The Four Agreements, A Toltec Wisdom Book: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, by Don Miguel Ruiz (small TPB, 1997, $1.50)
Ruiz is "a master of the Toltec mystery school tradition. For more than a decade, he has worked to impart the wisdom of the ancient Toltec to his students and apprentices, guiding them toward their personal freedom."
In the preface, Ruiz states the Toltecs "were scientists and artists who formed a society to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the ancient ones." Those who carried the knowledge shielded it from the European conquerors, and even from their own people, until a recent time when the prophecies foretold the secret wisdom would be needed by the people.
"Toltec knowledge arises from the same essential unity of truth as all the sacred esoteric traditions found around the world. Though it is not a religion, it honors all the spiritual masters who have taught on the earth. While it does embrace spirit, it is most accurately described as a way of life, distinguished by the ready accessibility of happiness and love."
Ruiz says people need to have personal freedom, to live their own lives, instead of the "life of the belief system". To do this, each of us must become aware of the fog in our minds, and to focus on what we want to change to become free. As we become aware of our fears, we can "go into the desert" to meet them. Having met our fears we can begin, using love and forgiveness (of others, of God, and of ourselves), to replace the thoughts that make us suffer with thoughts that make us happy. Then we need the discipline to continue to be ourselves, to be happy, and to be free.
This is as good a summary as I could come up with. I agree with a lot of the Toltec ideas, but I also have problems with it. Is having personal freedom really a good thing? What about the needs of the community? Who decides if the belief system is bad? Even if we could, is giving up all suffering a good thing? At only 138 pages this book can't have all the answers, but it did at least start me asking questions. What do you think of all this? Never mind the answers, do you find even asking these questions useful, stupid, offensive, sinful, wonderful, or just plain weird?
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 2/23 (L-rel)
