posted August 02, 2006 12:18 AM           

From the 1st Carlos Castaneda book~

The Teachings of don Juan

I am going to teach you the secrets that make up the lot of a man of knowledge. You will have to make a very deep commitment because the training is long and arduous.
A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war, wide awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. Going to knowledge or going to war in any other manner is a mistake, and whoever makes it will live to regret his steps.
When a man has fulfilled those four requisites there are no mistakes for which he will have to account; under such conditions his acts lose the blundering quality of a fool's acts. If such a man fails, or suffers a defeat, he will have lost only a battle, and there will be no pitiful regrets over that.
* * *
A man of knowledge is one who has followed truthfully the hardships of learning, a man who has, without rushing or without faltering, gone as far as he can in unraveling the secrets of power and knowledge. To become a man of knowledge one must challenge and defeat his four natural enemies.
When a man starts to learn, he is never clear about his objectives. His purpose is faulty; his intent is vague. He hopes for rewards that will never materialize for he knows nothing of the hardships of learning.
He slowly begins to learn--bit by bit at first, then in big chunks. And his thoughts soon clash. What he learns is never what he pictured, or imagined, and so he begins to be afraid. Learning is never what one expects. Every step of learning is a new task, and the fear the man is experiencing begins to mount mercilessly, unyieldingly. His purpose becomes a battlefield.
And thus he has stumbled upon the first of his natural enemies: fear! A terrible enemy--treacherous, and difficult to overcome. It remains concealed at every turn of the way, prowling, waiting. And if the man, terrified in its presence, runs away, his enemy will have put an end to his quest and he will never learn. He will never become a man of knowledge. He will perhaps be a bully, or a harmless, scared man; at any rate, he will be a defeated man. His first enemy will have put an end to his cravings.
It is not possible for a man to abandon himself to fear for years, then finally conquer it. If he gives in to fear he will never conquer it, because he will shy away from learning and never try again. But if he tries to learn for years in the midst of his fear, he will eventually conquer it because he will never have really abandoned himself to it.
Therefore he must not run away. He must defy his fear, and in spite of it he must take the next step in learning, and the next, and the next. He must be fully afraid, and yet he must not stop. That is the rule! And a moment will come when his first enemy retreats. The man begins to feel sure of himself. His intent becomes stronger. Learning is no longer a terrifying task.
When this joyful moment comes, the man can say without hesitation that he has defeated his first natural enemy. It happens little by little, and yet the fear is vanquished suddenly and fast. Once a man has vanquished fear, he is free from it for the rest of his life because, instead of fear, he has acquired clarity--a clarity of mind which erases fear. By then a man knows his desires; he knows how to satisfy those desires. He can anticipate the new steps of learning and a sharp clarity surrounds everything. The man feels that nothing is concealed.
And thus he has encountered his second enemy: Clarity! That clarity of mind, which is so hard to obtain, dispels fear, but also blinds. It forces the man never to doubt himself. It gives him the assurance he can do anything he pleases, for he sees clearly into everything. And he is courageous because he is clear, and he stops at nothing because he is clear. But all that is a mistake; it is like something incomplete. If the man yields to this make-believe power, he has succumbed to his second enemy and will be patient when he should rush. And he will fumble with learning until he winds up incapable of learning anything more. His second enemy has just stopped him cold from trying to become a man of knowledge. Instead, the man may turn into a buoyant warrior, or a clown. Yet the clarity for which he has paid so dearly will never change to darkness and fear again. He will be clear as long as he lives, but he will no longer learn, or yearn for, anything.
He must do what he did with fear: he must defy his clarity and use it only to see, and wait patiently and measure carefully before taking new steps; he must think, above all, that his clarity is almost a mistake. And a moment will come when he will understand that his clarity was only a point before his eyes. And thus he will have overcome his second enemy, and will arrive at a position where nothing can harm him anymore. This will not be a mistake. It will not be only a point before his eyes. It will be true power.
He will know at this point that the power he has been pursuing for so long is finally his. He can do with it whatever he pleases. His ally is at his command. His wish is the rule. He sees all that is around him. But he has also come across his third enemy: Power!
Power is the strongest of all enemies. And naturally the easiest thing to do is to give in; after all, the man is truly invincible. He commands; he begins by taking calculated risks, and ends in making rules, because he is a master.
A man at this stage hardly notices his third enemy closing in on him. And suddenly, without knowing, he will certainly have lost the battle. His enemy will have turned him into a cruel, capricious man, but he will never lose his clarity or his power.
A man who is defeated by power dies without really knowing how to handle it. Power is only a burden upon his fate. Such a man has no command over himself, and cannot tell when or how to use his power.
Once one of these enemies overpowers a man there is nothing he can do. It is not possible, for instance, that a man who is defeated by power may see his error and mend his ways. Once a man gives in he is through. If, however, he is temporarily blinded by power, and then refuses it, his battle is still on. That means he is still trying to become a man of knowledge. A man is defeated only when he no longer tries, and abandons himself.
He has to come to realize that the power he has seemingly conquered is in reality never his. He must keep himself in line at all times, handling carefully and faithfully all that he has learned. If he can see that clarity and power, without his control over himself, are worse than mistakes, he will reach a point where everything is held in check. He will know then when and how to use his power. And thus he will have defeated his third enemy.
The man will be, by then, at the end of his journey of learning, and almost without warning he will come upon the last of his enemies: Old age! This enemy is the cruelest of all, the one he won't be able to defeat completely, but only fight away.
This is the time when a man has no more fears, no more impatient clarity of mind--a time when all his power is in check, but also the time when he has an unyielding desire to rest. If he gives in totally to his desire to lie down and forget, if he soothes himself in tiredness, he will have lost his last round, and his enemy will cut him down into a feeble old creature. His desire to retreat will overrule all his clarity, his power, and his knowledge.
But if the man sloughs off his tiredness, and lives his fate though, he can then be called a man of knowledge, if only for the brief moment when he succeeds in fighting off his last, invincible enemy. That moment of clarity, power, and knowledge is enough.

Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore you must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if you feel you should not follow it, you must not stay with it under any conditions. To have such clarity you must lead a disciplined life. Only then will you know that any path is only a path and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you to do. But your decision to keep on the path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. I warn you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary.
This question is one that only a very old man asks. Does this path have a heart? All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. They are paths going through the bush, or into the bush. In my own life I could say I have traversed long long paths, but I am not anywhere. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.

Before you embark on any path ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path. The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him. At that point very few men can stop to deliberate, and leave the path. A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.
I have told you that to choose a path you must be free from fear and ambition. The desire to learn is not ambition. It is our lot as men to want to know.
The path without a heart will turn against men and destroy them. It does not take much to die, and to seek death is to seek nothing.

For me there is only the traveling on the paths that have a heart, on any path that may have a heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge for me is to traverse its full length. And there I travel--looking, looking, breathlessly.

posted August 02, 2006 02:59 AM           

Words of wisdom, indeed. Interesting you posted this as I currently got that book from the library... I have not finished it, but the man is brilliant. Have you read, James Redfield, The tenth insight? it is also a good book, I just finished reading.
Thanks for posting and hang in there...

posted August 03, 2006 02:14 AM           

Interesting timing that you're reading the book.
Hope you'll return and share what you think when you're done reading.
Hang in there as well.

thank you, Lotus

posted August 03, 2006 08:38 AM           

Your name sounds as a song... Everytime I write it, I sing Lei Lei...Lia )

Thank you for sharing!!! I read this book in Jan, and this time re-reading it some new thoughts came to my mind..

Also, I came across to something inspiring on the same wave:

" In order to make a fresh beginning in the New World, the 16th Century conquistador, Cortez, burntthe entire Spanish fleet. He realised that while there was always a possibility of return to the homeland, his men would not give fully of themselves. They would always be looking back, unable to fully embrace the new. He has seen Spain in their eyes. so, he dramatically and willfully destroyed their only means of returning. Because of this decisive action, no-one had a choice, everyone had to step into a new landscape, a new life, , totally committed"

"If your not failing regularly you are living so far below your potential that you are failing anyway"

"The gem can not be polished without the friction, nor a man perfected without trials" Confucius..

