The Four Agreements introduced a simple, but powerful code of conduct for attaining personal freedom and true happiness. Now The Four Agreements Companion Book takes you even further along the journey to recover the awareness and wisdom of your authentic self. This companion book is a must-read not only for those who enjoyed don Miguel’s first book, but for anyone who is ready to leave suffering behind, and to master the art of living in our natural happiness.
The Companion Book
� How to break the domestication that keeps you enslaved by fear � Keys to recover your will, your faith, and the power of your word � Practice ideas to help you become the master of your own life � A dialogue with don Miguel about living The Four Agreements � Success stories from people who have used The Four Agreements
“The Four Agreements are a tool for transformation, leading you to stop judging, mainly yourself, and to start practicing another way of life.� � don Miguel Ruiz
The tools shared by don Miguel are based on common sense and shared with such simplicity, that the universal message underlying his teaching is recognized by many. don Miguel's message is simple, practical and when implemented, even incrementally, changes lives.
In the tradition of the Toltec, a Nagual guides an individual to personal freedom. Combining new insights with old wisdom, don Miguel has dedicated his life to sharing the ancient Toltec wisdom by translating it into practical concepts that promote transformation through truth and common sense.
Don Miguel Ruiz was born into a family of healers, and raised in rural Mexico by a curandera (healer) mother and a nagual (shaman) grandfather. The family anticipated that Miguel would embrace their centuries-old legacy of healing and teaching, and carry forward the esoteric Toltec knowledge. Instead, distracted by modern life, Miguel chose to attend medical school and become a surgeon. A near-death experience changed his life. Stunned by this experience, he began an intensive practice of self-inquiry. He devoted himself to the mastery of the ancient ancestral wisdom, studying earnestly with his mother, and completing an apprenticeship with a powerful shaman in the Mexican desert. In the tradition of the Toltecs, a nagual guides an individual to personal freedom. Don Miguel is a nagual from the Eagle Knight lineage, and is dedicated to sharing his knowledge of the teachings of the ancient Toltecs. He is the author of The Four Agreements, The Mastery of Love, The Four Agreements Companion Book, and THE TOLTEC ART OF LIFE AND DEATH (COMING OCTOBER 27TH, 2015, FROM HARPERELIXIR).
Only read this so I could complete my reading challenge. Terribly boring and not at all suitable for normal life. Especially the sections on gossip, and some of the sections on suffering. There's the usual idea that all gossip is is shuffling around mean things about others. There's a line in here that basically says don't even share what you feel about yourself, because other people can twist your words around and make it a 'poison'. Which sounds like terrible advice, to be frank. His writing style is annoyingly repetitive and doesn't really ever get the point. More of the usual 'if it doesn't feel good, you aren't doing it right,' glorifying the idea of 'detachment,' and loving everyone no matter what without ever grounding that in reality.
Spirituality really sucks. It's all head-in-the-clouds, practisable only by a select few who have an otherwise easy, happy life, but thinks it's for everyone and preaches to the common man that if they just unconditionally loved, pain & suffering wouldn't come into their lives anymore. So glad I'm finished with all these nonsense books, and even gladder not to have to return.
I honestly can’t believe that this book isn’t mentioned more. I really do feel like this book and “The Four Agreements� should just be one book. If anything, I got more out of this companion book than I did out of the “Four Agreements�!
This book was stunning. I really like that there are a lot of journal prompts in the book. I have been going through and writing them all down, and am planning on journalling my way through the questions this summer. There were a lot of questions in this book that were really insightful and showed how the agreements should work in everyday life.
This book is basically a continuation of the last little bit of the “Four Agreements�, so please make sure you read the other book first.
There were a lot of quotes and passages that I underlined in “The Four Agreements Companion�. I think it will be good to go back and even just look at those passages in the future. There is a lot of emphasis of mindfulness of your self in any situation. I think that this is something that anyone can incorporate into their lives, regardless of their spirituality or religion or philosophy on life.
I really liked the back third of the book, where there were question and answers regarding the four agreements and the philosophy behind them. It really added to the experience of the book.
I would like to give this book 5/5 stars. I am happy that I read both of these books back to back, and feel that they really made me think about what the author was arguing.
