ZOROASTER
252with the Daodejing or Laozi, is one of
the two primary texts of philosophical
Daoism. The text in fact appears to draw
from at least two sources, and the rela-
tionship between the book and the
eponymous philosopher is unclear. The
Zhuangzi consists largely of anecdotes
with philosophical meaning. It articulates
the notion of wuwei or effortless action,
the unfixed nature of language, the rela-
tivity of existence, and the natural place
of death in the cycle of life. Probably
the most famous anecdote is about
Zhuangzi’s dream that he was a butterfly.
Upon awakening, he was unsure whether
he was a human who had dreamed he was
a butterfly, or if he was not a butterfly
dreaming he was a human.
ZOROASTER. See
ZOROASTRIANISM.
ZOROASTRIANISM. The main religion
in Persia (now Iran) prior to the advent
of Islam, founded by Zarathustra (Greek,
Zoroaster). Most scholars believe
Zarathustra was born around 570 BCE,
although some date his birth as far back
as the fifteenth century BCE. His sayings
are preserved in the Gāthās, which are
part of the Av e s t a (“Book of the Law”).
Zoroastrianism teaches a mixture of
monotheism and dualism. Ahura Mazdah
is the supreme deity, but he has an evil
and slightly less powerful opponent,
Aura Mainyu. Zoroastrians interpret the
world in terms of a cosmic battle between
good and evil at present, but believe that
Ahura Mazdah (good) will ultimately tri-
umph over Aura Mainyu (evil). Human
beings have free will, and their actions
determine their eternal destiny. Zoroas-
trianism influenced Judaism, Mithraism,
Gnosticism, and Manichaeism. After
the fall of the Sassanid Empire in 651 CE,
many Zoroastrians migrated to India.
Today, the majority of Zoroastrians live in
India, where they are known as Parsis.
The small remnant of believers in Iran are
known as Garbars.