon

The Aryan Bible [like the Vedas of the Indus Valley Civilization and proto-India] introduces us to a rich pantheon of gods and goddesses like Mithra [like Buddhist Maitreya], the god of covenants and light; Anahita, the goddess of waters and fertility; and Spenta Armaiti, the spirit of devotion and earth.

These deities embody the values of truth, resilience, and harmony that guided the Aryans in their quest for survival and unity.

Beyond its mythological depth, this story resonates with timeless themes of unity, hope, and the human spirit. It reminds us that the Aryan legacy lives on in the languages, traditions, and people scattered across Iran [Iranian = Aryian], Europe, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Northern India, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan [all formerly Buddhist countries along the Silk Road].

The tale envisions a future where these descendants rediscover their shared roots, forge peace, and defeat the forces of division, building a world of light, prosperity, and harmony.

Join us as we delve into the Aryan Bible Story, a powerful [Zoroastrian] tale of creation, migration, and the enduring human spirit.

• Obelisk TV, 1/1/25; Robert Sepehr, 8/30/20; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Most obscure Gnostic gospel teachings

Lorekeeper, June 16, 2023; Sheldon S., Pat Macpherson, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The most obscure Teachings of the Gnostic gospels

(Lorekeeper) Key term: demiurge. The Gnostic gospels of the 2nd to 4th century AD have told us a lot about the scene of evolving ideas during the early Christian period.

The Gnostics emerged as a group that saw the world very differently from the view of orthodox Christianity, and the sheer complexity of the doctrine has kept scholars and theologians engaged to this day.

From the point of view of someone reading these texts now, they are a fascinating sequel to the Bible, complete with their own host of deities, cosmology, and alternative backstories to biblical incidents, unheard of cryptic teachings by Jesus, and mystical, heavily metaphorical theology.

What is the purpose of these writings? Are they secret codes waiting to be deciphered or a relic of a past doctrine that once flourished?

This video takes a look at some of the obscure teachings from five different Gnostic gospels.

Into medieval Europe, mythology, and obscure history in general? Consider subscribing to be notified of future videos.

• CONNECT: Twitter: twitter.com/LoreKeeper0 #gnosticism #gnosticgospels

Before Genesis (Bible story origins)

MythVision Podcast, 7/15/23; Sheldon S., Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Shocking secret origins of Genesis

(MythVision Podcast) Let's explore the fascinating connections between the creation myth in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 1) and the Sumerian Enuma Elish, an ancient Babylonian epic that predates the Bible.

We took our Jewish stories from the Sumerians?

Discover how Marduk's triumph over Tiamat and the subsequent creation of the cosmos resonate in the biblical narrative. But that's not all. Delve into the intriguing contrasts between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, focusing on the different orders of creation.

This discrepancy has led scholars to propose multiple authors, with Genesis 2 potentially predating Genesis 1.

Let's look at the Akkadian cognates in Genesis, revealing possible literary dependence and shedding light on the fascinating interplay of ancient texts.

The mythical Garden of Eden in Genesis holds a special place in the discussion. Join to explore its origins in ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq) and uncover the potential sources that influenced the biblical scribes.

Unravel the connections between the creation of humankind in Genesis and older Mesopotamian counterparts, shedding light on the mythical figure of Adam, the first human (or Adama, group of humans).

Of course, the intriguing tale of Eve's creation from Adam's side, half, or rib is covered. If we trace this motif back to the older Sumerian myths, we discover echoes that resonate between these ancient narratives.

To wrap up this exploration, let's tackle the theme of our lost human immortality. Drawing from the renowned Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh and the myth of Adappa and the South Wind, unveil the significant role these myths play in biblical creation stories.

This journey through ancient myths and their influence on the Bible is captivating. Together, we ponder the implications of the biblical scribes drawing inspiration from much older polytheistic mythology.

Thanks to Dr. Joshua Bowen for providing the details in this video. His book is Learn to Read Ancient Sumerian: An Introduction for Complete Beginners.

#mythvision #Mythology #Religion

Zoroastrian: Compassion Consortium (11/27)

Jen B. (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven (eds.(, Wisdom Quarterly; Vegan Spirituality

Vegan veterinarian Dr. Armaiti May (VAPA)

The Compassion Consortium meets monthly. Each month's service is unique and features a presentation with experts from various religious and/or philosophical traditions who share the conviction that all living kind, and the planet itself, deserve respect, justice, and loving kindness.

