 Pathtivism - What is a pathtivist?
A pathtivist is a seeker following their path who chooses grassroots activism as their embodiment. As far as zandtao knows pathtivism/pathtivist are words he has coined so such a description cannot be refuted. Pathtivism has huge implications for the seeker and for the grassroots movement itself.
Let us examine what zandtao means by seeker. In zandtao’s terms a seeker following the path could be anyone who is developing a practice and who is working through similar to what zandtao has described in chapters 1 to 5 of  including unleashing love through the two best books as indicated in Ch5.
Seeking
Broadening out the understanding of what is a new seeker, it would be someone who has started on an inner journey. Let zandtao briefly place that in context. Through our upbringing we learn conditioning and conformity to fit in with society - get a job etc. But fitting into societal infrastructure can for many people be a conformity that is too much for their own journey within human infrastructure. As such a seeker can extend their societal journey by broadening through travel and/or they can begin to look inwards for answers. Seeking can be an oscillation between the inner and outer journey throughout their lives with varying results. This is where pathtivism fits in, pathtivists choose grassroots activism as outer embodiment. In this part of zandtao will be discussing how to bring the path to grassroots activism - pathtivism is  .
Let us step back a little in terms of the seeker’s journey. At some point in their journey a seeker’s life might well be rocked by awareness, awareness of conditioning and conformity is not really easy. Especially in his zandtaomed trilogy, zandtao refers to upheaval - his own “rocking”. Coming to terms with the implications of this awareness then becomes the seeker’s journey throughout their lives, and it is this journey that oscillates between the inner and outer. Throughout the first section of zandtao describes how the inner journey could unfold leading to conscious loving and evolving of consciousness - based on his own experience.
Starting embodiment
But this first section does not include interaction with the outer. When awareness rocks, relationship with daily life is permanently altered. For most people whose awareness has been rocked their life changes to a spiritual life of following the path - whichever way is chosen; Batgap has many examples of seekers whose awareness has rocked their lives and the spiritual choices they have then made. For most of these spiritual people their outer journey is taken up with “passing-on” - incumbent to recognising and following the path comes a natural duty to pass on. When considering the survival aspect of the path - eg food and housing - such seekers will say that the path takes care of itself and material needs get met; zandtao has no reason to dispute this.
But now comes the big question to seekers - the essential aspect of this section of thezeer. What is your embodiment? After awareness has rocked the seeker’s life they reach a compromise with daily life and their lives settle down; awareness-rocking-lives cannot be a permanent aspect of their journey - even though insights might continue to rock life to a lesser extent. At some stage along their journey their inner-outer oscillation begins to ask about embodiment - how best can we give back? It appears to zandtao that increasingly teachers are asking about embodiment, is that impression true?
Going with the embodiment question zandtao now asks:-
What are seekers choosing as embodiment?
It appears to zandtao through listening to Batgap and others that most seekers work up to being teachers-of-sorts and this is their embodiment. Batgap interviewees have their websites and offer teaching - none of which zandtao has any significant disagreement with; there are many paths and practices. But few of these “Conversations With “Ordinary” Spiritually Awakening People” discuss grassroots activism as their embodiment. For all there is a component of returning to the natural path and the need for societal change, but it appears that in most cases this component does not lead to embodiment within grassroots activism.
Isn’t grassroots activism the arena for change?
And no wonder!! Grassroots activism is ego-hell, and as a struggle is increasingly being “defeated” within the societal infrastructure. Yet isn’t grassroots activism the milieu for change? Isn’t grassroots activism the arena for activism for the environment? What did Greta achieve? Watch this 2 minute clip - “Kids for Climate Justice”. Every time zandtao watches this clip, his heart sings at the youthful concern, and then his compassion sinks at the effective lack of systemic response. Yet those kids are only calling for what the path wants - path embodiment.
What has happened to activists inspired by Greta’s grassroots movement? Their activism has become increasingly frustrated, increasingly destructive towards the societal infrastructure, and eventually the system has manipulated this activism into being considered criminal - and the activists are being imprisoned. Imprisoning grassroots activism is not new or unusual, and is an effective tool of the societal infrastructure to maintain the accumulation of the rich.
