The Manichaean Cross of Light and Life

Read about the Manichaean Cross of Light and Life.

Miryazd Na’amaz (A Prayer to the Living Spirit)

The following is a Manichaean prayer for regular daily use for all brothers and sisters, regardless of whether they are Hearers or Elect. It is known as “Miryazd Na’amaz” which means “The Prayer of the Living Spirit” who is also known as Mir Izgadda.

The base translation appears in parenthesis. The intention of the prayer’s text appears after the main text which is then followed by the text without English. The prayer is taken from the Holy Book of Light. This can be said at anytime of the day or night, with a congregation or alone. One can meditate on the intention of the prayer while working, or chant the words while walking or taking care of chores or other daily activities.

This is one of the most important prayers that is among all the prayers of Maninaye.

Miryazd Na’amaz (A Prayer to the Living Spirit)

Mir Yazd Izgadda (The Living Spirit, the Messenger)
Mir Yazd Ilzada (The Living Spirit, the Divine Descendant)
Mir Yazd Fara’il (The Living Spirit, Light of God)

Mir Izgadda Anoush (Lord Messenger, Eternal One)
Mir Arman Keyvan (Lord, Hope of the World)
Mir Hami Keyvan (Lord, Protector of the World)

Mir Yazd Izgadda (The Living Spirit, the Messenger)
Mir Yazd Yashar (The Living Spirit, the Messenger Who Lives Forever)
Mir Yazd Ilnouri (The Living Spirit, Divine Light)

Mir Parizad (The Lord of Divine Origin)
Mir Parsa’il (The Holy Lord from God)
Mir Arsham’il (The Extremely Powerful Lord from God)

Mir Izgadda.
Mir Izgadda.
Mir Izgadda.

Amin, Meytar, Meytar.

Truth desires to appear

Truth desires to appear; truth longs to become conscious; truth strives to know itself.

There is truth in the stone, for the stone is here; and no power in the world, no god, no man, no demon, can destroy its existence. But the stone has no consciousness. There is truth in the plant and its life can expand; the plant grows and blossoms and bears fruit. Its beauty is marvelous, but it has no consciousness. There is truth in the animal; it moves about and perceives its surroundings; it distinguishes and learns to choose. There is consciousness, but it is not yet the consciousness of Truth. It is a consciousness of self only.

The consciousness of self dims the eyes of the mind and hides the truth. It is the origin of error, it is the source of illusion, it is the germ of evil. Self begets selfishness. There is no evil but what flows from self. There is no wrong but what is done by the assertion of self. Self is the beginning of all hatred, of iniquity and slander, of impudence and indecency, of theft and robbery, of oppression and bloodshed. Self is Mara, the tempter, the evil-doer, the creator of mischief. Self entices with pleasures. Self promises an illusion of a paradise. But the pleasures of self are unreal, its paradisian labyrinth is the road to misery, and its fading beauty kindles the flames of desires that never can be satisfied.

Who shall deliver us from the power of self? Who shall save us from misery? Who shall restore us to a life of blessedness?

There is misery in the world of Samsara; there is much misery and pain. But greater than all the misery is the bliss of truth. Truth gives peace to the yearning mind; it conquers error; it quenches the flames of desires; it leads to Nirvana. Blessed is he who has found the peace of Nirvana. He is at rest in the struggles and tribulations of life; he is above all changes; he is above birth and death; he remains unaffected by the evils of life.

Blessed is he who has found enlightenment by way of the True Light. He conquers, although he may be wounded; he is glorious and happy, although he may suffer; he is strong, although he may break down under the burden of his work; he is immortal, although he will die. The essence of his being is purity, goodness and light.

Blessed is he who has attained the sacred state of Buddhahood, for he is fit to work out the salvation of his fellow beings. The truth has taken its abode in him. Perfect light and wisdom illumine his understanding, and righteousness ensouls the purpose of all his actions. The truth is a living power for good, indestructible and invincible! Work the truth out in your mind, and spread it among mankind, for truth will save one from evil and misery.

Buddha Mani has found the truth and he has proclaimed this truth to the world! Blessed be Buddha Mani!