Each service also includes elements of traditional worship services — such as meditation, music, and movement. These practices help each participant personally express faith, gratitude, and celebration to the degree that they wish to participate.

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  Friday, Nov. 27, 4:00 pm ET
• Zoroastrian Dr. Armaiti May, DVM
• small animal veterinarian, vegan advocate

Zoroastrianism priest or camel driver (Tang Dynasty)

Dr. Armaiti May, a graduate of the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, worked at an emergency dog and cat hospital then trained in veterinary acupuncture through the Chi Institute of Chinese Medicine.

She has served on the Board of Directors for RedRover, an animal organization that brings animals out of crisis and into care, and is president of Vegan Toastmasters, which empowers vegans to speak effectively on behalf of animals. She is launching a non-profit organization called the Veterinary Association for the Protection of Animals (“VAPA”) to educate the veterinary profession about the benefits of veganism and support humane teaching methods in veterinary surgical training.

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ABOUT: VAPA (vapavets.org) is an online community and an advocacy group. Its members are united around a common goal -- providing the best care to the animals of this earth with the same level of love and respect as we offer one another.

VAPA is one of many groups that is collectively evolving humankind's understanding of humane advancements in veterinary medicine, animal wellness, and domestic care. There is now a consensus that humane practices are more cost-effective and scientifically sound.

Some of its primary organizational goals are to help end the requirement for cruel and redundant surgeries in veterinary medicine education while advocating for humane alternatives any time the well-being of an animal is at risk.

Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord (or Asura)

ABOUT: Zoroastrianism is an Iranian (Aryan) religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra). It innovated a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ontology and an eschatology that predicts the ultimate conquest of evil by good.

The religion states that active and ethical participation in life through good deeds [karma] formed from good thoughts and good words is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

Zoroastrians believe that there is one universal, transcendent, all-good, and uncreated supreme creator deity called Ahura Mazda or the "Wise Lord." [Who from a Buddhist perspective, some suggest, may be an Asura or Titan.]

Please don't ask him to kill me. I don't want to die

Historically, the unique features of Zoroastrianism -- its monotheism, messianism (waiting for Godot, the Maitreya, the Messiah), vegetarianism, belief in freewill and judgement after death, its conception of heaven, hell, angels, and demons, among other concepts -- may have influenced other religious and philosophical systems, including the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism) and Gnosticism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Greek philosophy.

With roots dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE, Zoroastrianism enters recorded history around the middle of the 6th century BCE (around the time of the Buddha or the Axial Age). It served as the state religion of the ancient Iranian [Persian] empires for more than a millennium (approximately from 600 BCE to 650 CE) but declined onwards as a direct result of the Arab-Muslim conquest of Persia (633–654 CE), which led to the large-scale persecution of the Zoroastrian people.

Recent estimates place the current number of Zoroastrians in the world at around 110,000–120,000 at most, many of them in India where they are known as the Parsis.

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The Faravahar is an ancient symbol of the Zoroastrian faith. It depicts a bearded man with one hand reaching forward. He stands above a pair of wings that are outstretched from a circle representing eternity.

It is represented on the Compassion Consortium wheel of interfaith symbols on the home page and also attached as an image to this event announcement. COMPASSION CONSORTIUM NOVEMBER 27 SERVICE-DR. ARMAITI MAY, VEGAN/DVM/ZOROASTRIAN, Sun, Nov 27, 2022, 1:00 PM | Meetup

The Ark before Noah (video)

Irving Finkel, Oriental Institute, 7/20/16; Sheldon S., Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly



The Ark Before Noah: A Great Adventure

Enki, the good god (deva) helped humankind

British Museum Department of the Middle East Assistant Keeper I Irving Finkel, who is responsible for cuneiform tablets, gives an amazing firsthand talk and PowerPoint presentation.

He describes what befell him after a remarkable cuneiform tablet was brought for examination to the British Museum in London.

Its 4,000-year-old inscription led to a series of altogether unexpected discoveries, like the shape of "Noah's Ark," demanding a whole new look at Noah and the biblical "Ark," culminating in a book and documentary film on the building of a scale model of the real Ark in India.

