Zoroastrian Spirituality – The Relentless Pursuit of Good
21st February, 2021
12:00 – 13:30 GMT
This event is the first in a series under the general title “Unity in Diversity”.
Led by Khojeste Mistree
Seminar Description
From the speaker: In this presentation, I shall outline briefly the Zoroastrian Story of Creation and through that window show some key theological tenets moving away from a purely transcendent monotheistic God. Human beings in Zoroastrianism are both spiritual and physical, and I will endeavour to outline some elements of Zoroastrian spirituality linked to the reverence of Fire, who is seen as the ” Son of God” – the Zoroastrian equivalent of the living Jesus. The creation story also highlights the role of humanity, wherein the human is not only enjoined to living the good life but to generate wealth and learning to share it. In doing so, a Zoroastrian always seeks to remain in the zone of contentment by balancing the head and heart, so as to experience a spiritual high in the pursuit of goodness and harmony in the world. The presentation will include some visuals and end with a short Zoroastrian meditation.
Speaker
Khojeste P Mistree studied Zoroastrianism at the Oriental Institute – University of Oxford, obtaining an Honours degree in Oriental Studies. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Upon his return to India, he co-founded Zoroastrian Studies (ZS), a community education outreach institute which has been disseminating Zoroastrian knowledge to those who seek it, over the past four decades. He also co-founded the Athravan Educational Trust (AET), an institution formed to teach and train Zoroastrian priests and the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarathushtis (WAPIZ) in an attempt to link the Zoroastrian community, globally. In 2008, he was elected as a trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) the apex body of the Zoroastrian community, in India, where he remained a trustee for his term of office for seven years. He has given innumerable talks at universities and religious centres across the globe, interviewed on television and in the print media and has published several articles in his chosen field of interest. He is the author of Zoroastrianism – An Ethnic Perspective and co-author of the Zarathushti Religion – A Basic Text. Khojeste connected with Beshara in the 1970’s and has given talks and notably did a land acupuncture at Swyre Farm, in Gloucestershire.
A frequent visitor to Iran, he spearheaded a resettlement program of displaced Zoroastrians from Iran to North America in the mid-eighties. Khojeste is a water diviner and is passionate about saving the vultures from extinction. He is dedicated to preserving the tradition and practices of his ancient Zoroastrian faith.
An interview with Khojeste in Beshara Magazine can be found here.
Booking
Cost: FREE via Zoom
Registration must be made via Eventbrite
