Zoroastrian Perception of Ascetic Culture
This paper is a critical examination of the guiding principle in Zoroastrianism on renunciation and worldly engagement. The religious ideal of an ascetic, hermit, mendicant, mystic, monk, and recluse, typical in other religions, has no counterpart in Zoroastrianism. The reason for this difference, I...
| Published in: | Journal of Asian and African studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage Publ.
1999
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| In: |
Journal of Asian and African studies
Year: 1999, Volume: 34, Issue: 1, Pages: 4-18 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This paper is a critical examination of the guiding principle in Zoroastrianism on renunciation and worldly engagement. The religious ideal of an ascetic, hermit, mendicant, mystic, monk, and recluse, typical in other religions, has no counterpart in Zoroastrianism. The reason for this difference, I shall argue, derives primarily from the basic ideals and concepts of virtue and righteousness in Zoroastrianism. In fact, virtue and righteousness is equated with pleasure, enjoyment, upholding the Good Principle, and helping the world in its progress towards perfection - not with self-denial, self-sacrifice, self-injury, or the abandonment of the world, all of which assist the Evil Principle. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-2538 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Asian and African studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/156852199X00130 |