Our lectures are free and available to the public thanks to the generous support of our members. To become a member, please visit: bit.ly/2AWGgF7.

Sumerians: Secrets of Human Origins (video)

Ancient Secret Discoveries, 12/26/17; Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Why the Sumerian civilization is way too controversial for mainstream history

(ASD) By watching, viewers will come to understand the historic picture behind the origin of humankind and advanced human civilizations.

What we have been taught is completely wrong. Sumer was located in modern-day Iraq (known as Mesopotamia in ancient times) around 4500 BCE. The Sumerians had an advanced civilization with their own elaborate language and system of writing, cuneiform.

They had extensive knowledge about the solar system, astronomy, and mathematics. Long before the Judeo-Christian Bible(s), there were the Sumerian Tablets. It is difficult to find conclusive evidence about how life was back then, but suffice it to say that Sumeria has always been a place of fascination.

That said, archaeologists have unearthed Sumerian Tablets dating to over four millennia ago. To imagine there was a civilization back then that had a schematic way of recording information on tablets is astounding. Were they influenced by heavenly beings from space?

Richard Cremo explains our past
Coast to Coast, Jan. 2, 2018
Research pioneer and "forbidden archaeologist" Michael Cremo is known for his evidence-based findings about the extreme antiquity of the human race.

Cremo talked about ancient wisdom from Buddhist India, the cyclical nature of time, and recent research into Neanderthals.

Modern humans and Neanderthals have a lot more in common than was previously thought, he noted, and there are even some humans currently alive with the features associated with Neanderthals such as large brow ridges. The fact that the two species were able to interbreed strongly suggests that Neanderthals were simply another human variant, Cremo added.

There are a number of explanations for the idea that modern humans like us existed in the far distant past, hundreds of millions of years ago. This relates to time travel, ETs, or humans may have evolved or been fashioned considerably earlier is thought, explains Cremo.

According to ancient wisdom traditions, time goes in vast cycles, and at certain points it seems that Earth is more in contact with other parts of the cosmos. Ancient Sanskrit texts refer to 400,000 human-like species scattered among various planetary systems, he cited, and beyond that, they say we're in a multi-dimensional cosmos. More + Audio

Fire worship: backstory to "The Fire Sermon"

G.P. Malalasekera (Pali Proper Names), Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

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About the Fire Sutra

You're not enlightened nor on the path.

"All is burning!" But what is the "all" that is burning? This is the third recorded sutra of the Buddha. It was delivered at Gayāsīsa in Gayā, India, after he converted tebhātika-jatilā (three ascetic brothers: Uruvela Kassapa, Nadī Kassapa, and Gayā Kassapa).

Our senses are burning with lust, anger, ignorance, and the anxieties of birth, decay, death, and so on. Knowing this, the follower of the Noble Eightfold Path feels revulsion towards them. And passion -- by seeing their true nature -- fades out. One ultimately attains supreme freedom. 

Modern Christian fire worship Jerusalem, 2017

At the end of this discourse, the 1,000 recently ordained Buddhist monks who had been listening, who were former matted-hair yogi wandering ascetics (jatilas) living along the river, realized full enlightenment (Vin.i.34-5; J.i.82; iv.180).

It is said that this sutra was given on the Pitthipāsāna at Gayāsīsa (AA.i.166; ThagA.i.435). It is also called the Āditta Sutta. (See Āditta Sutta 3).

Sadhus and sadhvis of India, wandering ascetics who practice magic and many things.

Indo-Parthian stone palette, illustrating a fire worship, possibly Zoroastrian (wiki).

 
The backstory

Amateur "fire worship" can get carried away, particularly in modern California.

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We are jatilas who tend the sacred fire (W).

Three fire-worshipper brothers named Kassapa were yogi ascetics with matted hair, tebhātika-jatilas, who lived on the banks of the Nerañjarā river.

Uruvela-Kassapa lived at Uruvelā with 500 disciples, and further down the river lived his two brothers, Nadī-Kassapa with 300 disciples, and Gayā-Kassapa with 200. These are the 1,000 ascetics in the sutra.

The Buddha visited Uruvela-Kassapa and took lodging for the night where their sacred fire was kept, in spite of Kassapa's warning that the spot was inhabited by a fierce dragon or nāga. The Buddha using his magical powers overcame first this nāga then another. They both vomited fire and smoke.

