The Four Agreements Companion Book (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
The Four Agreements. by Miguel Angel Ruiz Don Miguel Ángel Ruiz, better known as Don Miguel Ruiz, is a Mexican author of New Age spiritualist and neoshamanistic texts. His teaching is significantly influenced by the work of Carlos Castaneda.One, Be impeccable with your word,Two, Don't take anything personallyThree, Don't make assumptions.Four, Always do your best.What an amazing book, it came into my life at just the right time. I follow my own spiritual beliefs, which I must admit are pretty basic and I don't participate in a formal religious path, I went to a Catholic girls school from twelve years old and I never quite got the religious banter, although I loved some of the ceremonies, even then I believed it was a boys club and I was really only invited as a worker bee. These four agreements really hit a cord with me. Beautifully simple and well written, these words beat down like a hammer on my mind and thoughts. They really are so simple, watch what you say, don't be so conceited that you believe everything is aimed at you, don't suppose what you don't know to be an absolute truth, and do what everyone knows they should do, do your best. This little book of Knowledge came into my life when I truly needed to be reminded to not take anything personal. It is amazing how when you decide to not take anything personally how any anger or discontent at how you may believe you have been treated seems to dissapate. How you see much more clearly and how your physical self removes it self from the situation. Why oh why did I never read this book years ago.Being impeccable with your word, is a more difficult thing to get my head around. Although I believe that I can apply the idea to my words, and it made me realise that being impeccable with your word, protects not only others but yourself too. Being impeccable with your word made me realise that you also had to see the truth. But this is much harder to apply for me, as the truth through my eyes may not be the truth, through others eyes or minds. That is where always doing your best I suppose comes it. If you are always doing your best, you have nothing to regret.No three, Don't make assumptions is such a gem too! Gosh, if we stopped assuming things how much easier would our lives be. Lets not assume everything we are told or read is the truth or even a lie! The government will have a hard time creating fear in our Belly's if we don't assume anything of what they are telling us to be the honest truth. Let's not assume people don't love us or care about us, wow does that make life happier and less fretful. My little puppy loves everyone and assumes they all love her. It is tough when she makes a big fuss of someone that I think is a cranky old hag, but, I am learning to accept that she is not seeing the same cranky face, thank you No three! Ahh puppy breath, brings beauty out in anything and a change of attitude helps as well.I loved the simplicity of the language and the heartfelt directness. It was not filled with flowery language, just simple direct ideas to think about. You were able to consider the concept not what the words meant or what they were trying to say. This book wasn't trying to be clever, the words wanted to be understood by everyone. How sad for us, that we have to keep relearning simple positive concepts that will help our lives. Why do we get bogged down in unnecesarry complex ideas and thoughts, where these four simple gems can solve so much drama and heart ache.Personally, I got it totally, it was like a zephyr across the timber deck, that helped me see clearly.The rest of the book lost me, the prays seemed like an after thought. The four agreements were powerful and told with clarity. Maybe others needed the added section of the book but I felt they spoilt the book and it became padded and too wordy. The Four Agreements are:1. Be Impeccable With Your Word.2. Don't Take Anything Personally.3. Don't Make Assumptions.4. Always Do Your BestI have read that the author has been influenced by Castenada, whose I have read nothing, but certainly there is a lot of PLN training programme and transactional analysis at the basis of his thought.I have no idea whether the shaman’s theories have been adapted to nowadays world or viceversa.Nonetheless, this little book (only 44 pages extremely easy to read) is a small pearl of wisdom which I would recommend to everyone.
What do You think about The Four Agreements Companion Book (2000)?
simple, but great to keep you on tract with living a happier life.
—aliciagarza04
Beautiful book that opened my mind. Highly recommend.
—archie