Our system is arresting activists who in a certain way are standing up for what the path wants - nature and climate action. What seeker would not agree with what is written here:-
This is taken from the extinction rebellion site; zandtao thinks XR grew out of Greta’s kids and are often the activists being imprisoned. Since the time of Greta’s inspiration grassroots activism has failed and the frustration at that failure has led to imprisonment. During that time there appears to have been no effective wise embodiment of nature’s path.
As a spiritual person zandtao laments this failure. He knows he had no involvement but he knew then and he knows now there is a need for the path as wise embodiment in grassroots activism. That is and the premise of this part II of . How can seekers go through all the path and practice leading to consciously loving and evolving consciousness yet the people fighting for our planet are imprisoned?
As seekers we are not addressing this activism dilemma - presumably because it is so hard. zandtao calls on sympathetic seekers to become pathtivists to address this dilemma, to bring wise embodiment to grassroots activism. At the beginning of this chapter zandtao described pathtivism as having “huge implications for the seeker and for the grassroots movement itself”. Wise embodiment is not asking for seekers to become imprisoned but he is asking for wisdom to be brought to grassroots activism.
Hypothetically what could have happened? Following Greta’s inspiration the youth movement guided by wisdom would have found a way of changing the societal infrastructure so that the crisis of “Life on earth” would have been averted. Instead activism was squeezed as 99%-apathy didn’t step in, and eventually the frustration was manipulated into criminal acts (from new and old laws). Where was path-wisdom in this process?
Through zandtao nature is asking:-
 Do we need to effect changes in the societal infrastructure, and if so how?
Is what we are doing so far sufficient as wise embodiment?
Is grassroots activism where we could be using wise embodiment?
zandtao knows that following the path is hard enough - having said that it is not as hard as not following the path either with awareness or in “ignorance”. As part of following the path there is embodiment, and each seeker needs to make a decision concerning their own embodiment. For the rest of this section zandtao presents his bag - making the choice of embodiment in grassroots activism.
Choice of Grassroots Activism
What do we do with wise embodiment in grassroots activism? This is a far-from-easy question. Let us start with some path principles within pathtivism, but before zandtao does that remember:-
A seeker’s priority is to follow their path, how they manage their embodiment is secondary to this.
Following your path - holding to your path - is a daily need for the pathtivist. Particularly in terms of grassroots activism walking the path is a tightrope where the pathtivist will need such a strong conviction to overcome all the conditioning factors that will come to bear during activism.
Pathtivists will need to use the 2 aspects of practice as described in Ch5:-
Holding to consciousness
Releasing restrictions
Path Principles - PP
There are certain graces of consciousness which have particular application when working in grassroots activism:-
Truth
Harmony
Peace
Compassion
Transcending/atammayata
Wise embodiment
Together with the practice of releasing restrictions that arise from within activism, having a deep sense of clarity about these graces helps to maintain balance as an activist. All of these path principles intertwine so it is difficult to decide how to present the use of these principles wisely, yet with the increasing complexity of working as a grassroots activist we have to hold to these principles.
Truth - Seeing through Delusion - PP
To begin as an activist we see the need for change, and this need for change arises because we see some level of exploitation within the societal infrastructure and wish to change it. Pathtivists turn to grassroots activism to seek this change. To see the truth ie the depth of delusion, the pathtivist will need all the skills of consciousness - mindfulness, focus - to have the clarity of true vision.
Atammayata - seeing conditioning - PP
Following our path as described in the first section of the zeer gives us a deep understanding of how the conditioning and conformity of our upbringings leads to the need for the path - for the practice of atammayata raising awareness by letting go of conditioning and conformity and ensuring the end of any further conditioning and conformity. As an activist we then need to bring this practice of atammayata to the movement so that the movement can see the conditioning and conformity that they are deluded by. A pathtivist needs to help the movement to develop these skills of atammayata.