Uruvela-Kassapa was pleased with the Buddha's exhibition of magic power (iddhi), so he undertook to provide the Buddha with his daily alms food.

Devas loved the Buddha

Meanwhile, the Buddha stayed in a grove nearby, waiting for the time when Uruvela-Kassapa might be ready to be converted to the Dharma and enlightened. Here the Buddha was visited by the Four Great Sky Regents, Sakka King of the Devas, Brahma, and others.

The Buddha spent the entire rainy season there performing 3,500 miracles of various kinds, reading the thoughts of Kassapa, splitting firewood for the ascetics' sacrifices, heating stoves for them to use after bathing in the cold weather, and so on.

Still Uruvela-Kassapa persisted in the thought, "This great ascetic has great magic power, but he is not enlightened like I am."
 

It's not an all-boys club. There are sadhvis.

Finally, the Buddha decided to startle Uruvela-Kassapa by declaring: "You are not enlightened! Nor do you follow a path that can possibly lead to enlightenment."
 

Thereupon, Uruvela-Kassapa admitted it. Then he reverently asked the Buddha for ordination as a Buddhist monk. The Buddha asked him to first consult with his pupils.

When he did they cut off their long dreadlocks (jatas) and threw them into the Neranjara river along with their sacrificial utensils. And they all ordained as Buddhist monks.

When they saw the hair and utensils floating down river, Uruvela-Kassapa's brothers, Nadī-Kassapa and Gayā-Kassapa, came to Uruvela-Kassapa's encampment to inquire what had happened.

They, too, decided to ordain under the Buddha along with their pupils, for a total of 1,003 wandering ascetics. Because they had been fire worshipers, the Buddha decided to give them a discourse later dubbed "The Fire Sermon." And as a result of hearing it, they all attained full enlightenment. More

Juicy summer Dharma reads

Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero, Wisdom Quarterly (SUMMER READING)

"Peace is within; do not seek it without" - the Buddha (Vinita Jaynt/pinterest.com)

Juicy Dharma reads for the beach over the long Memorial Day weekend (thedailybeast.com)

 

Young, rich Prince Siddhartha (Buddha-to-be)

This weekend is the unofficial launch of summer in the U.S.

It would be fun to read some good trash with a half-hundred shades of nonsense and salacious... but that gets old fast.

Where's the substance I want? Where's the long term profit. Cheap thrills are not only not that cheap, they aren't that thrilling.

Snakes as sex symbols for Eves?

We have to wonder if the story of the Bodhisattva, when reborn as Siddhartha in the faraway frontier of ancient India, wasn't a kind of bodice ripper of its time.

Handsome, gallant prince has a harem ("dancing girls and all-female musicians and palace guards"), plays sports like archery and proto-polo (Persian chowgan or some kinder version of buzz kashi or kokspar with an un-taxidermically-treated leather "ball"), rides a white pony horse named Kanthaka, does feats of strength, learns great royal skills from Brahmin tutors, wears flowing gowns of the greatest Kasi fabric, and enjoys more riches than he can comfortably get his head around. Where?

Prince Siddhartha in the upper floors of his seasonal palace guarded by women and filled with "dancing" girls and female musicians and a surfeit of luxurious foods and other delights.

Playing with the boys in feats of strength in Central Asia -- proto-polo with a "pigskin" made of lamb, equestrian skill for warriors in need of nomadic endurance (wiki/army.mil)

    

Indus Valley Civilization and Kapilavast

Imagine a cosmopolitan crossroads on the Silk Road, travelers and magicians going from the Far East to the West and paradises beyond India and Asia.

Was that the Terai of Nepal? Not likely, but that's what the colonial British books say. Afghanistan is a better candidate, Sanskrit-speaking Gandhara and the remnants of the once great Indus Valley Civilization (romanticized "distant lands" between Egypt and India) and what remained of it. India's influence extended all the way to Iran (which later became Zoroastrian and Sufi-inspired Persia before being overtaken by Islam).

Dance, dancing girls, dance!

Worlds to the west were pre-Christian, pre-Jewish, pre-Abrahamic described in the pejorative as "pagan." Full of shamans, traders, trailblazers, and Sumerian-Egyptian-Arabian-Bedouin post-Babylonians. Life could not have been easy, after the fall of so many great empires and city-states like Harrapa and Mohenjo-Daro.

