The path to salvation in our religion is the worship of God and good works (developing goodness and virtues). And good works have three stages that a purevan (follower of the Divine path and the pure religion) ascends, like angels going up the ladder to heaven (Genesis 28:12). Now we describe these stages and their manners, considerations, and occasions.
In the first stage, the purevan develops virtues and morality within himself individually. Like a gardener who plants ivy and it grows and covers everywhere, so he plants ethics, good behavior, and character in his soul, and they grow and reach all aspects of his life.
In this stage, he learns about morality, about virtues, what constitutes good and what constitutes evil, and their varied forms and fashions, some of which we described in previous chapters. And then he applies this knowledge to his everyday life. So he becomes a more gentle person, a more considerate person, a more respectful person, someone with manners, charisma, character, and other virtues.
These noble traits surround the purevan like an aura of excellence, like the robe of the angel of goodness in ancient myth, which was adorned with many gems, each being one of the virtues. On attaining this stage, the practitioner receives the title of "purevan" or "righteous."
Being righteous does not mean perfection; it does not mean having all the virtues to their fullest. Rather, it signifies an agreeable degree of virtues, a degree that one can be conventionally considered righteous, a degree that one behaves gracefully in typical daily life situations, and his morals and manners stand by a fair margin above an ordinary and untrained person. This much is enough for the first stage.
For in this stage, the purevan stands at the intersection of two paths: the ancient paths of goodness and evil, and he is directing his face toward the path of righteousness. He hasn't trodden the path to the end yet but has just commenced his walk in that direction. Thus, righteous is the one whose life direction is goodness, but there is still a way to go and room for improvement.
This stage of righteousness is not the end of our path, for it is about goodness at an individual level. After that, it is time for the social level, where one teaches this Divine path and pure religion to others. This is the second stage of good works, where one becomes a teacher, a role model, a helper for younger people, for enthusiasts and the lost. He embarks on spreading the knowledge.
The importance of this stage (spreading the Divine path) is based on the fact that righteousness cannot exist in a non-righteous society, honesty cannot exist in a corrupted society, and charity cannot exist in a hedonistic society. How can I live a righteous life when the way to make money is greed, the way to success is bribery, and the way to gratification is deceit? Even if a man is righteous and endeavors much, the force and mandates of the sinful community will eventually drag him into corruption and vices. One single righteous person cannot be righteous.
Thus, teaching and spreading the Divine path is higher than individual virtue and self-righteousness, and for this reason, it is the next stage after the stage of righteousness.
It is important to note that the first stage also includes some degree of teaching and transmitting the Divine path, for our behavior in society can inspire others: when an angry person insults me in a public place but I treat him with respect and dignity, this conduct, this uncommon and unconventional response, can shock the violent man and send a signal to the depth of his soul. It can make him reflect and reevaluate. Other bystanders who witness such excellent behavior will be edified too, as if seated in an ethics class. In particular, children and young people are more intensely influenced by our righteous and noble behavior. The memory of this incident and our role model remains in their minds; it might not change them right away, but it will at some point in the future.
Thus, the first stage encompasses a sort of teaching and transmitting the religion as well, but in a passive and indirect way. But this passive form is not enough in itself to complete the mission and convert the world. A direct and active form of teaching is also needed. And this forms the next stage where the purevan teaches this pure religion by means of lectures, preaching, and missionary work. There should be schools where those who have reached the stage of righteousness teach younger people and others about the Divine path.
At this stage, the aspirant obtains the title and degree of "teacher," which is the one who transfers and teaches spirituality to others. In some ancient traditions, the word "Pir" is used for this title. It means "old," but not in reference to biological age; rather, it refers to spiritual maturity. It is the adulthood of the soul and its fatherhood to younger and immature souls. A man can be Pir even if he is thirty or forty.
The word Pir also means white-haired, and this is a symbol too. White is the color of the primal light in the original creation of God. White has all other colors in it and is a symbol of Divine and all-encompassing wisdom. Hair becoming white in old age is a physical manifestation of the man being wise now, or supposed to be, after living for more than half a century and experiencing all aspects of life. But the passage of time is not the only way to become wise. One can obtain such a state early in life. The mythical figure Zal was born with white hair, which was the symbol of having a special Divine wisdom and freedom at birth. The angel of wisdom is also depicted as having white hair, but her face is young and beautiful.
These two stages, righteousness and teacher-hood, are achievable by many. But beyond these stages, there is yet a third stage that is achievable by few. It is not for everyone, and not required for everyone. The two stages are enough to obtain basic salvation. This third stage is by choice and option, and is the unknown path to the mystical mount M from which there is no return.
This is the path of sacrificing oneself for the sake of goodness and righteousness. This is the path that one puts himself in a situation of loss or danger and takes action to establish justice. This is the path that one loses his job because of standing against the brutality of the employer, and one goes to prison for fighting an unjust government, and higher than all: one loses life in the fight against oppression.
And in this losing, he obtains the incomprehensible, and in this death, he becomes alive to a new existence beyond our grasp. For this is the highest spiritual state, the abode of The Most High God. Those who went that way never returned to narrate to us how it was and what was there. This is the top of Mount M. This is the meaning of the Gospel saying: "whoever loses his life will find it" (Mark 8:35). And this is indeed the meaning of the true cross where "you" sacrifice for God, not God for you.
Such a person becomes holy. Every breath he takes is worship and a step toward Divinity. He already reached the Divine the moment he resolved to put his life and interest at stake for the sake of righteousness, and the rest is just the progress of the show.
At this stage, one obtains the title and emblem of "chivalry," as one becomes a knight in the temple of God and for God. In some traditions, the word "Javanmard" is used for this stage. It consists of two parts: "javan" which means young and "mard" which means "man."
Thus, the term "Javanmard" means "the young man." This is in contrast to the previous stage that was called Pir (old). And it is also in an unusual order, for in this way, we first become old and then young. How is that possible? This is because in the previous stage, one's soul becomes mature and old, and in that maturity, it takes the final step to perfection and sacrifices itself in the flames of Divinity. This kills the soul, and it is reborn again as a child and young soul. It is now called Javanmard. But this youth is not associated with inexperience and crudity, but is a new transcendental existence. The birth of the mythical figure Zal as a white-haired infant presents symbols explaining the mystery of the path for those who have understanding.