What the Path is, and what it is not

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 What the Path is, and what it is not


The word "religion" comes from the Latin "religare" which means "to tie fast." The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek words "philo" meaning "love" and "sophia" which means "wisdom." And wisdom, as we know, leads to Enlightenment. A good friend of mine described the Path as a "Humanist Spiritual Philosophy" after reading both the Book of the Path and 40 Years in the Desert. I can live with that.  If that is what he got from it, then my work here is done. 

The first thing anyone who is interested in the ideas presented in the Book of the Path should know is this: The Path is non-dogmatic by design. You are free -nay, encouraged- to pick it to pieces so you can figure out what ideas you agree with. The most important suggestion, of course, is to try your best not to be an asshole. Once you have that down, you have half the Path in the bag. Obviously, nobody can be one hundred percent good all the time. It is just not human nature. While I am working, I turn the air in the study blue with all my cursing. (I have a pretty stressful job.) What I do, and what everyone should do (This is the only time I will say that.) is try your best, every day, because you can guide your own Ka that way. 

The Path does not ask much of those who like its ideas. There is nothing to worship, we don't have a special building where we congregate to talk about how great the Path is. (We were having Zoom meetings once a week for a while, but that came to an end when my mother got sick. Mostly we talked about how you can apply the ideas presented in the Path to help you grow as a person.) Although it has certain elements of a cult, there are enough differences not to describe it so, even if I sometimes I call it a "cult" for the shock value. Immature, I know, but in some cases it is also funny. 

This philosophy does not have "followers" or even "adherents." The word "traveller" comes to mind, and"seeker of wisdom" also works. However, each person who incorporates parts of the Path in their life is free to call themselves whatever they wish. My daughter says she "practices" the Path, and gives it as her religion when people ask the question. They do not often have follow up questions. 

The closest thing to gods mentioned in the Path is the statement "all that groks is god" which describes perfectly the Path view on gods. Basically, everything that drinks, from the ant to the Earth itself, is a part of god. Divinity in the Path is the collective cosmic conscousness that everything is a part of. It is what inspires the artist, the poet, the writer. Because we are all god, literally everyone is your brother. (I use the term "brother" to include all sentient beings of all genders. Your dog and your trans friend are both your brother. Sapient beings from other planets are your brothers.) The cloest thing to Hell in the Path is that which you create yourself in this life. The Universe reacts to what you do to it; if you only throw negative energy into it, you will only get negativity back. That is the closest thing to divine retribution expressed in Path teachings. The collective cosmic consciousness neither judges nor condemns. It does not give a damn who you have sex with or how you identify your gender. It does not even think independently and it is certainly not all-powerful or all-knowing. 

One thing the Path itelf is agnostic about is what happens to that divine spark when you shed your mortal shell. We will find out where we go when we go; all is speculation before then.(There are things I believe as a person but they are not included or incorporated into Path teachings, for the reason above.)

Has this sermon taught you anything about the Path that you did not know before?

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