Translation:To read Carlos Castaneda/4
I. THE TEACHINGS OF DON JUAN
(A YAQUI WAY OF KNOWEDGE)
First edition in English, 1968
First spanish edition, 1974
1968 The Regents of the University of California, U.S.A.
In this book Carlos Castaneda recounts his early experiences with Don Juan and plants of power. The author meets Don Juan at the end of 1960 and began his apprenticeship in June 1961, to finalize it, in what we might call its first stage, in October 1965. The book was published in 1968. In those first four years the author confronts his "reality" as a man formed in the Western culture, anthropologist and researcher, with that of an old Yaqui witch, with a reputation of knowing the secret of hallucinogenic plants.
During this time the author is subjected to a "sensibilization" process through the ingestion of plants of power and relates these states, which needless to say are fascinating, but have little value in terms of knowledge supply. In his second book Castaneda recounts that he proudly shows his first book to Don Juan and he gives little importance. We conclude that Don Juan knew that true knowledge was deposited on the left side of Castaneda and that he would only remember if he managed to become an impeccable warrior.
This book is shallow, as Castaneda acknowledged in A separate reality, when he re-examines the field notes, which he did not use for the book The teachings of don Juan, he realized that had ruled out a large amount of valuable data due to his emphasis on "non-ordinary reality states". Don Juan was trying with plants of power, to "shake" Castaneda and uncover his perception levels. Don Juan tells Castaneda that he did not need smoking any longer because "Humito" was his ally and he could call him anytime, anyplace. In his fourth book, Tales of power, the author mentions that after making a detailed examination of what has been learned, he began to question the role of the plants of power within his learning. When Castaneda questions if plants ingestion of plants is required to be able to reach knowledge, Don Juan replies that in his cases it had been necessary because he lacked sensitivity, but that others did not require it, and gave the example of "Eligio", another of his apprentices, who only had a single meeting with "Mezcalito" during his learning and apparently had advanced more than Castaneda on the path to knowledge.
This first book attracted much attention in the United States because at that time many young Americans had taken the path of drugs. Encouraged by the Castaneda stories, many thought that drugs were the only way to the knowledge of another fantastic reality in our world; but Don Juan pointed out that the cost of taking these drugs is very high for the body; that the path of knowledge may be walked avoiding paying such a high and dangerous cost.
At the beginning of his apprenticeship, recounted in the teachings of don Juan, the young Castaneda crashed his rationalism, his western culture and his anthropology against what for him was incredible and frightening knowledge of an enigmatic Indian elder.
The "power" had selected Castaneda and Don Juan prepared a trick to "hook" him as an apprentice. This task requires an impeccable imagination effort from the witch. According to tradition, the apprentice should be attracted either by drastic means or by awakening his curiosity or interest. In his case, Castaneda had to do an anthropological investigation and Don Juan appeared before his eyes as an excellent informant. Thus during separate visits or during summers, in the course of little more than four years, the researcher turned into an apprentice was impeccably driven, despite its rational resistance, apparently unbreakable, towards the intricate paths of another reality.
The literary wealth of this book, that managed to arouse the interest and fantasy of many, contrasts with the little deep knowledge that Castaneda adds to the book. By no means this is meant to diminish the intrinsic value and the enormous effort of Castaneda to try to understand the new reality presented before his shocked reason.
During this time Don Juan spoke to him and showed him many things and Castaneda began his path to knowledge; but, as already noted, the apprentice receives instruction in two areas, the tonal (right) and the nagual (left). Due to the low energy that Castaneda had at that time, the teachings of the left side were simply stored and, to understand the teachings of the right side, Castaneda did not yet have enough flexibility.
Of this book we will say that Castaneda reflects the concern of Don Juan in trying to make the author responsible for the path he begins to walk and that can lead him to become a man of knowledge. To the Castaneda question regarding what he should do to become man of knowledge, Don Juan replies that he must challenge and defeat his "four natural enemies".
Don Juan says that knowledge is never what we would expect. At each step the apprentice is caught in a quagmire, and his fear grows without mercy... Thus stumbles with its first natural enemy: fear!, which we must challenge before the next step, and the next and all subsequent. He will be full of fear and, however, must not stop. Then the time will come when his first enemy withdraws. Men begins to feel self-assured. His purpose becomes stronger and the learning task ceases to be terrifying. At that time men has beaten his first natural enemy... has acquired the clarity of mind which eliminates fear. This is his second natural enemy, clarity! The clarity of mind may blind him because it forces him to have no doubts about himself. This security encourages him to do whatever he wants, because he sees everything clearly. But clarity is a "power" illusion to which he can surrender; if he does, he will have succumbed to his second natural enemy and may not learn, due to his clumsiness. To avoid this he should challenge his clarity and wait patiently and cautiously before proceeding further; must think that his clarity can be an error. Then comes the moment when he can understand that his clarity is only "a point in front of his nose".
