The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 1 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations
Religion
The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 1 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations
Iran -- Religion; Religions
THE FOURTH SECTION OF THE DABISTAN contains an account of the
Jamshaspian sect. The _Yekanah-binan_, “seers of unity,” also called
the Jamshaí, who form another great body of the Parsees, are the
followers of _Jamshasp_, the son of _Jemshid_, the son of _Tahmúras_:
in their speech there is much that is enigmatical, and endless
subtilty. Jamshasp never invited any one to follow his tenets, but he
was of such exemplary life and so great a sage, that the people bore
him great affection, and wrote down his sayings, until by degrees
great numbers voluntarily adopted them as articles of faith. According
to them, the world has no external existence; they hold that whatever
exists is God, and that naught exists besides him: a holy man has said:
“Every eye which is directed to the primitive nature,
Unless tinged with the collyrium of divine light,
Whatever it beholds in the world, except thy face,
Is but the second image of distorted vision.”
They hold that all the intelligences, souls, angels, heavens, stars,
elements, the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms exist within his
knowledge, and are not external to it: which sentiment king Jamshid
explained to Abtin, saying: “Know, O Abtin, that the Almighty
conceived in idea the first intelligence; in like manner the first
intelligence conceived three objects, namely, the second intelligence,
the soul of the upper sphere, and the body of the same heaven: in like
manner, the second intelligence conceived three objects, and so on in
succession to the elements and their combinations: and this is exactly
as when we form an idea of a city, with its palaces, gardens, and
inhabitants, which in reality have no existence external to our
imagination; so that, consequently, the existence of this world is of
the same description.” The Abadian regard these sayings as
enigmatical, although Jamshid composed many philosophical works, which
the Yekanah Binan admit without any commentary: many of the Parsees
adopt this creed, and particularly the ascetics of that class. The
belief of these sectaries is illustrated by the following tetrastich
from Subahani:
“The sophist, who has no knowledge of intellect,
Asserts that this world is altogether an optical illusion,
In truth, the world is an illusion; however,
Certainty is for ever displaying her effulgence there.”
On this subject they have composed various works, the most celebrated
of which is, the “Testament of Jamshid addressed to Abtin,” compiled
by _Farhang Dostoor_. _Shídah_, _Suhráb_, _Mízan_, and _Jamshásp_,
who, under the profession of mercantile pursuits, travelled along with
_Shídósh_, the son of _Anósh_, were of the Yekanah Binan sect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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