The Teachings of Don Juan
Thirty years ago the University of California Press published a remarkable manuscript by an anthropology student named Carlos Castaneda. The Teachings of Don Juan initiated a generation of seekers dissatisfied with the limitations of the Western worldview. Castaneda's now classic book remains controversial for the alternative way of seeing that it presents and the revolution in cognition it demands. In a series of fascinating dialogues, Castaneda sets forth his partial initiation with don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian shaman from the state of Sonora, Mexico. He describes don Juan's perception and mastery of the "non-ordinary reality" and how peyote and other plants sacred to the Mexican Indians were used as gateways to the mysteries of "dread," "clarity," and "power."
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5recommend
13mentions
12people
2009–2025years
38% recommend54% neutral8% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- 5 books not on this list that might expand your.mind:
* The Dice Man by George Cockroft.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dice_Man?wprov=sfla1
* The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda.
* Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/624
* Poverty and Progress by Henry George
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55308
* The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt
- The Teachings of Don Juan - Carlos Castaneda
- I first read The Art of Dreaming. Then I started with The Teachings of Don Juan and read all of the 10+ books in the series. I also read the book that was written by the women from his party. Really enjoyed all of it.
- I first heard of Castaneda 7 years ago when I was at university. I started with the first book "The Teachings of Don Juan" and proceeded with reading all his other works. I was fascinated not only with the story he was telling but more so, the practical wisdom he revealed.
One of the techniques he revealed in his books for expanding your awareness as a human being was to consciously diffuse your gaze for long stretches of time. In other words, in your day to day life, most people, myself included, navigate through the world with fixed vision. If I were to walk down a hallway or through a hiking trail, I would normally look at a tree, then maybe at a bird, then maybe some clouds might catch my attention, squirrel jumps off a log, etc. and I would go on like this. His suggestion was to take in the whole panoramic view, constantly engaged in peripheral vision, not focusing on any one particular object, for hours at a time. After consistent experimenting with this particular technique, I came to one realization that it was a tool that can be used to quiet the mind, similar to a sorts of meditation. It was my introduction to the study of energy (I study Internal Martial Arts).
There were other practical wisdoms embodied in his texts and that held my attention for many years. It wasn't until recently that I began to read of Castaneda and the shadows that began to surround his legacy. To be honest, it didn't take away from the treasure of his stories and wisdom. Most, if not all his concepts, can be traced back in time to different religions, groups of people, other yogis and individuals, etc. I believe that ideas and methodologies do not belong to any individuals. They are just mediums that the universe uses to express its consciousness. We say if it weren't for scientist X, this theory wouldn't come to fruition but who knows? I remember reading once about an important theory that a scientist discovered (galileo?) that another scientist was uncovering at about the same time but got beaten to the punch. They were not in the same geographic region but it was interesting to read about an idea being ripe and wanting to be expressed to who is available and able. I digress.
Castaneda had a positive influence on many people and a negative influence on others, as the stories in the article revealed. Such is the way of humanity and life, and you make your mark on this world however you see fit. One door opens, another one closes. Castaneda was the first to open up doors for me, so he has a special place in my heart, as imperfect as he may have been.
- This issue of "making oneself unavailable" is very well described in The Teachings Of Don Juan. Read all about it.
- its OK they have already been here millions of years ago.
Chariots of the gods - unsolved mysteries of the past - Erich von Daniken (1968-1999, Berkley Trade)
The main thesis of Chariots of the Gods is that extraterrestrial beings influenced ancient technology.
Von Däniken suggests that some ancient structures and artifacts appear to reflect more sophisticated technological knowledge than is known or presumed to have existed at the times they were manufactured. Von Däniken maintains that these artifacts were produced either by extraterrestrial visitors or by humans who learned the necessary knowledge from extraterrestrials.
Such artifacts include the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge, and the Moai of Easter Island. Further examples include an early world map known as the Piri Reis map, which von Däniken describes as showing Earth as it is seen from space, and the Nazca Lines in Peru, which he suggests may have been constructed by humans as crude replicas of previous alien structures, as a way to call the aliens back to Earth. He uses this same explanation to argue that cart ruts in Malta may have had extraterrestrial purposes along with similar lines in Australia, Saudi Arabia, and the Aral Sea
read with:
Carlos Castaneda - The Teachings of Don Juan - A Yaqui Way of Knowledge - Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition (1998)
Ray Bradbury - The illustrated man (1967, Bantam Books)
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