Fayte, LiaLei what do you think on the last one.. I feel in a way the gem doesnot have to a perfect , its already a precious gem?....Or is the friction needed?? :smile:

posted August 04, 2006 02:53 AM         

WOW

And Lialei

Thankyou

quote:

---

And a moment will come when his first enemy retreats. The man begins to feel sure of himself. His intent becomes stronger. Learning is no longer a terrifying task.

---

And this struck a chord in my music box...

quote:

---

Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.

---

posted August 06, 2006 01:42 AM           

You and SunChild both hear Lialei as a song?
Very nice. (smiley feeling)
Hehee, I think pixelpixie yodelled it once. Well, hope it's a pretty song that you hear.

Very cool that you've read this book. Have you read any of his others? I haven't read all of them yet. And I haven't read them chronologically. I just read whatever one I happened across in a used book-store at the time. It was amazing, though, the synchronisity, because the message of each one seemed to correspond at the time as the one I most needed to listen to.

quote:

---

" In order to make a fresh beginning in the New World, the 16th Century conquistador, Cortez, burntthe entire Spanish fleet. He realised that while there was always a possibility of return to the homeland, his men would not give fully of themselves. They would always be looking back, unable to fully embrace the new. He has seen Spain in their eyes. so, he dramatically and willfully destroyed their only means of returning. Because of this decisive action, no-one had a choice, everyone had to step into a new landscape, a new life, , totally committed"

---

Well, I think you know how strongly I might understand that at this time.
My ship is still on fire, and I'm watching it from ashore slowly dying to softer embers.
It's painful sometimes to watch the ending of all memories of what was and potentials of what might have been. But, beyond it, so still and present, sparkles that Blue Horizon of future memories and potentials, awaiting to be pioneered.

quote:

---

"If your not failing regularly you are living so far below your potential that you are failing anyway"

---

If you're failing it means you are risking, right? You are living, breathing, trying.

quote:

---

"The gem can not be polished without the friction, nor a man perfected without trials" Confucius..

Fayte, LiaLei what do you think on the last one.. I feel in a way the gem doesnot have to a perfect , its already a precious gem?....Or is the friction needed?? :smile:

---

I believe the gem is perfect in its imperfection. What is precious is always deep inside. Friction is helpful to remind us of its presence, or awaken us to its presence.

posted August 06, 2006 02:05 AM           

Oh, no, you didn't hijack my thread at all.
It's not mine, it's ours.
What I meant, was that I wrote a somewhat lengthy post with some thoughts on don Juan's teachings and when I went to post it, I lost it somehow. I was a bit frustrated at the time.

But, cool to hear you hope to return...
we can discuss it better then.

Something profound that always stayed with me (and wish I could remember which book it was from) was when don Juan described the simple routine of looking at a tree. (a symbolic metaphor for any numerous example of limited earthly vision).

He said that you look at the tree and immediately you're telling yourself you will see a tree, because from the moment you were born you were told it was a tree. One single unified (programmed) vision of a tree appears before you.

He encourages you to drop your personal history of perception, quiet inner diologue, and instead, gaze at the tree with present/new vision. Look to the shadows inbetween the leaves...open yourself to the possibility of seeing the inbetween things that you never see. This awakens you to an entire new way of Seeing. And what you 'see' will be so much more than the 'basic' tree you are expecting to see.

I cannot remember it word for word, but that always stayed with me. There is a wordless space between the shadows.

