book review of The Four Agreements

[Guest guest]

from

http://blog.raamdev.com/2009/12/28/book-review-the-four-agreements-by-don-miguel\

-ruiz

 

" The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom " A Toltec Wisdom

Book by Don Miguel Ruiz, is a book about letting go of false identification.

It's about realizing that the life we're living is nothing more than a dream — a

dream that we have full control over but often fail to take action and do

something with.

 

Don Ruiz, a Toltec nagual guide, uses the wisdom of his ancestors to help us

understand how each and every one of us has the power within ourselves to take

control of life and experience the happiness we all possess within ourselves.

Don explains how to rewire our belief system so that we can create a new world

for ourselves — a new perspective of the world around us and of ourselves.

 

In the first chapter, Domestication and the Dream of the Planet, Don sets the

stage for the book and explains how the world we're living in is nothing more

than a dream world that we've been domesticated to believe is real and

unchangeable. In the book, an " agreement " is a rule that we hold as absolute

truth. We have thousands of agreements in life, from the agreement that these

words are English, to the agreement that gravity pulls things down.

 

Don presents us with four agreements that he says will change our lives if we

adopt them. Each of the four agreements presented reinforce the previous.

 

The four agreements are:

 

Be impeccable with your word

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak

against yourself or gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the

direction of truth and love.

 

Don't take anything personally

Nothing others do is because of you. What other 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.

 

Don't make assumptions

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.

Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings,

sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform

your life.

 

Always do your best

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when

you are healthy, as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your

best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regret.

 

The first agreement is about the extreme importance and power of our word (and

of our thoughts) and why our words need to be of the highest standards. Next,

Don explains that we should not take things personally because we are in full

control; the actions, words, or thoughts of others should not have any affect on

us. The third agreement, to not make assumptions, is about avoiding the mistake

of making truth from non-truth. And the last agreement is about doing our best

at all times and never putting ourselves down.

 

The last two chapters of the book discuss how to let go of fear and doubt and

adopt these teachings. He discusses various techniques that the ancient Toltec's

used and how other cultures around the world still follow similar teachings as

were taught by the Toltec.

 

All of the advice Don gives is very practical and useful. It's not a religious

book that you follow word-for-word to enlightenment but rather something to

stimulate and kickstart your own journey to self-discovery. Here's my favorite

quote from the book:

" Action is about living fully. Inaction is the way that we deny life. "

 

The book was a short read (138 pages) and absolutely worthwhile. It helps give

you a different perspective of life and teaches you how to tackle big challenges

as if they were the smallest, easiest challenges you will ever face. He even

touches on why we should celebrate death and how it can teach us to enjoy life.