It is hard to write about truth - to say what can be known as truth. .zandtao talks of truth as one of the 4 directions of consciousness - love, wisdom, sila and truth. Are we loving, wise, moral, truthful 100%? For zandtao the answer is of course no, but we can work towards these absolutes - hence his use of the term “direction of consciousness”; zandtao worked through the best books on love in Ch5 of zeer-consciousness but he is not 100% love - he tries to work towards it.
Truth is the same as love - a direction of consciousness, and it is purpose to consciously love and evolve consciousness. If we are consciously trying to love and evolve consciousness, then we improve our relationship with truth. Can we ever consciously love and evolve consciousness 100%? For zandtao his answer is no, but we can try - that is how he sees his relationship with truth.
In zeer-consciousness, zandtao has presented his “best spiritual truth at the time” - except intro-visions see discussion below. .zandtao never asks seekers to believe what is written, he asks seekers to explore what is written and experience understanding for themselves; that experience is then their truth. Through zandtao’s “best spiritual truth at the time” zandtao asks seekers to engage and then find their experience - and hopefully that will give those seekers a similar “best spiritual truth at the time”.
Truth as direction is the same for all - as part of consciously loving and evolving consciousness. What is important for truth is that seekers are determined to find their spiritual truth, and develop a practice that will help in that quest. For the Buddha the kalama sutta is a significant sutta that is often discussed when talking of truth. In the Kalama Sutta the Buddha spoke of truth in terms of development asking that the seeker develop the 4 dwellings - “devoid of coveting, devoid of ill will, undeluded, clearly comprehending and mindful” and the 4 solaces - “hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, and such a purified mind”. When our practice is good then our minds become clear and we can start to see the truth.
So when it comes to spiritual truth the seeker explores, develops their experience of the path, and knows that spiritual truth for themselves; building that relationship with truth is one of the many diverse paths. In zeer-consciousness zandtao offered his “best spiritual truth at the time”, but in order to work towards that zandtao discussed an intro-vision of societal infrastructure. He introduced this because he felt that awareness of restrictions society placed on seekers would help in their journey. Letting go of restrictions whilst holding space for consciousness is important on the path, and for zandtao it is helpful for the seeker to know that restrictions are continually being built up or reinforced by the societal infrastructure - and why. Through upbringing restrictions are built up as conditioning and conformity, even when seekers are being determined restrictions are placed on their journey by the societal infrastructure. Understanding the conditioning that in part creates restrictions helps the seeker on their path, but whatever the source of these restrictions it is the seeker’s own determination that decides on following the path.
.zandtao’s vision of societal infrastructure is not a spiritual truth - it is not a “best spiritual truth at the time”. What he presented as this intro-vision was an infrastructure, an infrastructure of the way he saw society. Quite simply it is a view - whether he uses the word vision or not it is simply ditthi. Whatever zandtao describes as ditthi, he is saying to the seeker this is not spiritual truth - nor even the “best spiritual truth at the time”. It is just a view. The difference between spiritual truth and views is that spiritual truth can be experienced whereas a view cannot. When zandtao talks of good practice leading to autonomy in zeer-consciousness, he is describing his “best spiritual truth at the time” and suggests that maybe the seeker can experience it. There is no such possible reinforcing experience for views, hence we have had all the various pointless arguments and manipulations concerning “fake news” - they are views that have no possible way of proof.
When zandtao presented his vision of societal infrastructure, he discussed how this vision might be used. “These two intro-visions of societal and human infrastructures are intentionally minimal so that anyone reading is not forced to believe too much or make too many assumptions. In terms of zandtao's own practice these visions have greater development. But how your practice fits in with your own visions of societal and human infrastructure is up to you. It has to be your decision, your understanding, your work.” With possible spiritual truths there is some sort of proof because of the seeker’s experience, but when it comes to ditthis there is no proof - they are views. Let’s explore further the nature of ditthis. At the crux of zandtao’s societal infrastructure is discussion of a system-for-the-rich. As zandtao is not rich he cannot experience “being rich”, when he talks of the power and influence of the 1% he cannot be sure because he has never been present when such power and influence has been used - let alone to see it as an important “power and influence” on government. But when we investigate this further we can see that no-one can describe such as truth because one individual is not all members of government, neither is one individual all of the 1% attempting to exert such power and influence. When we describe society no-one is describing the truth what they are describing is ditthi. This is the power of the “fake news” tactic, no-one can ever prove whether the news is fake or not.
Before zandtao continues into pathtivism he wants to draw a distinction between spiritual truth and descriptions of society or ditthis. With spiritual truth a seeker can experience the path and have some feeling of truth. But when it comes to ditthis there is no such feeling. So when it comes to descriptions of society there is no way of validation. This is why zandtao saw the importance of a vision when considering spiritual development in zeer-consciousness. For zandtao it was important that the seeker was aware that restrictions to the path arose in upbringing as conditioning and conformity and that these restrictions had a basis in societal infrastructure, it was necessary for the seeker to detach from conditioning and conformity before they can follow their path.