SunChild,
Glad to see your musicbox here.
I've always loved your name as well.
Are you a Leo?

posted August 06, 2006 09:59 PM         

Thanks for typing all that out -- it's wonderful to see it again!! It doesn't seem like a couple decades since I read The Teachings, A Separate Reality, Journey to Ixtlan, Tales of Power..... (**sigh**) the years have flown by so fast.....
Castaneda's books had a profound effect on my young psyche -- when they came out I devoured them. Haven't read the latest few..... am still confused about the nagual and don't want to go on until I've attained a better understanding..... your bit about the tree recalled a distant memory of reading about slightly crossing the eyes to see what is "between".....

posted August 07, 2006 09:00 AM         

Ta for posting the exert

posted November 13, 2006 03:51 AM           

Lia thanks for posting this... I enjoy Carlos Castenada's The teachings of Don Juan; his work very much parallels to Ron Vore. In his wrirings, Ron Vore explains that the true enlightened man lives a simple and carefree life, he is aware in a way not normally understood, and he’s practically invisible. He lives in a world almost opposite that of his fellow beings. Where others thrive on the company and compliments of the crowd, he trusts only the wellspring of higher thought and empowered feelings that flow from within him. While others strive to excel and succeed, to be someone, he alone knows the power and satisfaction of being no-one, of being invisible.

Do not misunderstand. This is not a philosophy for losers, but of real men and real women. It takes courage and discipline to lead a life out of step with the world at large. Anyone who’s tried to go it alone against the tide of simple peer pressure will recognize the difficulty involved. Those who persevere, however, will gain treasures beyond belief.

The common man has been tragically deceived. He’s been taught to misuse the very essence of his being: awareness. The focus of awareness has always been directed outward, on people, things, and events outside of self. The treasures of the outer world have been his only quest, but the paradox is, the kingdom has always been within!

------------------
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

posted November 18, 2006 11:57 AM           

"Cool, scary and weird"
haha--Apt description, Lei.

Silverstone,
ever feel that you have so much you wish to say, that you can't seem to begin and go mute? Your post here, your other post from Carlos on the preditor...yes, it's all very meaningful to me. Very much so.
We blossom that which we encourage,
and the warrior is very alert in awareness to notice the most subtlest things that most don't give importance to.
He would notice what others choose to value and so, encourage.
Do they honor honorability?
Or do they encourage preditors? Would they befriend someone who would exploit another to better themself? This is encouraging...giving power to and spurring the wheels of the machine that destroys the most beautiful uniquely creative inspiration of humanity. It is very important indeed. Peace should never be at all costs. Some things deserve bravery and rescue.
Encouraging is a subtle thing that most don't take into account as important. It can mean compromising integrity for the sake of harmony or one's image to others. Harmony will never come from this imbalance of justice.
And a warrior is never concerned with how others view him. He's doesn't look for validation outside of himself for his own truth, nor confidence. He chooses carefully that which is important to defend. He encourages those who value truth and Beauty and truly act in impeccible, loving ways (even if quiet) towards their fellow beings. (those who truly walk the talk-- a warrior is alert to contridiction between the two). He doesn't waste energy by engaging in circle/ego displays. He knows to engage is sometimes to feed....and most often engaging is only to to coddle one's own insecurity, for caring what the world would perceive. His reward is always beautiful freedom from the chains of the worlds expectations and perceptions. Perceptions that would cloud the clearer beautiful transcendendance of his Spirit.
This more open place where One Soars.

Thank you, Silver.

posted November 18, 2006 12:30 PM         

This is the one of the things that seems to have just been engraved in my psyche over the years... I practice that as much as possible which can ben pretty hard sometimes due to my social circle of discussion in college... lol

Oh another great book with a very modern day approach to Castaneda's writings is "Matrix Warrior by Jake Horsley"... FANTASTIC Book and if you like Castaneda and the Matrix movies you should love it hehe

posted November 28, 2006 01:47 AM         

I find it so difficult to meditate these days. Even when I have free time I'm always socially analyzing my relatinoships, or thinking about this test or this assignment or my job...my room is no longer a sacred space for meditation, as it's a place of labor...