Samsara and Nirvana

Look about and contemplate life! Everything that is of matter is transient and nothing endures. There is birth and death, growth and decay; there is combination and separation. The glory of the world is like a flower: it stands in full bloom in the morning and fades in the heat of the day.

Wherever you look, there is a rushing and a struggling, and an eager pursuit of pleasure. There is a panic flight from pain and death, and hot are the flames of burning desires. The world is full of changes and transformations. All is Samsara, the turning Wheel of Existence.

Is there nothing permanent in the world? Is there in the universal turmoil no resting-place where our troubled heart can find peace? Is there nothing everlasting? Oh, that we could have cessation of anxiety, that our burning desires would be extinguished! When shall the mind become tranquil and composed?

Buddha Mani teaches against the vanity of worldly happiness; he tells his disciples to seek salvation in the one thing that will not fade or perish, but will abide for ever and ever.

You who long for life, learn that immortality is hidden in the Divine Light. You who wish for happiness without the sting of regret, lead a life of righteousness. You who yearn for riches, receive treasures that are eternal. Truth is wealth, and a life of truth is happiness.

All matter will be dissolved, but the truths which determine all combinations and separations as laws of nature endure for ever. Bodies fall to dust, but the truths of the mind and the Light from the Divine, will not be destroyed.

Truth knows neither birth nor death; it has no beginning and no end. Welcome the truth. The truth is the immortal part of mind. Establish the truth in your mind, for the truth is the image of the eternal; it portrays the immutable; it reveals the everlasting; the truth gives unto mortals the boon of immortality.

Buddha Mani has proclaimed the truth; let this truth dwell in your hearts. Extinguish in yourselves every desire that antagonizes the Buddha, and in the perfection of your spiritual growth you will become like unto him. That of your heart which cannot or will not develop into Buddha must perish, for it is mere illusion and unreal; it is the source of your error; it is the cause of your misery; it is attachment to darkness and matter.

You attain to immortality by filling your minds with truth and light. Therefore, become like unto vessels fit to receive the Master’s words. Cleanse yourselves of evil and sanctify your lives. There is no other way of reaching truth.

The truth is universal and leads to justice and righteousness. Matter is not the eternal, the everlasting, the imperishable. Seek not the darkness, but seek the Light.

If we liberate even a small amount of the Light within our souls from matter, wish no ill to others, and become clear as a crystal diamond reflecting the light of truth, what a radiant picture will appear in us mirroring things as they are, without the admixture of burning desires, without the distortion of erroneous illusion, without the agitation of clinging and unrest.

Yet you love the body of flesh and will not abandon that body. So be it, but then, truly, you should learn to distinguish between the body, which is matter, and the true self, which is the Light in the soul. The ego with all its egotism is the false body. It is an unreal illusion and a perishable combination. He only who identifies his soul with the truth will attain Nirvana; and he who has entered Nirvana has attained Buddhahood, which is true enlightenment; he has acquired the highest good; he has become eternal and immortal, liberating the light from matter.

All compound things shall be dissolved, worlds will break to pieces and our individualities will be scattered; but the words of Light will remain for ever.

The extinction of matter is salvation; the annihilation of matter is the condition of enlightenment; the blotting out of matter from ourselves is Nirvana.

Happy is he who has ceased to live for pleasure and rests in the truth. Truly his composure and tranquility of mind are a great joy.

Let us take our refuge in Buddha Mani, for he has found the everlasting in the Light. Let us take our refuge in that which is the immutable in the changes of existence. Let us take our refuge in the truth that is established by the Source of the Divine Light. Let us take our refuge in the community of those who seek the truth and endeavor to live in the truth.

To the Community Will I Look in Faith

“To the community will I look in faith; the community of the Elect and Hearers instructs us how to lead a life of righteousness; the community of the Elect and Hearers teaches us how to exercise honesty and justice; the community of the Elect and Hearers shows us how to practice the truth.

They form a brotherhood in kindness and charity, and their saints are worthy of reverence. The community of the Elect and Hearers is founded as a holy brotherhood in which men bind themselves together to teach the behests of rectitude and to do good. Therefore, to the community will I look in faith.”