This book able to contribute to making peoples' lives a lot more carefree and comfortable. I have no doubt that if each of the agreements are worked on even a little, people would start to see how they're causing a lot of their own grief. It has to do with giving an overhaul to very old beliefs about self esteem, needs and expectations, finally.
I started reading the Four Agreements back in the '90s, but a lot of things got in my way, like mostly my life! I finally got back to reading this book this past year (2011), and have actually been adapting some of it! I have chosen the agreement "never take anything personally" to focus on for now.
I've had a lot of practice with this agreement at work. I've had difficulty relating to some of my co-workers that happen to come from the far side of "woken up", if you know what I mean. They seem to get instantly vicious if they think they are being threatened even a little bit, and sometimes they don't even seem to realize why they feel threatened because their hackles go up too fast. Then in the frenzy, they're oblivious to the idea that maybe they've simply jumped to conclusions before they got all the facts, which is most often what has happened. They are always evaluating how the Universe is impacting them, not how they are impacting the Universe.
The agreements address this type of thing thoroughly, and help the readers see how they have set themselves up, then teaches them how to stop doing that. Unfortunately, there is no good way to expose people to the book when they are clinging to their old beliefs that everything is Happening To Them. It's like Catch-22: they are continually stressed because they're reacting in ways that are based on old beliefs, but their old beliefs will keep them from even trying to investigate the book.
I must confess that if I did not have the compulsory need to finish every book I start reading, I would have never finished this one. I found it to be a mere repetition of the book it was supposed to accompany. Merely a tool to get more money out of the 4 agreements. Such a pity, I found the first book interesting but after reading this I am no longer a fan. So my advice to you: if you liked the four agreements, do not read the companion book. It will make you dislike them. If you didn't like the four agreements book, you will definitely not like this one.
Excellent book. I struggled in the beginning, trying to get it right, but I realized I need to just read it through and get what I get at my current level of understanding. I will go back and read through it again and do the exercises more thoroughly and expand my understanding even further.
I've already gained value and have increased my enjoyment of life because of this book, and the first one, "The Four Agreements."
This is a great companion to "The Four Agreements" and expands on that book.
There are some beautiful parts and I truly enjoy the philosophy and simplicity of the four agreements, but Ruiz's writing style isn't my favorite. He makes VERY broad generalizations and contradicts himself in places.
I read this seeking detailed application of the ideas of the first book.
The interview section and stories left me underwhelmed many times. The text just doesn't think very hard or clear about what it's saying. The limpid inspired clarity of the original text is gone, and in its place is an attitude of resigned acceptance.
The teaching on positive gossip was especially noteworthy. Most people only define negative information as gossip. I think saying kind things about others is kind, and that Ruiz overdramatises the risk of saying positive things.
The abstract chapter on reflecting on causes and effects was the theory and practice of change. It was surprisingly not very robust or practical. But it was the most useful chapter in the whole book because it was well thought out, and actually proposed something definite.
For all the above, I don't think this was anywhere near as strong a book as the first one.
Si te gusto el Alquimistas de Pablo Coehlo este libro te encantará. Sobretodo por que el cuarto acuerdo va muy de la mano con el mismo precepto del alquimista. Los otros acuerdos fueron son maneras de cómo cambiar tu mente y mejorar tu vida: Tener cuidado con tus palabras ya que te dañas a ti mismo, no tomar las cosas personalmente y no confabular (crear cosas) donde no las hay.
A very easy and short read. The bulk of the book is about the four agreements (obviously) and the author giving examples for each one. He has a lot of ideas but sometimes struggle with transitions from idea to another.
I love the main concept. Humans are all dreaming and dreams were made from "agreements" you made or enforced to you. These agreements originated from human domestication, years of forming human values passed from one generation to another. Some of the agreements established may be toxic to you but we find it hard to break free from them because the morals are instilled into our core (due to domestication); and so the mind's response if to send "poison" whenever we contradict them in the form of fear or anxiety. The author then gives us four agreements to help people reshape those toxic agreements.
I generally agree with the four agreements except for the last one. "Doing your best" is very vague and I wish the author was able to expound this better rather than speaking in a cliche manner.
First 1Hour of this book was going above my head, but then everything started making complete sense. The author is simply talking about making 4 agreements with oneself (I know its confusing as to how one can have an agreement with oneself - but that is what is 1 hour of this book). Agreements are:- 1. Be impeccable with your word - DO NOT S**T about anyone, very easy in theory but super difficult in practice. 2. Don't take anything personally - As it says 3. Don't make assumptions. - As it says 4. Always do your best. - As it says - do your best whatever you do, even after that things go wrong, you will still be happy that you did your best.