He will have thus defeated his second enemy. He will have reached a point where nothing can harm him. The desired power will be his at last. He may do anything he wishes with his power. He can dominate his ally and his wishes will be the rule. He will then encounters his third natural enemy: power! At this stage man can barely notice that his third enemy lurks. Suddenly, without knowing it, he will have succumbed in the battle. The power will make him cruel and capricious. A man in such circumstances comes to death without actually handling his power. Men has to intentionally challenge his power. He must realize that conquered power is not actually his. If he manages to understand that without self-control, clarity and power are terrible enemies, he will reach the point where he will dominate everything. He will know when and how he should use his power. He will then have defeated his third natural enemy.
By this time men will be at the end of their knowledge path and, almost without noticing it, will face his last natural enemy: old age! He will have lost fear to clarity and will no longer be impatient, all his power will be controlled, but he feels a constant desire to rest. If he accepts his desire to relax and forget, lulled asleep by fatigue, his enemy will turn him into an old and weak creature. His clarity, power and knowledge will be defeated.
If men can dust off fatigue and fulfills his destiny until it the end reaches, he may consider himself a man of knowledge, even if for only a few brief moments in which he manages to defeat his last enemy, one he may never overcome.
Don Juan tells Castaneda that in life there are many ways to go, but a man, before embarking on a path, must be free of fear and ambition; then, he should question whether the path has a heart or not. Once the question is made, he will know the answer. A path without a heart is never enjoyed; on the contrary, it turns against us and destroys us. A path with a heart, on the other hand, it is not difficult to enjoy. The path without a heart throughout its way, gives us pain and anguish. The path with a heart gives us harmony and well-being.
When Castaneda has his first encounter with the world of witchcraft, full of the most terrible fear decides to abandon learning.[1] He had to order their ideas. His western conception of the world already lacked an absolute certainty. He thought that on his way to become a man of knowledge had succumbed to his first natural enemy.
"You must own your resources. Now I know that I can accept your only desire as a good reason for learning...
—I have secrets. I have secrets that I will not be able to reveal to anyone if I can't find my chosen...
I myself had a teacher, my benefactor, and I also became his chosen by performing certain feat. He taught me everything I know...
—A man goes to knowledge as to war: fully awake, with fear, with respect and with absolute confidence. It is a mistake to go in any other way to knowledge or war, and who does it will live to regret his steps...
—A man of knowledge is someone who has truly followed the hardships of learning —he said—. A man who, without hurry, without hesitation has gone as far he can to untangle the secrets of power and knowledge...
—What is a true life? —A life lived with clear certainty of living it; a good life, strong...
—Before embarking on any road you have to ask the question: does this path has a heart? If the answer is no, you will know, and must then choose another path.
—But how do I know for sure if a path has a heart or not?
—Anyone can know that. The problem is that no one asks the question, and when you finally realize that a path without a heart was taken, the road is already about to kill you. Under these circumstances very few men can stop to consider, and even fewer may leave the path.
How should I proceed to make the appropriate question, don Juan?
—Just ask...
—I told you that to choose a path, you must be free of fear and ambition...
—The desire to learn is not ambition —said—. Wanting to know, is our destiny as men, but inviting the devil weed is requesting power, and that is ambition, because you are not doing it to learn. Don't let the devil weed blind you...
—The thing to learn is how to get the crack between the worlds and how to enter in the other world. There is a crack between the two worlds, the world of the “diableros” and the world of living men. There is a place where the two worlds are mounted one above the other. The crack is there. It opens and closes as a door with the wind. To get there, a man must exercise his will. He must, I would say, develop an indomitable desire, a total dedication,. But he must do so without help from any power or man. Man must only reflect and wish until the time his body is ready to take the trip..." C.C.
- ↑ Don Juan skillfully convinces Castaneda that he is amidst a battle with a witch named Catherine, who has allegedly committed to kill don Juan. Castaneda is willing to help Don Juan, who asks him to confront Catherine. The details of this conflict are described by Castaneda in the book A separate reality. We will only say that the impression of this confrontation and the "evidence" that the Catherine witch had turned against him, were decisive, as Castaneda acknowledged in "A separate reality", to abandon learning full of the most irrational panic.