A Strategy of Compassion - PP
Spiritual recognition and then spiritual unity could help clarify the root of this societal division or in daily life we could simply be compassionate. However the lack of compassion that arises through conditioning is perhaps too difficult to withstand without the spiritual path. We could use the graces of the directions and skills of consciousness and the tools that come with a sound spiritual practice to become compassionate - or perhaps we could overcome the conditioning another way, but being compassionate in daily life is the objective - where we need to be at. Quite clearly social reality and societal decision-making are not based in compassion at the moment although individually many people try to live compassionate lives. This cannot be changed through one beneficent panacea but comes about through the collective development of societal consciousness towards compassion; this is the natural way. It is a matter of personal reflection and enquiry, are we compassionate? Can we bring compassion more into our lives? Can we help build compassion? If we work hard at building compassion throughout our integrated individuality and promote societal compassion then we are doing the best we can.
Honesty without Deception - PP
But this requires a deep and discerning honesty with ourselves but through conditioning we have delusion rather than the necessary honesty with ourselves to see whether our actions are compassionate. For zandtao compassion came through practice eventually leading to autonomy that then recognised the purpose of consciously loving and evolving consciousness. There are many paths to compassion but all need a deep and discerning honesty backed up by a deep commitment to implementing this compassion in daily life. Given the way conditioning currently is, it is the embodiment of compassion in daily life that is perhaps the hardest to achieve. Given all the delusions that conditioning puts in the way of this compassion we need nature’s help and that is why zandtao promotes pathtivism. The path provides us with the conviction and discernment to withstand the delusions that conditioning places in the way. It is nature’s way, and as such has the compassion, unity and harmony built into it by natural design; where nature is concerned there need be no ontological intellectual diversions or systems or ditthis (ditthupadana). Nature’s way is the way of compassion, unity and harmony, the way of unity as opposed to the divisions dominating western society at the moment.
Harmony - building the movement - PP
Even in the current failed state of the movement it is recognised that this activist energy often youthful needs to be harnessed. Sadly this existing harnessing does not work harmoniously, and is often channelled for egoic reasons - restrictions that need to be released.
zandtao considers that a significant path principle that a seeker brings to the daily life of grassroots activism is that of harmony. We need to harmoniously build grassroots activism, and whilst the need for this harmonious building is recognised by some existing activists the building does not occur (for many reasons).
Harmony - not confronting - PP
First and foremost the activist path of harmony cannot confront power because it will lose. The existing movement is built on confrontation trying to defeat the system-for-the-rich in one way or another. This does not work because at the moment the system-for-the-rich is too powerful. The harmony of path does not confront, and through harmony works with the community to develop community interests. But even with community interests the pathtivist needs to instill harmony as the path principle to be effective.
The clearest observation we can make concerning the grassroots movement is that there is a failure to build grassroots activism and involve the community. There is an ongoing failure to work with the energy.
Harmony and Truth - controlling energy - PP
The current movement is dominated by energy and emotion rather than wisdom, and as a result is not effective for change. How do people join the movement? Let us start with young people. From their upbringing they react against the conditioning and conformity. Typically  Greta and the kids
reacted to the societal infrastructure, and they organised together collectivising as 2 million kids on the climate day. Was there a clear message? Yes. Did the societal infrastructure effect any change based on this message? No. Was the clear message the will of the people? Yes. Conclusion the system-for-the-rich is not concerned about the will of the people, the system-for-the-rich is concerned only to use people in wage-slavery. This was the clear message. The system waited, youthful energy died down.
Some of this youthful energy joined XR, became criminalised, and are now in prison. The community was on the side of “Greta and the kids” - even though they felt guilty, the community have some sympathies with the XR activists but are more concerned with their daily life. Over time the movement was not improved. In Greenpeace and similar organisations there are good grassroots eco-activists whose commitment is mostly not based on the awareness of the path but has wise conviction. They keep fighting - helping us all. But can Greenpeace win when they are fighting the system?
Truth is clear - PP
What do the people want? They fear for the planet and in general supported Greta and the kids - but not actively. Even with XR there began some support; but when XR actions impacted daily life and business, people stepped back eventually avoiding any reaction to the criminalisation of these activists. There is a notion that many people want the system to change yet they don’t want to affect their income and their own daily lives. If there was some way of harmony between what the activists want and the impact on daily lives, perhaps the majority of the 99% would not have avoided supporting - a big perhaps.
Restrictions - releasing conditioning and conformity
As activists become aware of the conditioning and conformity they will want to release these restrictions both for themselves and the movement. As activists see the truth of conditioning and conformity they seek change and initially this change will be emotionally charged and demands will be for instantaneous change.