I would reread this book, just to imprint these agreements on me.
The 4 agreements are: 1. Be impeccable with your word. Live with integrity. 2.Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. 3.Don’t make assumptions. Communicate clearly with others and express what you really want. 4.Always do your best from moment to moment, under any circumstance practice compassion with yourself as your best will be different when you’re healthy versus sick.
The companion book dives into the application of these four agreements in one’s perception of the world, being authentic, and creating the life you want.
The book has interesting vocabulary and a metaphysical approach. It’s like existentialism for the 21st-century.
This little book has so much for me to think about, learn from and add to my daily life. Just a few simply agreements can change your life. I suggest everyone keep a copy of this in hand. I'm done reading for the first time but I won't be taking it off my I'm reading now statis. I will continue to revisit it every so often.
Es una manera simple y clara de entender algunas de las lecciones más importantes de la vida. No creo que te enseñe nada nuevo, pero la claridad de las palabras que utiliza el autor permite claridad de mente respecto de las lecciones.
I'm sure I've read The Four Agreements before and I've been wanting to read his other books so I picked this up to refresh my memory. I definitely agree with some of the things here but some concepts (or the way they were presented) didn't connect.
The book changed my perspective in the way that it helped me extenuate the pressure that I put on myself. If you are a person who always seeks the mistake on yourself, this book will make you feel relaxed. However, as everyone said, it is repetitive.
As others have said already, this should be part of the original book! So good. I recommend to anyone serious about wanting to implement the agreements and lifestyle.
This book was a nice addition to the collection of the books of the four agreements. I also read the fifth agreement last year. I wanted to try this companion book to see what it had to offer. To be honest the only thing about this book that was kinda overwhelming were the parts that had many questions and guides to create one’s Book of Law, etc. in a separate notebook or something like that. I think if one wants to take their time, that’d be a great self development project. Maybe I have too short of an attention span to do that at the moment, but I skipped through doing those parts, even though I read through it all and would answer out loud or in my head. I was kinda hoping it was going to be like a little workbook, but that’s ok. It was still lovely and it was a good reminder of getting the four agreements imbedded in my mind and heart, and reading other’s experiences on that, too. I think testimony makes it more real as well and is a reminder that we’re all on a very similar journey.
Funny enough, I rated the original a mediocre 3-stars. I found the original to be trite and too full of generalities. I liked the perspective of the book overall in some ways -- ie. describing society overall as the collective "dream of the world" was a cool metaphor. But I found the original to be lacking in tactical suggestions that you can implement in real life; there are soooo many books out there with similar advice that give way more practical advice and suggestions to actually improve your life. However, I got a LOT more out of this Companion Guide. The OG is maybe worth reading for background but it can almost be skipped. The Companion Guide delivers what I expected out of the original -- a really neat practical guide to self-improvement with some cool mystical overtones -- and this Companion Guide actually gives you the tools to implement that the original lacks. Skip the original if pressed for time and just read the Companion Guide.
The book that I read for October is Called The Four Agreements Companion book. It is by the author Don Miguel Ruiz. I really liked reading it. This book is the companion book for the first one The Four Agreements which I also liked. One of the quotes that stood out from the rest was said on page 119. It stated, ”Everything in nature, all of creation, is changing. Creation is happening in the moment. It has no beginning, it has no end; it is ongoing. Energy is always transforming because it is alive.� I liked it because it was talking about how even if you don’t like how life is going right now it will continue to change to a way you do like. The theme of this book is showing you how to use the four agreements to master your dream life. To conclude I recommend reading this book after you read The Four Agreements.
I finally sat down to read this book, I have read the four agreements and I could see why my direction was clouded and confused. This book brought more things to light for me, I know I struggle with not taking anything personally. IT can be hard eventhough i may know what is being said isnt correct or true my feelings still get hurt. Its once im alone reflecting that i see that I gave the other person power and the words power. This is something that I am grateful I have, the ability to see my choices are my own and I can choose the path I should take. I will definetely read and reread this series, until its second nature for me. It is a must read for anyone wanting change and who wants to see their true self.