So why is following the path sufficient?

Because Gaia knows.

Because you will have peace.

Beginning this manual I knew that the path had much to offer activists, initially this is what pathtivism was about – fusion of path and activism to establish benefits. In Outer Engagement I began examining activism full of ego and division, promoted the need for enquiry and discernment. Unwittingly then began the destruction of the activism that I had known, I recognised that as a westerner I had become disconnected and dispossessed and that there was a need for wisdom. This was indicating that activists needed the path.

Beginning to show activists how to find their path I began the section on Inner Search. Starting as an attempt to indicate how activists could begin an Inner Search, it developed my own search. From the 3 tenets in the Treatise, I developed more clearly integration (noting the dangers of fragments and shadow) and then integrated them in Dhamma – Gaia-consciousness.

This Inner Search parallels the Outer Engagement. Starting with political activism that was primarily western and based in the struggle of the 1%-satrapy, my political consciousness became more global recognising my own dispossession and placing it in the context of the wisdom of Gaia – Gaia-consciousness or the Dhamma.

When integrating mind, energy and body in the Dhamma, I became disenchanted with desire – with the attractions of the conditioning in Daily Life. And this process was mirrored in my complete disenchantment with electoral politics because I became mindful as to how much electoral politics is influenced by the 1%-satrapy.

Where does that leave us?

ONLY the path.

There is only path that matters, it is this I hope the pathtivist finds. And if they do then they have a guide through all the curve balls the different egos thrown at you in life. In this final chapter of the manual I hope you can get to feel the strength of the path – to know that it is sufficient.

In the Treatise, in the chapter on my path I spoke of an upheaval that was the transcendence that started me on the path. I don’t think my Buddhism, Buddhism as taught by Venerable Buddhadasa, specifically addresses this issue of upheaval, and I have always wondered whether that is because of cultural and lifestyle differences. I surmise the following. Thailand is a Buddhist country, and Thailand has a spiritual path if a person so chooses – Thais become monks. Within the institution of Thai Buddhism there are many who teach about spirituality so it would be natural for the young Nguam Phanit (wiki summary) to search there. Venerable Buddhdasa became known as revolutionary, an attribute of all who are on the path given the state of the world, but there was not the level of upheaval I speak of – as do others such as Eckhart Tolle in the introduction of Power of Now.

But he did speak of atammayata, and Santikaro discusses what he says here. For the moment I want to interpret this as complete disenchantment with the conditioning of daily life. I am suggesting that this complete disenchantment seamlessly became a part of his understanding. And this led to lokutarra.

I have no justification for saying the above about Buddhadasa, and my cross-cultural interpretation is to enable a connection with my own upheaval and various forms of upheaval such as Eckhart and of others who have experienced the power that can occur when transcending onto the path. This power some describe as awakening but I avoid the term “awakening” because in my view the term has become open to misuse.

At the time of my upheaval I had reached a state of unconscious disenchantment that was buried in the booze. It led to the unconscious process where I transcended onto the path. But this disenchantment was far from complete, and I went through my second childhood where the disenchantment became complete and I matured onto the path finally through a process of integration.

In the recent chakra alignment that I described in ch9, a process I hope you will go through as part of your search, there was an alignment for me that was only concerned with path. I described the alignment process as chakras by the bootstraps because I hoped you could determine through your own practise the nature of your own chakras. For me I went through this process primarily guided by Teal Swan’s insightful talks, and the meditation that I summarised the process with was all concerned with different aspects of the path – but Teal didn’t use the word “path” much if at all.

When I first transcended I had complete trust in the path. Because of the bells and banjoes bliss (piti) I would talk of following my path as a 100% substantive guide to my daily life. I recall that trust completely enabling me to cope with daily life. For a long while following and trusting the path guided my life, but I was immature and needed to learn about life. In this process of learning whilst the path was ever-present I wasn’t immediately connected to the path. What was initially conscious affirmations to others that I was following the path began to disappear. If I asked myself I would say to myself that I was following the path, but affirmations to others were not part of my conversation. This is a description of myself becoming distanced from the path.

The political struggle became a part of my life, it had to be the path is revolutionary given the destruction of Gaia within the consumerism of the 1%-satrapy. Once I was outside the toxic influence of left-wing intellectualism, my compassion took me into the struggle as a socialist – before I had been an educational activist. By this time the power of the transcendence was waning, and because I was immature I was not carrying out practices that enabled me to be close to the path and “maintain” that power. My ego took over, and although inspired by compassion becoming a socialist led me into conflict because I became attached to isms (ditthupadana). Whilst I was aware of that attachment I did not understand how far it was leading me away from the path. Chakra realignment has helped me recognise that.

The path is needed to guide you away from such attachments. When I first transcended I followed the path and trusted it in my state of bliss. Over time during the second childhood the path lost being my conscious reference point, my ridgepole, even though it was ever-present – and guiding as with the ease of end of drinking. Chakra realignment taught me about a return to the conscious trust in the path. For me there is a need for authenticity by reaffirming the path and my following of it.

There is only path, who we are meant to be - authentic. This path shows us what to do. By recognising complete disenchantment we know politics is not the answer. But significantly for political activists the path requires a lifelong activism in one way or another – just not an addiction to isms (ditthupadana).

Following the strategies we work with the community, and if this requires funding we must engage with political structures. But remember the money is ours, the money belongs to the people - to Gaia, the 1% have expropriated it as part of the 1%-satrapy - shame the 1%. The path is demanding what belongs to the community.

But remember any time in this world of political egos is wasted time - getting money is only getting what we deserve. And the political process will try to suck in your ego - remember that. The path knows this but egos always rise, not always falling away if we are not discerning.

How do all the paths fit together? What is the plan – akin to a Marxist plan? There is no intellectual book describing how the plans fit together. Maybe somewhere there is an insight as to how they are integrated but personal awareness brings the understanding that if we follow the path things will be mostly good for us and the best thing we can do for compassion and Gaia. Is this faith? Faith is too close to belief for me as a word to use, it is however conviction. There is absolute conviction that following the path is what to do. There always was such a conviction but I allowed egoic attractions to various forms of action to attach me to socialism and the like (ditthupadana).

Following the path demands right action – what does an activist want to know – what is the right action? Sadly for most activism they seek answers in the books of intellect. But the path has a place for intellect and it is not as guide. Right action is in the now. Right actions are compassionate now. There is no doubt, no party discipline, no convoluted and alienating policies. A party’s allegiance is to the path and not vice versa. If a policy cannot demonstrate compassion-in-the-now, then it is not right action. There is no higher allegiance than your own path.

Right action, pathtivism, authenticity, following the path. These are different words expressing the truth-in-daily-life. This is Gaia-consciousness – the Dhamma.

ONLY the path.

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