But when it comes to pathtivism the role of ditthis becomes more central because a pathtivist is active in society - not only trying to experience the path. The activism of a pathtivist is based on ditthis, their views of society compared to someone else. Whilst they can experience the path they cannot experience societal infrastructure. Whilst the path contains truth, when we seek activism - working to change the societal infrastructure to path infrastructure we are working with ditthis. The path might have some truth but infrastructures have no truth - they are ditthis. When anyone uses the term “fake news” there is no truth behind what they say unless it concerns their own experience because all descriptions are ditthis - fake news are ditthis. So when it comes to pathtivism the path can be experienced but descriptions of society are ditthis. When a pathtivist asks for changing infrastructure, that infrastructure is only ditthi.
Ditthis are however reinforced through upbringing - conditioning and conformity, so to most people ditthis are truth and because of the same conditioned upbringing the path is not real. A seeker’s experience of the path is the only reality yet “normal” upbringing would dismiss it. The longer the seeker is on their journey the more this observation becomes real, and the more the personal conviction of experience matters as compared to the conditioned views of most people in society. The same people who are discussing fake news use the term sheeple to describe others yet for all in society our upbringings are based in conditioning and conformity; we all grow up sheeple - using the word sheeple is such a pointless ditthi.
Now we are beginning to understand the importance of truth in pathtivism, the only truths are our spiritual experiences and personal observations without analysis. Any description of society cannot be a truth, zandtao’s vision of societal infrastructure is not a truth it is an analysis based on observations. But because zandtao is trying to follow his path then he is likely to have some of the 4 dwellings and solaces as described by the Buddha in the Kalama Sutta. Following the path gives us a greater chance of having correct views of society, ditthis that are not conditioned and conformed.
Magga and Tathata
With the Buddhist path there comes greater understanding of the truth-ditthi dilemma, presumably this happens on other true paths. Central to all Buddhisms are the 4 Noble Truths, with the 4th Truth being the Noble Eightfold Path - Magga. The first is samma-ditthi - right view. But at least with this path a need for samma-ditthi is recognised.
However this balance of truth and ditthi is taken further with tathata - knowing and seeing the way it is (please excuse the Pali - see Addon A LINK). When we let go of conditioning and conformity with the 4 dwellings and develop the mind with the 4 solaces (kalama sutta LINK) then right ditthi is likely to emerge. Tathata emerges out of the experienced truth and the clearer (purer) mind. With the societal infrastructure there happens a conditioning; zandtao refers to this as societal conditioning - and sometimes kilesa conditioning. As part of upbringing we make agreements with society - see Addon D LINK. This process of making agreements is natural for any society, parents help children fit in; but the problem with such agreements lies in the societal infrastructure itself. If the societal infrastructure is not beneficial then it becomes harder for children to accept such agreements and this can lead to mental issues such as fragmentation and worse.
In terms of truth and ditthi agreement with the societal infrastructure as zandtao put forward in his intro-vision becomes that much harder because the agreements of the young must be delusions as a system-for-the-rich cannot be agreed with as fair by all young people. Would it be natural for children to have an innate understanding of the faith axioms?
On the Buddhist path there grows a sense of tathata where truth combines with right ditthi to know and see things the way they are. For zandtao it therefore follows that on other paths there will grow their own sense of tathata that will have intuitive agreement. Why should people born into wealth merit benefits that accrue without having worked for society? might be an appropriate question on all paths. A wise understanding of society would arise from any path, and equally compassion would lead to loving action for a path with love-wisdom balance.
Faith Axioms
Ch1 spoke of the faith axioms, these are not ditthis but spiritual truths; however because zandtao is developing pathtivism based on these axioms he asked readers to take them on some level of faith (hopefully in time they will become some level of the seeker's experience as they are with zandtao):-
From nature we are each meant to follow our paths
If we all follow our paths we will live in harmony with nature and each other.
The more a seeker follows the path the more reality these axioms have but that can only be experienced by following the path. When zandtao first spoke of pathtivism in the Manual it was concerned with wisdom of the path helping activism. At that time he did not consciously speak of societal infrastructure. When you consider this vision as a description of the way society is, faith axioms automatically bring you to nature, the way nature gives us paths, and the way those paths would knit together into a society of harmony and value. There is no jump to saying that nature’s infrastructure is the infrastructure we need to work towards - that pathtivists need to work towards.
Arising Action
With the tathata of all paths, embodiment would lead to right social action. When we add in all of the 4 directions of consciousness - love, wisdom and sila added to truth, then nature would flourish. But the reality is far from this. Whatever the path there are few with the required tathata, and false views of the conditioned as created by the system-for-the-rich lead to many defilements. Nor can those with tathata present their views in the same conditioning manner, this would only increase the problems of ego. Promoting the path would provide the tools for seekers to reach tathata including ditthis about society. We do not want to impose views through conditioning as with the current agreements of the system-for-the-rich. Tools of the path would lead seekers to the experienced truth, right views and tathata that would bring about good society.
And path infrastructure would begin to provide those tools.
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