Chapter I - PERSICA POSTALEXANDRICA

The enormous empire, founded by Alexander theGreat, fell apart after his death in 323 B.C. His generals fought one another for decades in the so-called Wars of the Diadochs. Around 300 B.C. there were three post-Alexandrian kingdoms: Macedonia (with Greece), Egypt, ruled by the Ptolemaics, and the Seleucid Empire, which reached from the Aegean to the Indus, the largest part of Alexander's heritage. Egypt and the Seleucids fought quite a number of wars for the possession of Palestine and Syria. In the second century B.C. all the territories east of the Tigris became part of the newly founded Parthian Empire. Later there was a revival of Persian power, when the Sasanian kings founded an empire reaching from the Euphrates to the Indus.

The western notion that, in the Zoroastrian religion, Good and Evil had a common origin, is totally wrong, because it is abhorrent to orthodox Zoroastrians. In the Zervanite version, which Zoroastrians consider heretical, they have a common origin, namely `Zervan', Time, who replaces Ahura Mazda as the origin of everything. Ahura Mazda is called Ormuzd and his evil counterpart is Ahriman.

In the final paragraphs short desciptions of Mandaeism, Manichaeism, and Mazdakism are presented. (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 39 pp.)

Chapter II - INDICA

The oldest Indian civilizations in the Indus valley, of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, were overrun by the Indo-European Aryans. They were a domineering race that harshly subjected the nations and tribes they found on their path. In the course of the centuries they pushed the frontiers of their power ever farther. After the withhdrawal of the Macedonians Chandragupta Maurya founded the first Indian empire, the Mauryan Empire, that comprise Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, with the exception of the extreme Tamil south. In the fourth century A.D. the Gupta dynasty ruled the northern half of India, while pushing on to the south. The Aryan kings were considered to be of a higher order than all other beings; they reigned absolutely.

The next section introduces the three fundamental Indian concepts: 1. dharma, which may, somewhat inadequately, be rendered with `religion', and which is dualistically opposed to adharma, to be irreligious; 2. samsara, the cyclical course of all that exists; 3. karman, any (morally) correct activity in general.

Slavery was a normal institution in ancient India; naturally, slaves were seen as inferior beings. The macho Aryans did not held women in high regard; polygamy was normal. The man-woman relationship may be dubbed dualistic. Very strong dualistic elements are to be found in the caste system. In Indian philosophy dualistic oppositions can be detected: unity-diversity, male-female, matter-spirit.

The oldest form of the Indian religions, the Veda, contains dualistic elements. In the Brahmanic religion the highest principle, Brahma, is absolutely different from everything else; the world is real but inferior. The wise man should leave it behind him. The Brahmans themselves considered themselves superior to all others and formed a highly privileged class. Hinduism too abounds with dualistic elements. Some attention is paid to Yoga and Jainism, but far more to Buddhism, in which we once again find many dualistic elements. (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 134 pp.)

Chapter III - SINENSIA

Contrary to the western opinion that the Chinese is thousands and thousands of years older than the western one, the first unified Chinese empire was founded only ca. 250 B.C. by the Qin dynasty; it comprised the northern half of China. It was only around 200 A.D. that the whole of China became ruled by one common emperor, of the Han dynasty. It is justified to speak of Chinese imperialism. Chinese emperors are divine beings, the Sons of Heaven, endlessly superior to all their subjects; they receive the Celestial Mandate, which mean that they are charged with the task of governing, in principle, the whole world.

Chinese ideologies are far less dualistic than Indian ones. Yin and Yang, in the West seen as opposites, are in fact complementary. The leading ideology of China, until the communist take-over in 1949, was Confucianism, in which only some traces of dualism can be found. A competing ideology is Mohism, which in itself is not dualistic but whose relationship to Confucianism was doubtlessly so. Another ideology, Daoism, the Way, is clearly dualistic, what with is rejection of the phenomenal world (our world), as utterly worthless. Buddhism penetrated into the south of China, but was considered barbarian by the Confucianists, because it is not born on Chinese soil. (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 76 pp.)

This volume contains a time table of Indian history, maps, a Bibliography, and a General Index.

Published in 1990 by J.C. Gieben, Publisher.
ISBN 90 5063 051 0