Pathik

"neutral"

- You must gain balance within yourself before you can bring balance to the world.

Guru Pathik is a nomadic old man who seems to have great knowledge of the Spirit World and its effects on normal humans. He also seems to know very much about the nature of the Avatar and the Avatar State. He is willing to teach everybody who wishes to learn from him. It is unknown from which nation he originates, though he does not seem to hold an allegiance to one or the other.

Background
Born in 50 BSC, Pathik was a spiritual brother of the Air Nomads, and was a personal friend of Monk Gyatso. When the Air Nomads were wiped out, Pathik then took up residence in the Eastern Air Temple. Many years prior to the start of the series, he had a vision of one day helping the Avatar.

Meeting Appa


In the Eastern Air Temple he met Appa and understanding that he was not the person Appa expected, simply lied back, looking at Appa every so often, receiving a growl in return. Eventually, night settles in, and Appa fell asleep. The Guru read Appa's Spiritual energy, remarking on how Appa was so full of love and trust, but at the same time fear was moving in where trust should be. He also told Appa of how he had a vision of Aang and Appa years ago, and decided to come to the Eastern Air Temple and wait for the two. He then left Appa to rest, saying how Appa must let the clouds in his mind part and be at peace.

Come morning, Appa followed a trail of fruit made by the Guru, which eventually lead Appa to the Guru meditating with a group of animals surrounding him. Appa decided to leave the man alone, and after flying around a bit, he came to rest next to the guru at the top of the Temple. The Guru gave Appa a note, which he tied to his horn, and then proceeded to tell Appa about how much his energy and Aang's were intertwined. As he told Appa this, he placed his hand on Appa's forehead, and told Appa where to find Aang. Appa flew off, heading to Ba Sing Se. However, the Guru's note was intercepted by Long Feng, but was later returned to Aang.

Training Aang
Aang eventually arrived at the Eastern Air Temple and found Guru Pathik meditating atop the same pillar he was on before Appa's departure. Guru Pathik introduced himself as a spiritual brother to the Air Monks, and a close friend of Monk Gyatso. Aang asked Pathik how he planned on teaching him to gain control of the Avatar State, to which the Guru replied that he must first bring balance to himself before he can bring balance to the world. The Guru first asked Aang to simply drink a liquid, which Aang does before spitting it out, as it was a strange concoction of onion and banana juice.



At the Eastern Air Temple, Guru Pathik begun Aang's instruction of the chakras, nexuses of metaphysical and/or biophysical energy in the human body. In order to master the Avatar State, Pathik said that Aang must first open all seven chakras of the body. After determining that Aang has absolutely no knowledge of the nature of chakras, Pathik proceeded a visual representation. Using a pond clogged with algae he successfully explained to Aang the concept of chakras, stating that by removing the clogs between pools, the water was allowed to flow, just as energy was allowed to flow through the body when the seven chakras were open. There were in total seven chakras within the body, each with a different purpose and type of blockage: An intense sensation results from the opening of them all. Pathik warned that the process of opening the chakras cannot be halted once it has begun - it must be completed in order to succeed. Aang accepted this risk and they begin the process.

Guru Pathik successfully guided Aang through the opening of the first six chakras. However, when Aang learned that to open the seventh and final chakra he will have to let go of his feelings of attachment for Katara, he refuses. Guru Pathik attempted to convince him otherwise, but when Aang has a vision of Katara in trouble, he left the Eastern Air Temple to rescue her. Pathik's final words before Aang's departure was a warning that Aang risks locking the final chakra, and he will not be able to enter the Avatar State at all. He never physically appears again in the series and it is unknown what became of him.

Abilities
Pathik was a master of Yoga and meditation, and these skills allowed him to live for a hundred and fifty years. He had the ability to read a person's emotions and feelings by reading their chi, as he demonstrated when he read Appa. He could also sense the connections between people's energies and could enable them to find each other over great distances, as when he showed Appa that Aang was in Ba Sing Se (this appears to be a more powerful version of an ability Aang used while in the Foggy Swamp, in order to find Appa and Momo).

Pathik had knowledge of Chakras, and presumably of other spiritual matters as well.

Despite being a very spiritual man, he possesses no bending abilities as he is not a member of any nation.

Book Two: Earth (土)
Flashback

Book Three: Fire (火)
(Hallucination)

Trivia



 * He is a big fan of sweeping and dusting.
 * A guru is a spiritual expert. The word 'pathik' means "the traveler" in Hindi and was a last name that Mahatma Gandhi personally gave to the family of Magan Kumar, a child born to his ashram in 1938. The Sanskrit version of the name is Pathika, which has a wider range of meanings, such as knowing the way or path; as a noun, it can refer to a traveler or a guide. Also in Turkish, patik is used to describe a shoe which is knitted from wool and using indoors and wearing on sock to keep feet warm, and the word patika means "small rough path".
 * During Aang's hallucinations in "Nightmares and Daydreams", he sang The Chakras song and appeared with six arms, a trait often seen in Hindu Gods.
 * Oddly, Guru Pathik resembles a Hindu holyman, due to his bare clothes, long, scruffy beard, and practice of "chakras".
 * Guru Pathik is the oldest living human character in the show, and yet seems to have no health problems. This might either be a reference to his healthy life style or a note that characters in the Avatar universe can live incredibly long life-spans. Interestingly, when Guru Pathik introduces himself as a friend of Monk Gyatso, Aang didn't seem surprised that he remains alive to this day.
 * Guru Pathik is also the second-oldest living character in the series, human or creature, after the Lion Turtle.
 * "Guru" in Malay, Indonesian and Sanskrit and many Indian languages means teacher.
 * "Guru" is similar to the Filipino word "guro" which also means teacher.
 * Due to the spiritual nature of the Guru, and his similarities to the Air Nomads, many have named Guru Pathik as an honorary Air Nomad.
 * Because Guru Pathik is connected to all the energy in the universe, he knew the Avatar had returned when Aang emerged from the iceberg in an explosion of cosmic energy.