At this point zandtao wants to refer to authority to highlight the need for embodiment. Working with gabiK especilly in Ch5 helped us understand consciousness and the purpose of the path - consciously loving and evolving consciousness. How does she look at embodiment?
Meaning of Falling
Let's start with her meaning of falling-up. “Each of us has a peculiar relationship with life itself. Some need to fall in order to rise. Some choose to rise in order to experience the fall. Some choose to avoid the dormant yearning to rise altogether, while others are willing to pursue it at any cost, even if that means traversing chaos and discomfort along the way” [p.1 ln48].
This includes a lot for path recognition including the majority who are dormant avoiders, for zandtao the first sentence is “Each of us has a peculiar relationship with path itself”. The path is there and we choose not to engage with it - avoid engagement.
Human Potential
“Some of us have never even wondered about the depth of human potential, failing to consider whether being human is simply a matter of experiencing our physical template or whether it is more of a demonstration of how we choose to live up to the potential of the human essence. All of us can actualize this potential if we choose to rise to the challenge of self-actualization and realize the purpose that creates a reason for the human experience” [pp. 1-2 ln55]. This potential is significant in what pathtivism is about, it is this potential that nature has created and wants us to use for harmony. It is the purpose of consciousness in daily life.
Human conditioning
We have to understand there is conditioning. “Many of us experience this journey in a way that we feel is beyond us, informed by our environment, our predecessors, our ancestors, our parents, or society that conditions us to believe we must rise up to the challenge of experiencing our humanness by conforming to preformed expectations, standards, and conditions to live up to some ideal that was created by those who came before us” [p 2 ln59]. This is the conditioning of Buddhism, it is the agreement of the Toltec 4 Agreements (Addon) LINK, but it is more accurate to describe this conditioning as conformity; whilst conditioning is a timeless process as described by the Buddha it is met as conformism. As a term conditioning has more of a programming description than agreement but what is happening is conformity in terms of daily life. At the same time we have to recognise that this conformity is not exclusively concerned with daily life, conditioning goes far beyond this. This is what is recognised in pathtivism, conditioning conforms but it also avoids the path. When we consider the soul of the path - the graces of the directions and skills of consciousness, directions as love, wisdom, sila and truth and skills as mindfulness, focus and embodiment, then we can see how much conditioning limits human potential and natural harmony, how much conditioning fits the societal infrastructure and limits the potential of the human infrastructure (see intro-visions).
Dimming our light of purpose
“Many of us are raised believing we're each a tiny speck in this collective conglomerate. We may appear insignificant relative to the human race since we are just one out of billions of other beings trying to make sense of our role on the planet. However, this programming model creates the kind of separation that dims our light, deprives us of our power, and causes us to miss the point of our human experience” [p. 2 ln64]. For us to see our purpose in daily life the implications of this conditioning need to be understood. When we are separate we have ego, and this ego wants solutions - grand solutions - solving whatever problems. Ego does not want to see that our path is enough, and sadly that our path is all that we can contribute. Sadly is also arrogant here, it is sad that we can only follow our paths but it is not natural for us to control the behaviour of others. Each person follows their own path, makes their own decisions, avoids their path or not; despite how much our ego might want to a person cannot impose decisions on another. This is where the ego of dictatorship begins - feeling our own decisions are superior and feeling we have the right to impose on others. "And there is then the ego that says if I can’t make the world better I won’t bother with my bit, and this ego just makes matters worse because all with this ego don’t follow their purpose, don’t develop their potential and don’t develop natural harmony"; zandtao calls this the Clivego.
With ego there is separation, with soul there is unity and focus on our own human potential that comes with natural harmony - bringing us to embodiment through natural duty.
