Gardens Of Light Research Paper

The Gardens of Light is about a man by the name of Mani, who was taken from his mother at a young age and forced into White-clad Brethren--- “a group of monks of a Nazarene sect on the Euphrates banks.” (Adonis Diaries) His father was a member of the White-clad Brethren and Mani was forced to stay with this brethren “from the age of five to his mid-20s.” (Publisher’s Weekly) After a life of beliefs, he thought were what he was meant to believe, he learns from a ‘twin’ that he is not a part of the White-clad Brethren life. Mani was always different from everyone. Mani was a “painter, mystic, physician, and prophet.” (back cover) From there on out, Mani creates the religion of Manichaeism. Manichaeism is a form of duality and “it is an old religion

that breaks everything down into good or evil.” (Vocabulary.com) Mani’s sermons sound similar to one’s you would hear in a sermon of someone who believes in Christianity which is one of the religions that Mani’s religion is based off of. For example, on page 89, Mani preaches about God who he refers to as “pure light” (89) and explains that God called light and darkness to coexist. In the end, unfortunately, Mani ends up being put to death by the Magi, who did not like him. He was crucified, just like Jesus. In continuation to the similarities, he believed and preached his religion until the moment of his death.
In the scene from pages 46-51, it is a self-discovery. In the beginning of the scene we see, Mani, a member of the White-clad Brethren. At the end of the scene, we see Mani, a man who had an encounter with a figure known as his ‘Twin’, who no longer feels the pressure to believe what the White-clad Brethren do because he never belonged in the first place. “For him, as for those who will one day be called the Manichees, it marks the beginning of a Revelation.” (49)
4 objects from pages 46-51, that I will describe are the painting of the god Mithras whom Mani feared, the House of Prayer where Mani once went to worship, the paint brushes made of reed in which Mani, as an artist, used to paint his artworks, and ‘The Twin’ and the message that Mani receives from the ‘Twin’ that will change Mani’s life forever. All of these play a significant part in Mani’s life because the god Mithras and House of Prayer represent who Mani thought he was, as a White-clad Brethren, while the paint brush and the ‘Twin’ are a major part of who Mani is as the prophet and founder of Manichaeism.
Body:
This scene is a discovery of Mani’s self. He finds out who he truly is and that the life he has been living is not the one that he has to lead anymore. Mani is taken back after seeing the god Mithras appear. He is so overwhelmed he begins to scream “Accursed” (48) and lays his head down with his face towards the water. When he looks at the water, he says, once more, “Accursed” but what he believes to be his reflection does not perform the same action. He makes a face; yet again the reflection does not repeat. He discovers something that he calls “His twin” and the ‘twin’ tells him information that he has been longing to hear such as he is not a part of the White-clad Brethren. After hearing this information, it is like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. At the House of Prayer, he “did not join in the chanting. He moved his lips, his chin, his eyebrows, to give the illusion of chanting” (51) because Mani no longer felt obligated to partake in the rituals of the White-clad Brethren.
This scene is significant to the story because it is the moment that Mani discovers who he really is. He is not a member of the White-clad Brethren. “His ‘twin’ told him many more things that he craved to hear: that the White-clad Brethren’s beliefs were not his, that he never belonged to their religion, that their purity was merely vanity and perversity.” (51) This scene is an important time for Mani because it is the life changing moment he realizes that the life he is living is not the one that is meant for him.
The historical picture of the god Mithras looks like a holy card one would get at a religious shop. Mithras has a similar look to Jesus Christ. Wearing a blue and gold garment. His hands are in the position, often seen in the Catholic Church, that look like he is performing the sign of the cross. The ray of sun, also known as a halo, as said on page 48, surrounds his face. Based on the reaction of Mani when he saw this painting, I do not think that he would handle this picture very well because Mani was Persian, a foe of Greeks, so he was taught to avoid all things Greek. But after his interaction with his ‘Twin’, he may not be as afraid of this painting or see it as “cursed.”
The House of Prayer is a sacred place where the White-clad Brethren went to pray during the Sassanid period.

It is a tan dome shaped building. It has about three floors with multiple windows on each. Carvings take over the building, all of which can be described as an upside down U. The material of the building is solid tan with stones embedded in the walls. This building was extremely respected by the White-clad Brethren. Although, Mani was no longer feeling the pressure to abide but the rules of this group, he still respected it but did not perform the rituals such as the chanting.

Mani was an artist. “First, the brushes which he fashioned with his own hands from reeds, attaching to their tips goat’s hairs obtained from the village for the delicate touches, or coarser one from a hare.” (46) He made his paint brushes from reeds which according to Merriam’s dictionary is a thin strip of wood. When looking at a reed brush, used for texturing, it is a thick brush that looks like it would take a long time to make. Each piece of reed is equally

placed.
The Twin and The Double were the names that Mani called his reflection that he saw in the water. A piece of artwork “embodying the message of The Twin” shows Mani, wearing the garbs of the White-clad Brethren, looking into water with his miserable grimace. There are multiple pictures, side by side of Mani, along with transcript in the middle. I believe the transcript represents Mani’s own words about his Twin experience. His twin was someone who was constant in his life. His twin spoke to him about things such as conquering Ctesiphon. He warned him of situations. For example, “My heavenly, ‘Twin’ warned me. I shall say one thing and men, even those nearest to me, will understand something else.” (154) He called for his twin in times of need. “He called on his ‘Twin’, his double, to appear, for mercy’s sake!” (138)
Mani was born and taken into the White-clad Brethren.

A group of Persians who taught Mani to dislike the Greeks hence why he was so fearful when he saw the picture of the god Mithras. This was a life, at which, his mysterious ‘twin’ told him that he was not meant to be a part of. Mani pretended to part take in the rituals at the House of Prayer. But as someone who was always different, Mani broke free and began his own doctrine by the name of Manichaeism. He preached at Sermons and had his own following. Unfortunately, in the end, he was put to death but even death did not stop him from strongly believing in what he

did.
“A vivid glimpse of the ancient world in all its perfumed splendor and cruelty.” (back cover) Before conducting research on the period, I saw this passage on the back of the book and knew that this is a time period in which I would not want to live. The word cruelty is strong which means it could not have been a great time to live. After researching, what I believed was true. As a woman, I did a lot of research on how the women of this time period lived. “Women of the Sasanian society were viewed as role models displaying good behavior. Women were expected to accept domesticity as daughters, wives, and mothers, rather than to seek out public recognition. Although women had to be completely obedient to men, they were also allowed certain legal rights and responsibilities.” (Wiki) A lot was expected of a woman but unlike a lot of other cultures, they had rights. Despite this, I would still not want to live in this time period. Cruel and having to obey men does not seem appealing to me.