The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery (A Toltec Wisdom Book)

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Toltec Wisdom is not a religion, while it does embrace Spirit. It is described as a way of life with ready accessibility of happiness and love. All the holy books refer to angels as messengers. They are right based on the origin of the word (Greek: messenger). So, could the angel that talked to Mary, in the Bible, be some sort of messenger of life? I prefer to understand it this way, rather than the interpretation the catholic church gives. If one hundred people perceive the same event, you hear one hundred different stories, and everybody claims that his or her story is the true story. Of course, it's only true for that person, and your story is only true for you. Shortform note: Like the Ruizes, the Tao Te Ching says enlightenment is about living in the here and now, following the natural pull of your moment-to-moment experience. It’s about being at peace with the reality you live in—without expectations, self-consciousness, or attempts to control the actions of others. Similarly, the Bhagavad Gita explains that an enlightened person is content to exist in every moment, believing that their purpose is simply to be a part of this world. In short, there aren’t any rules; you’re free to simply experience the moments you get to experience.) Part 2: Challenge Your Reality

The fourth agreement comes naturally afterward – strive for perfection by performing at your very best. Although these thoughts and laws should serve our interest, it’s often vice versa. Don’t punish yourself anymore, allow new energy to enter your heart and mind. I like that they remind us that even though the past is over, as a species we tend to punish ourselves for years with guilt, etc. from actions long gone. I also like this line: When we're young, our likes and dislikes are so easy to navigate. We discuss favorite pizza toppings, favorite movies, favorite colors, favorite Ninja Turtles, and so forth. So much of our formative years are based on binaries, but the world becomes more complex as we grow up. The simple and intuitive world that we create begins to collapse. We ended up being taught both at school and home – how to behave like adults. In reality, they or in some case “we” are the ones who misbehave.The book promotes a simple way of living, yet filled with happiness, wisdom, and power; power upon our thoughts, our actions, our words. As the name suggests, the book adds a fifth guiding principle, but it also re-explains the four previous ones:

Note: In the guide, we’ll often refer to the authors, don Miguel Ruiz and don Jose Ruiz, as “the naguals.” Naguals, sometimes referred to as dreamers, masters, or scholars, act as a conduit between the spirit and the world, and pass on the teachings of the Toltec—whom the Ruizes say were the intellectual and cultural predecessors of the Aztec. To them, a Toltec is an artist of the spirit: a master storyteller who paints his own reality.) then Don Miguel Ruiz released "The four agreements" and it rose to great popularity in its profound power to help people transform their lives. It has served many people to such a transformations. It is a MUST READ in it's own right. Once you realize that hardly anything you know through symbols is true, then be skeptical has a much bigger meaning. Be skeptical is masterful because it uses the power of doubt to discern the truth. Whenever you hear a message from yourself or from another artist, simply ask: Is it truth, or is it not truth? Is it reality or is it a virtual reality? The doubt takes you behind the symbols and makes you responsible for every message you deliver and receive. Why invest your faith in any message that is not true? By being skeptical, you don’t believe every message; you don’t put your faith in symbols, and when your faith is not in symbols, your faith is in yourself.Long ago, somebody said, "Every head is a world," and it's true. You live in your own world, and that world is so private. Nobody knows what you have in your world. Only you know, and sometimes even you don't know. When it comes to religion and matters of faith, science can't help us come up with a definitive answer. So we have to learn to think critically and question what we're being sold through religious narratives. How do we perceive religion? And, although there are no real answers to these questions, the whole point of The Fifth Agreement is to cultivate a sense of curiosity and skepticism about the world we live in. Furthermore, it's our duty to educate ourselves about other people's beliefs, and listen to what they say, regardless of whether we agree with them or not.

Often, people don’t use system two at all: Unless they make an intentional effort to be open-minded, they go with their first impulse and leave it at that. Even those who make the effort are still missing a lot—they only see what you show them and they may not eliminate all their assumptions, biases, and filters. Take the perspectives of others with a grain of salt. Step 3: Don’t Guess People’s Intentions Since 1997, The Four Agreements has transformed the lives of millions of people around the world with a simple but profound message. Now bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz and his son, don Jose Ruiz, collaborate with this powerful sequel The Fifth Agreement. The Four Agreements provides the foundation for breaking thousands of agreements that create needless suffering and with The Fifth Agreement you recover all the power of your authenticity, which is who you really are when you are born. The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery by Miguel Ruiz – eBook Details Before domestication, our tendency was to explore, express creativity, seek pleasure, and avoid pain.

PDF Summary Part 1.1: Doubt Your Perception

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. The Third Agreement – DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS

Once we have awareness, we have a choice. If we could have that awareness all the time, we could change our routines, change our reactions, and change our entire life. Once we have the awareness, we recover free will. During the second stage, the naguals explain, we become aware of the ways our beliefs harm us and begin to disconnect from the mirage. We begin to doubt that the mirage is truly “the real world,” and awaken to the many small ways in which the beliefs we grew up with manifest as harm. We make adjustments to the way we respond to, think about, and see ourselves, others, and the world. We start to see what’s actually here, instead of what’s not here. Shortform Commentary: What Does Acceptance Mean? If I see a tree, I don't just see the tree; I qualify the tree, I describe the tree, I have an opinion about the tree. I like the tree or I don't like the tree. I may feel that the tree is beautiful or not, but my point of view, my opinion about the tree, is a story of my own creation. Once I interpret, qualify, or judge what I perceive, it is no longer real; it is a virtual world. This is what the Toltec call dreaming. Be skeptical, but learn to listen - have an open mind and question everything, even your own thoughts.

PDF Summary Part 1.2: Adjust Your Focus

Growing up doesn’t mean stop exploring, and taking a defensive stance. It’s needless to say that often things flow in a predictable direction. This new book "The fifth agreement..." is a crowning achievement of the Ruiz family to bring this level of clear communication of these Toltec teachings for everyone to reach. It speaks the teachings in such concise, direct, plain language using a wonderfully contemporary style. Once you arrive at the fifth step, you’re ready to move to the third stage of Toltec enlightenment—the freedom of control. In other words, since you’re no longer being controlled by beliefs you didn’t choose, it’s up to you to decide how to live. You have the freedom to choose the shape and tone of your subjective reality. We live on planet Earth; it's round, there are oceans and continents. Planet Earth is part of the solar system. One would find it difficult to argue with these facts, because skeptics in the past have already been proven wrong. When we embark on scientific discovery, we make claims, skeptics weigh in, and eventually, we accept the hypothesis as truth or fiction. Some things are quite simply, just facts. Be open to other people’s views, but protect your viewpoints – would be the most accurate description, briefly presented. Tell the story, don’t be the story