Natural Duty
The problem with ego and the separation it causes is that it does not see the point of performing natural duty - what is in it for the ego?, and this quickly leads to the situation of what’s it all for? described in the intro-vision of societal infrastructure. “Although many people are awakening to their power worldwide, our planet is still engulfed in the shadows of violence, poverty, war, and disempowerment. All these elements of the collective shadow should be feeding the creation of solutions, but alas, groupthink has it that we should care more about ourselves as individuals rather than as collective stewards of change. We may excuse ourselves from being part of the solution by believing we are here to deal only with the issues presented along our paths, ignoring what is seemingly outside of our control” [p. 3 ln 13]. The collective shadow that is creating the defilement that gabiK described comprises of egos, and we should understand shadow on an individual level and how it contributes to the collective shadow that are these defilements of war, etc.
Perpetuate through status quo
“We perpetuate the issue without even realizing we can be part of the solution! In doing so, we intensify the problem. If we submit unconsciously to the status quo reality of division, we feed duality through our inability to create unity. This is so important to recognize because the world is changing, but many of us are not. There is a collective reluctance to truly synergize, integrate love, and choose to claim the deeper purpose of conscious evolution, preventing this evolution from taking the form it can” [p. 3 ln82]. This is exactly why it is so important to recognise the conditioning of conformity within the context of the societal infrastructure. What’s it all for? has been reduced societally to an economic system that profits the 1%. This is such a ludicrous fundamental core to what we do. So there has to be a great deal of delusion to ensure that systemically this core is what is accepted; that is the need for us to conform as wage-slaves and how much conditioning is required for us to accept that.
If this status quo is understood we can see the ludicrous nature of general delusion; wars etc. so that the 1% can increase accumulation they don’t need - such egoic greed. But that understanding is not a solution but a starting point. When we can see the fundamental core of societal infrastructure we can see that no more do we want to contribute to such a perversion. Then quite naturally sampajanna steps in, knows that we cannot accept such a ludicrous situation, and asks what to do to enable change. If we allow the ego to ask for a panacea then we know there will be no answer, and the ego will just promote its own survival and there will be no change to this ludicrous fundamental core. But if we release the ego then we can also see that nature gives us the answer - follow our path, and following collectively is the source of change.
Will we see results?
Not necessarily, that is further fuel for the ego to delude. Can we know that the path is the answer? Quite simply - yes. We just need the conviction arising from the path, and stop being deluded by the aspect of conditioning that promotes the ego through creating a shadow of futility.
“You may hear a cynical voice in your mind telling you nothing can be done about it. Or perhaps, “Who am I to think that I can change the world in any way?” These, too, are thoughts created by the critical ego that sabotages that purposeful way through its limiting beliefs that sustain fear and disillusionment. Because of the oppressive personality of the ego, the collective shadow remains charged by every disempowered soul who has lost faith in their ability to take empowered action, honor their purpose, uncover their gifts, give rise to their authentic self, and do whatever it takes to bring this innate power into physical form to contribute in their own way to global peace. Every seemingly insignificant act of imbalance caused by every individual is deepening the divide that we see today” [p. 3 ln84].
Conditioned delusion
“Far too prevalent is emptiness disguised as fulfillment, sorrow hidden by satisfaction, outer riches concealing inner poverty, and external popularity covering inner loneliness. The divide in today’s world is a startling manifestation of the internal divide that the majority of human beings experience within themselves without even realizing how they project these splits in their outer reality. Most of us don't take it upon ourselves to consider how our unconsciousness maintains the collective unconsciousness, and that may just be what we are here to discover” [p4 ln94]. We see a world that is divided left and right but we don’t see that world as divided between forces for or against unity. Yet this colonial practice of divide and rule is becoming more and more common-place within our western societies - as opposed to a strategy for colonial subjugation; it has become a strategy of subjugation within western society.
Collective Evolution and gabiK’s Rallying call
Listen to gabiK's take on embodiment for Collective Evolution - transcript at Addon. - The Collective Can’t Evolve Without YOU | Gabi Kovalenko
In describing "Falling up" “This book will be a journey facilitating your evolution, my dear reader. I encourage you to surrender to your own heart as you take in these words, feel the energy of these intentions, and allow them to infuse your spirit with more faith, acceptance, and love so that you can embrace all of life's challenges challenges as gifts, bringing you into closer alignment with your own soul and its sacred purpose along our collective journey” [p6 ln110].
Grassroots Rallying Call
Replacing “this book” in the last gabiK quote with pathtivism or following the path is the same rallying call that zandtao as pathtivist would shout out. But for zandtao the emphasis for pathtivism is different because his rallying call is directed at seekers looking towards a collective journey that includes embodiment in grassroots activism.