The Path to Enlightenment, like the course of society as explained by the author-comedian Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy BBC Radio series), goes through phases or stages of sophistication. How will we survive? How shall we eat? ...What's for lunch?

Read (pinterest.com)

So reading The Aphorisms and Back-Stories (Dhammapada), The Bodhisat Fables (Buddhist Birth Stories that inspired Aesop, according to British scholar and University of London Professor Rhys Davids), or The Lists (more) may do at first, then the stories (sutras, long discourses,  and apocryphal texts), then The Analyses (vibhanga), then The Commentaries, The Higher Teachings, but eventually what we need for nourishment is The Synthesis (Bhikkhu Bodhi, Pema Chodron, Ajahn Brahm, Sharon Salzberg, Ayya Khema, Caroline Davids, Joan Halifax, Islaine B. Horner, Ayya Tathaaloka (facebook)...

• Worldly juicy readings (thedailybeast.com) 
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• VIDEO: World's greatest Indian drum solo boy
• VIDEO: Alien God to arrive from space soon 

"Persepolis" or Persepolis? (video)

Eds., Wisdom Quarterly; Marjane Satrapi ("Persepolis"); Discovery.com "Persepolis"

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Ancient Persia

The remnants of a great empire

One of the most impressive settlements in the ancient world, Persepolis was destroyed and burned by invader Alexander the Great in 330 BCE. It lay forgotten for over 2,000 years. This documentary travels to modern Iran to bring Persepolis back to life and investigate the complexities of the Persian Empire that was responsible for creating this astonishing city.

The Spread of Buddhism from its origins in Afghanistan (Gandhara) and India (Magadha) to Iran, where two counter-movements arose in Zoroastrianism (Asuras, Parsis) and Islam (Muslims, Sufis) that then rolled into India and Buddhist strongholds in East and Far East Asia.

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"Persepolis," Iran

WATCH FREE: FULL FILM NOW

Religion is mostly a horrible thing. "Persepolis" is the poignant story of a young girl in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
 
It is through the eyes of precocious and outspoken 9-year-old Marjane that we see a people's hopes dashed as fundamentalists take power -- fomented by the West who is enriched in the process of creating a terrorist dictatorship to rob the resources of a nation -- forcing the veil on women and imprisoning thousands.

 

Ancient India used to include modern Iran

Clever and fearless, Majrane outsmarts the "social guardians" and discovers punk rock, ABBA (pop), and Iron Maiden (heavy metal). Yet, when her uncle is senselessly executed and as bombs fall around in the capital of Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war, the daily fear that permeates life in Iran is palpable.

As she gets older, Marjane's boldness causes her parents to worry over her continued safety. So at age 14, they make the difficult decision to send her abroad to school in Austria. Vulnerable and alone in a strange Western land, she endures the typical ordeals of a teenager.

Map of Buddhist Central Asia and India

In addition, Marjane has to combat being equated with the religious fundamentalism and extremism she fled her country to escape. Over time, she gains acceptance, and even experiences love. But after high school she finds herself alone and horribly homesick.

Though it means putting on the veil and living in a tyrannical/hypocritical society, Marjane decides to return to Iran to be close to her family.
 

Like Buddhist Asokan Edict: Cyrus Cylinder

After a difficult period of adjustment, she enters art school and marries, all the while continuing to speak out against the hypocrisy she witnesses. At age 24, she realizes that while she is deeply Iranian, she cannot live in Iran.

She then makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her homeland for France, optimistic about her future, shaped indelibly by her past.
 

(LY)  Discovery: Did the oldest civilization on Earth exist in Persia?

Persepolis' Marjane Satrapi's new film "The Voices"

• IRAN: People of the Flames, Zoroastrians

• Ancient Civilizations
• Persian City of Giants Found!
• Ancient Man Made Tunnels: Underground Civilizations
• Dwarka, India - 12,000-y.o. City of Krishna Found
• Ancient Pyramids in the Antarctic Explained
• India: Oldest, Most Advanced, Continuous Civilization?
• 12,000-y.o. Göbekli Tepe: National Geographic
• David Childress and James Tyberonn: Ancient Civilization Mysteries 2013