Thread: Ruiz's Toltec philosophies for life.

The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz's code for life

Agreement 1

Be impeccable with your word - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
Agreement 2

Don’t take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
Agreement 3

Don’t make assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
Agreement 4

Always do your best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.


Discuss.

I agree that this is the way we should live our lives, but its not down to this "code", people knew that this was the way to go anyway. For me, its just common sense. Not following a code.

Although probably not complete those are pretty good morals which life often jolts me into realising when I forget them.

I Follow.

I gotta read me some Ruiz. Apparently he's easier to understand than Castaneda.

I particularly like the second agreement. It's something I'm trying to integrate into my own life.

Originally Posted by Man of Shred

The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz's code for life

Agreement 1

Be impeccable with your word - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
Agreement 2

Don’t take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
Agreement 3

Don’t make assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
Agreement 4

Always do your best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.


Discuss.

I agree with all of these if not most.

Yeah, Don Miguel Ruiz is an impeccable dude. I love what he has to say about dreams. Much more down to Earth and demystified than Casteneda. He speaks of practicality. He is someone whom I can trust.

Yeah it's as if ruiz takes Castaneda's philosophies, Strips them of all the flying spaghetti monster stuff, and leaves us with easy to understand Gems!

Unfortunately, most of the Toltec sorcery literature is almost all flying spaghetti monster stuff. Don Miguel Ruiz gives me hope. The Mastery of Love is a great book. His videos are great also.

Got s few of his books in my Amazon cart for next month. Thanks for the heads up MoSH.

Yeah, I've been wading through a lot of meatballs and tomato sauce - two more Castaneda books to go - but I do like all the stuff about Stalking and Dreaming... losing Self Importance and Left Side Awareness (which to me sounds an awful lot like Right Brain awareness... ). As don Juan said in one of the books, the only way you learn this stuff is to keep having it repeated over and over until it sinks in. That's my intention in reading the books... I keep reading the same ideas, stated in different ways, hoping they sink in.

It's also interesting finding the parallels with Buddhism.

Hmmmm? (interested)
Like what?

Impeccability = perfection, right?

Ridding yourself of Self-Importance = dissolving the Ego

Mindfulness meditation = Stopping the World

Both heavily feature lucid dreaming.

Seems like there's more, but I'd need to refresh my memory about all the tangled ideas in the Castaneda books (and I have a lot more to learn about Buhddism). Somehow the way he presents it all it's hard to remember (Castaneda that is). Seems like there might be similarities between the Way of the Warrior and the Eightfold Path?

I believe there's a common belief system to Buhddism and Toltec-ism(?).. I'd say the Toltec thing comes from pretty close to the beginning of humanity... associated with shamanism and ancient cave paintings and statues when they represented magic. They both are concerned with looking INWARD - paying attention to dreams. They're both very practical (aside from the Flying Spaghetti Monster stuff in Castaneda ) and based on careful observation of the inner self -- of awareness itself (awareness observing itself).

I know when I first got interested in lucid dreaming before finding Dreamviews I found 3 things right away. One was your blog (little knowing we'd soon be friends) - one was Castaneda- and another was The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep. Oh, and some guy named LaBerge or something... he's of no importance though...

Yeah,
I would say impeccability corresponds to the Buddha's eightfold path of
1. Right View
2. Right intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration

And of course stopping the world is real meditation.
I didn't know that you found my blog! I haven't been back to that blog in a while. I kind of let it go.

My dream from last night made me remember another connection. Toltec sorcerers and Bohddisatvas react the same way to life's little speed bumps - with boundless enthusiastic laughter. Things most people would react to with terror, anger or depression make them laugh uproariously. I think they're on to something.

I'll give an example of this from my life.
I guess this falls under: Being impeccable with your word. and Don't make Assumptions.

A few years ago, I flew from the family nest for a short time. A friend of mine in another province let me stay at his place for 3 months while I looked for a job. I had gotten hired and fired from a few places right away. I handed out resumes everyday, and went to countless Interviews.

On the final day I went to a Job interview. Having not gotten any callbacks, I was past the point of depression. I came to a place where I was not concerned about the outcome, This allowed me to be more at Ease. I breezed right through the interview and left there Confident I had gotten a job.

When I got home, There was a new woman living in the house I was staying. She said Right away that I probably didn't get the job because i lacked "confidence". After a few hours I caved and called my brother to buy me a bus ticket back home. 16 hours later I arrived home in another province. my brother picked me up and said that The company that gave me an interview the day before, had called my previous place asking when I could start work. My biggest mistake was believing that that particular woman was an expert on me.

Lesson learned: Don't Make assumptions that average people are being impeccable with their word... Especially when it comes to their word on YOU.

That's a great lesson. People project their own attitudes and feelings onto you in order to support their own ego. People with broken dreams will tell you you can't fulfill yours.