Divided by ditthis
When it comes to activism activists focus on a cause whether it is the grander class change or a particular focus such as oxycontin and the Sacklers (see movie Dopesick). Usually activists demand a perspective from each other - typically a Marxist perspective (even though within activism there is a markedly different understanding of what Marx wrote). Essentially this perspective could be considered a ditthi, and usual activists demand a particular ditthi (ditthupadana).
In non-Buddhist terms activists demand of each other to believe a perspective or set of ideals or a system or an ism, and encumbered in this demand is a level of division when there is not agreement as to the system (or ditthis). Especially amongst groups of Marxists there is a sense that activists should believe in certain Marxist ideals, work together in a certain way, and failure to do so indicates a level of lacking commitment. Inherent within this type of activism is division, and considering the power and influence of accumulation such divided activism creates potential downfall.
Pathtivists develop themselves and build activism
For pathtivists the emphasis is not on the cause or the system, the emphasis is on personal development whilst embodying natural duty as activism and the building of social activism. Very few people in general dispute that there is no need for change, but dispute arises as to how. Within that dispute there might arise the ego that there is nothing that can be done, or with others my cause is more important than your cause, or with some your cause is not valid because of the organisation your cause is in (eg Marxists not working with religious activism on social inequity).
The commonality for pathtivists is not the cause that they are active in nor is it a system of ideals, it is however a focus on ongoing personal development the consequence of which is some form of embodiment through societal activism. A chance meeting between seekers might be - how is your practice developing and what are you active in now? In such an approach there is no separation within compassion. Compassion gives rise to a particular cause based on the individual’s upbringing and lifestyle, the personal development of a pathtivist will lead to organisational skills, and the individual pathtivist will then be a valuable activist for that particular cause.
Pathtivism - Path and Time
Pathtivists would then balance their time as to their own personal development and commitment to the social activity - whilst also having to earn money to live (and feed family?). There is an unwritten assumption amongst most activists, they believe that they have seen through conditioning - even if they don’t call it conditioning. The left and right swap insults such as sheeple in which their own disunities talk of the other not seeing the way they are programmed. From bill’s experience the left did not throw off their conditioning, they threw off some of the conformity of their upbringing. But once they were aligned with a particular leftist cause they failed to develop personally, and did not further explore and release the conditioning and conformity of their upbringing. Rather than the reaction to conformity being a starting process in transcendence (atammayata - PP) - the end of being conditioned, these leftists remained conditioned to a significant extent demonstrating this conditioning process by becoming attached to a particular systemic view and the way to challenge it.
zandtao has observed this on the left so can talk of it from that experience. With regards to the right he has no experience but does not view their adherence to views as being beneficial. Neither of these left nor right activists are working towards unity, at best the left are working towards a unity so long as all believe a particular doctrine (ditthi). It is not compassionate to expect all to believe the same, and it is also not natural to demand of others that they believe what you believe. People must follow their own path, and if we show tolerance there is a process towards unity. And rooted in that tolerance for pathtivists is the understanding that nature’s paths will bring compassion, unity and harmony.
Paraphrasing gabiK, pathtivism will be "a journey facilitating your evolution, my dear reader. I encourage you to surrender to your own heart as you take in these words, feel the energy of these intentions, and allow them to infuse your spirit with more faith, acceptance, and love so that you can embrace all of life's challenges challenges as gifts, bringing you into closer alignment with your own soul and its sacred purpose along our collective journey". Within the life of a pathtivist, challenges would involve social activism and a cause to produce change. Trust in the soul means that there would be inherent discernment concerning the cause for change, and attributes such as feel the energy of these intentions, and allow them to infuse your spirit with more faith, acceptance, and love will provide the strength and vitality to help change the societal infrastructure whilst at the same time building unity amongst activists. However it works out for an individual seeker, the embodiment is activism, the approach is path principles to build unity and harmony in their embodied grassroots activism.
Before we can find a way of harmony and apply pathtivism and path principles we need to have some understanding of the state of activism. And then based on that understanding look towards more people activating in order to effect change.
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