I feel that to properly clear your mind you really need a sacred space, thats only for meditating....but what do you do when you can't find one, or you just can't seem to find yourself?

posted November 28, 2006 05:06 AM           

"We have a predator that came from the depths of the cosmos and took over the rule of our lives. Human beings are its prisoners. The predator is our lord and master. It has rendered us docile, helpless. If we want to protest, it suppresses our protest. If we want to act independently, it demands that we don't do so...I have been beating around the bush all this time, insinuating to you that something is holding us prisoner. Indeed we are held prisoner. "

"This was an energetic fact for the sorcerers of ancient Mexico...They took us over because we are food for them, and they squeeze us mercilessly because we are their sustenance. Just as we rear chickens in chicken coops, the predators rear us in human coops, humaneros. Therefore, their food is always available to them."

"No, no, no, no," [Carlos Replies] This is absurd don Juan. What you are saying can't be true, for sorcerers or for average men, or anyone."

"Why not?" don Juan asked calmly. Why not? Because it infuriates you?....You haven't heard all the claims yet. I want to appeal to your analytical mind. Think for a moment, and tell me how you would explain the contradictions between the intelligence of man the engineer and the stupidity of his systems of beliefs. or the stupidity of his contradictory Sorcerers Sorcerers believe that the predators have given us our systems of belief, our ideas of good and evil, our social mores. They are the ones who set up our hopes and expectations and dreams of success or failure. They have given us covetousness, greed, and cowerdice. It It is the predators who make us complacent, routinary, and egomaniacal."

"But how can they do this, don Juan' Carlos asked, somehow angered further by what don juan was saying." Do they whisper all that in our ears while we are asleep?"

"No, they don't do it that way. That's idiotic! don Juan said, smiling. "They are infinitely more efficient and organized than that. In order to keep us obedient and meek and weak, the predators engage themselves in a stupendous maneuver -- stupendous, of course from the point of view of a fighting strategist. A horrendous maneuver from the point of view do those who suffer it. They gave us their mind! Do you hear me? The predators give us their mind, which becomes our mind. The predator's mind is baroque. contradictory, morose, filled with fear of being discovered any minute now."

"I know that even though you have never suffered hunger...you have food anxiety, which is none other than the anxiety of the predator who fears that any moment now it's maneuver is going to be uncovered and food is going to be denied. Through the mind, which, after all, is their mind, the predators inject into the lives of human beings whatever is convenient for them. And they insure, in this manner, a degree of security to act as a buffer against their fear."

"The sorcerers of ancient Mexico were quite ill at ease with the idea of when the predator made it's appearance on Earth. They reasoned that man must have been a complete being at one point, with stupendous insights, feats of awareness that are mythological legends nowadays. And then, everything seems to disappear, and we have now a sedated man. What I'm saying is that what we have against us is not a simple predator. It is very smart, and organized. It follows a methodical system to render us useless. Man, the magical being that he is destined to be, is no longer magical. He's an average piece of meat."

"There are no more dreams for man but the dreams of an animal who is being raised to become a piece of meat : trite, conventional, imbecilic."

------------------
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

posted November 28, 2006 12:05 PM           

BlueRoamer,
Have you seen the commercial with Ellen Degenerus? She's sitting cross-legged on the floor,with her eyes closed, meditating 'ommmmmm'
and her thoughts are~

"I really shouldn't have bought those socks.
But I really needed socks and I liked the color....etc, etc,"

I have a hard time shutting down myself.
Last night I went outside for a while. Even if there isn't much for nature, there's always the sky and stars and moon, right?

I don't have time alone to myself actually. During work I'm surrounded by lots of people...and at home. Rarely ever is there quiet or am I alone. It's challenging to find ways, but I've become a master armchair traveler. There are some visulization excersizes from yoga instruction that has also helped.
I believe that for a time we should allow our thoughts to naturally flow as they do, for there's reason for them being there. Think through them for a time, then try to release them. Well, there's more I'd like to say, so will return soon.

I've never experienced intrusive energies...at least not during meditation. I have at other times. Interesting. Will think on that some.

hello Silver.