What I've Been Reading

All of humanity is searching for truth, justice, and beauty. We are on an eternal search for the truth because we only believe in the lies we have stored in the mind. We are searching for justice because in the belief system we have, there is no justice. We search for beauty because it doesn't matter how beautiful a person is, we don't believe that person has beauty. We keep searching and searching, when everything is already within us. There is no truth to find. Where-ever we turn our heads, all we see is the truth, but with the agreements and beliefs we have stored in our mind, we have no eyes to for this truth. 

We don't see the truth because we are blind. What blinds us are all those false beliefs we have in our mind. We have the need to be right and to make others wrong. We trust what we believe, and our beliefs set us up for suffering. It is as if we live in the middle of a fog that doesn't let us see further than our nose. we live in a fog that is not even real. This fog is a dream, your personal dream of life - what you believe, all the concepts you have about what you are, all the agreements you have made with others, with yourself, and even with God. 

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz.

It's amazing how most of the ancient civilizations from different times and separated geographically (and most likely not accessible) came up with common themes (sans the "miracles") on how to be a good human and how to lead a good life.

Toltec was an ancient Mexican civilization and not surprisingly, I have never read anything on them until now. This is little book is a great introduction to their philosophy.

The four agreements are simple for everyone to follow:

• First Agreement: Be impeccable with your word. It sounds very simple, but it's very, very powerful.

• Second Agreement: Don't take anything personally. Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world. 

• Third Agreement: Don't make assumptions. It is difficult because we so often do exactly the opposite. We have all these habits and routines that we are not even aware of. Becoming aware of these habits and understanding the importance of this agreement is the first step, But understanding it's importance is not enough. What will really make the difference is action. 

• Fourth Agreement: Always do your best. This one agreement allows the other three to become deeply ingrained habits. The fourth agreement is about the action of the first three. 

There are three masteries that lead people to become Toltecs.

Mastery of Awareness - This is to be aware of who really are, with all the possibilities. 

Mastery of Transformation - How to change and free of human domestication (by society).

Mastery of Intent - Intent from the Toltec point of view is that part of life that makes the transformation of energy possible; it is the one living being that seamlessly encompasses all energy, or what we call "God". Intent is life itself; it is unconditional love. The Mastery of Intent is, therefore, the Mastery of Love.