“Don’t believe yourself or anybody else. Use the power of doubt to question everything you hear; is it really the truth? Listen to the intent behind words, and you will understand the real message.”
- don Miguel Ruiz, “The Fifth Agreement”
“We are at at time when old systems and ideas are being questioned and falling apart, and there is great opportunity for something fresh to emerge. I have no idea what that will look like and no preconceptions about how things should turn out, but I do have a strong sense that the time we live in is a fertile ground for training in being open-minded and open-hearted. If we can learn to hold this falling apart-ness without polarizing and without becoming fundamentalists, then whatever we do today will have a positive effect on the future.”
- Pema Chodron “Welcoming the Unwelcome - Wholehearted Living in a Brokenhearted World”
In the Toltec tradition, there are three masteries and each one relates to our level of attention.
In the first mastery, the mastery of awareness, we become aware of how our attention was first drawn to the symbols, rules and beliefs of society and how we have believed the voice in our mind that tells us who we are and how we need to be (and whether we are good enough).
In the second mastery, the mastery of transformation, our attention shifts for the second time to the observer of the thoughts in our mind, we become aware that we are not the voice in our head and, with this awareness , we gradually transform our beliefs and our lives.
In the third mastery, the mastery of love, our attention is drawn for the third time to the infinite and immortal life force that creates everything and we easily see the same force of life that is behind each one of us.
““In the dream of the third attention, you finally have the awareness of what you are, but not with words. And because there are no words to explain what you are, you go back into peace, the place where you don’t need to use words to know what you are. This is what the masters in the esoteric philosophies would reveal to their apprentices. The highest point you can reach is when you go beyond symbols and become one with life, with God. You see with the eyes of truth, and this is a completely different point of view. “
- don Miguel Ruiz, “The Fifth Agreement”
We can now begin to understand what don Miguel Ruiz means by being “skeptical”. With awareness that we and all humans are life (as opposed to objects of life), we recognize the limitation of words and symbols and we learn to listen and notice when they are misused and misrepresented. Being skeptical while listening , therefore, means that we see beyond words, symbols and belief systems until we hear the silent truth.
“You’re alive; you do exist, that’s true, but what are you? The truth is you don’t know. You only know what you believe you are, you know what you learned that you are, you know what you were told that you are, you know what you pretend to be, you know the way you wish to be seen by other people, and for you it may be true. But is it really true that you are what you say you are? I don’t think so. Whatever you say about yourself is just symbology, and it is completely distorted by your beliefs.
When you finally see yourself without all the knowledge that you’ve accumulated, the result is: I am. I am what I am; you are what you are, and the complete acceptance of whatever you are is what makes the difference. Once you completely accept what you are, you are ready to enjoy life. There’s no more judgement, no more guilt, no more shame, no more remorse.
When you leave symbols aside, what remains is the bare truth, pure and simple. And because of that, you can deliver a message, and that message is the real you. Your presence is the message.
The fifth agreement is an important part of recovering what you are, because it uses the power of doubt to break all those spells you’ve been under. Its a very strong intent for you to use your magic to recover the presence that you lost a long time ago.
When all of your attention is not on your story, you can see what is real; you can feel what is real. When you are not possessed by symbology, you recover the presence you had when you were born, and the emotions of the people around you respond to your presence. Then you give other people the only thing you really have, which is yourself, your presence, and that makes a huge difference. But this only happens you become completely authentic.
“The truth doesn’t come with words. The truth is silent. It’s something that you just know; it’s something that you can feel without words, and its called silent knowledge. When you open yourself to the truth, and learn to listen, the only thing that remains is the truth.”
- don Miguel Ruiz, “The Fifth Agreement”
Learning to listen is all about returning to oneness, and if you look closely you will see that this is the core teaching of almost every religion in the history of our world. “The Five Agreements are tools to change your world. If you are impeccable with your word, if you don’t take anything personally, if you don’t make assumptions, if you always do your best, and if you are skeptical while listening, there won't be any more war in your head; there will be peace.” And, when we drift of the path, as we inevitably will, the Ho’oponopono forgiveness ritual is a gentle and powerful way to return…
I love you
I am sorry
Please forgive me
Thank-you
“Every time we catch ourselves polarizing with our thoughts, words, or actions and everytime we do something to close that gap, we’re deepening our appreciation for our interconnectedness with all others. We’re empowering healing, rather than standing in it’s way. And because of this interconnectedness, when we change our patterns, we help change the patterns of our culture as whole. The results won’t be immediately apparent. You probably won’t notice any big changes in just a week or even a year. But please don’t give up too easily. Believe me when I say your patience will pay off. If you commit to overcoming polarization in your own mind, it’s a life changer and it will help the world as well.”
- Pema Chodron “Welcoming the Unwelcome - Wholehearted Living in a Brokenhearted World”
Prayer of the Lotus Nectar
Beloved Kuan Yin, help me realize the connection to myself and to Life that I need to be able to live my highest vibrational life, where I am well, replenished, joyful and connected to the endless flow of divine energy and life force in our Universe. Please bring me clear guidance about how to best cultivate chi now, how to be open to receive the Nectar of the Lotus, the life force and love of the Divine Mother, for my highest good, so be it. Om Mani Padme Hum.
“Om Mani Padme Hum”
This is a powerful heart opening mantra.
It means ’the opening of the jewel in the lotus,’ or ‘may the heart awaken with divine compassion and may I know myself to be an awakened being of light’.