The fifth agreement

by Miguel Ruiz, Jose Ruiz

Since 1997, The Four Agreements has transformed the lives of millions of people around the world with a simple but profound message.

Now bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz and his son, don Jose Ruiz, collaborate with this powerful sequel The Fifth Agreement.

The Four Agreements provides the foundation for breaking thousands of agreements that create needless suffering and with The Fifth Agreement you recover all the power of your authenticity, which is who you really are when you are born.

 

Genres: Self Help, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Personal Development, Psychology, Inspirational

248 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2009

About the author

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).

source: http://www.miguelruiz.com/tradition/r...

Reviews

[Lynne Tull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skip The Four Agreements (Ruiz' first book).
Go directly to The Fifth Agreement!

You get all Five Agreements for the price of one!
1. Be impeccable with your word-
Never use the power of the word against yourself.
2. Don’t take anything personally-
All humans live in their own world, in their own movie/story/dream and you in yours.
3. Don’t make assumptions-
Most assumptions are not the truth; they are fiction.
4. Always do your best-The only thing you can “do”;
the first three will naturally follow.
5. Be skeptical and listen for the truth.
When you listen, you start to understand the story-both yours and theirs.

The message I heard:
I am two people: one that came into the world with a mission to share, the “real” me. After I got messages from all the people that helped me grow into an adult, I became the “virtual” me, a mixture of all those people's messages that I assumed were the truth.

Now I have to go back to the “real” me to find my mission. The one that was lost in all of confusion of other people's messages. The messages that may or may not have been true for me. I can do this by practicing these five agreements. I can get past the “virtual” me and back to the “real” me. When I do, I can share my mission.

Read the book, you may get a different message(s).

[Shellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As far as "Better Yourself" books go, I only found a few lines in this one that were even nod-provoking, let alone new and insightful. If you have heard that THE FOUR AGREEMENTS is profound, definitely skip straight to THE FIFTH AGREEMENT because it summarizes the four and just tacks on one more for the price of a whole new book.
Basically, the father and son Ruiz team are telling us that life has true perfection before we create our "virtual reality" by putting words, symbols, meaning, and judgement into it. They say we put faith in other things, people, religions, instead of putting faith in ourselves. They urge the reader to "rebel against the lies in your head" and take back pure, stand-alone control of our minds.
"We are living in a dream that we artists are creating...we can take responsibility for our creation."
Here are the agreements:

1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don’t take anything personally.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.
5. Be skeptical and listen for the truth.

I like that they remind us that even though the past is over, as a species we tend to punish ourselves for years with guilt, etc. from actions long gone. I also like this line:
"Not taking anything personally gives you immunity in the interactions that you have with other people, then not making assumptions gives you immunity in the interactions that you have with yourself."
Sound simple? It is. Search for the truth of the matter rather than others' and your own skewed perceptions (for no one really knows anyone, even themselves) and remember you are beautiful when you are living your life authentically and to the best of your ability.

[Dragos Roua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really curious when I first saw this, being an avid supporter of the four agreements. Unfortunately, "The fifth agreement" is just a rehearsal of the initial book, with a little bit of sugar on top. The fifth agreement, that is: doubt stuff, not just take everything for granted (including the book itself). Nevertheless, despite the way too complicated approach, the repetitions and the inconsistency in style (the book is written together with Miguel' son), I still give it 5 stars.

I live by Ruiz fourth agreements for more than 5 years now and it made a huge differnence to me. If you plan to read this book, be also prepared to change your life. Because ultimately this is where is going to lead you.

[Meghna Agrawal (On a Review-Writing Break!) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unmitigatedly felt duped with this one!
It is just a replica of "The Four Agreements" with an added principle towards the end. One can directly pick up this one.

The 5th added principle is-

5. Be skeptical and listen for the truth.

I felt totally cheated !

Very cleverly marketed. I definitely would not have expected this shrewd display of the same material, ostentatiously!

Gave 3-stars to "The Four Agreements" but only 2-stars to this one for all the dodging :/

[Maria Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que me ha gustado, me ha gustado, sólo que es como un recordatorio del primer libro... De todas formas, me encanta la manera que tiene este hombre de explicar su visión del mundo.

[Brittany Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

These agreements will challenge the tyrant, judge, and victim in your head.

Toltec Wisdom is not a religion, while it does embrace Spirit. It is described as a way of life with ready accessibility of happiness and love.

When a book speaks what your soul sings!

Before domestication, our tendency was to explore, express creativity, seek pleasure, and avoid pain.

I have read no better book to describe how we are conditioned from birth. How it's easy to feel we have lost ourselves along the way under many layers, what is truth, how to seek it, and how to claim our power back, which is rightfully ours.

I have awakenings and then go spiritually dormant and the cycle continues, well this was one of those books that sparked it again. I have felt my heart opening, wanting to be a better person, and consciously choosing the agreements I am making in life. I'm on the path to being my truest most authentic self again. This will be a re-read for me anytime I need a reminder on any of the 5 Agreements to live by. This is now one of my favorite books along with THE ALCHEMIST.

"By the time we grow up, our faith is already invested in so many lies that we hardly have any power left to create the dream we want to create."

A section of the self-mastery guide talked about how power comes back to children when they find out the "lie" of Santa Claus, even though it is tradition, took my breath away. This story really opened up my heart. So many of my previous "agreements" I had unknowingly made, shattered. Be ready for your "reality" to crumble. Say goodbye to all the lies you tell yourself! Reality check, oh ya!

What did I learn? (If you don't want SPOILERS, stop reading here.)

Awareness of the truth is the first step to self-mastery.

• Rule #1 Be Impeccable With Your Word- otherwise, YOU are using your knowledge against YOURSELF.

We learn to gossip by agreement.

• Rule #2 Don't Take Anything Personally- Everyone is living in their own dream. We are all dreaming all the time, if you can imagine or think you are dreaming, you don't have to be asleep. Now I understand the saying "reality is but a dream". Once you realize this, you have the power to make the dream as you wish.

• Rule #3 Don't Make Assumptions- It's best to ask questions and be clear.

• Rule #4 Always Do Your Best- Your best will change from moment to moment depending on various factors but no matter what always do your best. Not 80% one day and 100% the next, always do your best.

• Rule #5 Be Skeptical But Listen- "Symbols are only the truth because we agree, not because they are the truth." A tree is a tree because we all agree so, that may not be what the creator called it. We as humans have the need to come up with language and symbols to communicate.

Three masteries to guide us out of suffering and return us to our true nature: Happiness, Freedom, Love

Some of my favorite quotes shared:

"All humans are artists, all of us."

"If you practice self-love, you will master self-love."

I'm so happy I picked this up at my local used book store years ago, and am just now reading it for the very first time. (Quarantine life!) I should have read it YEARS AGO! I was undecided between purchasing THE FOUR AGREEMENTS or this one, but I saw other readers/reviewers say this one recaps that material and includes the bonus fifth agreement. I'd still like to read all of his other books though because I really enjoyed this. It brought me much peace.

There were many metaphors used as examples to understand the depth of topics. It really helped put things into "laymen" terms. Some of the topics presented, I'll have to go back and re-read because when your world is being reconstructed, it takes practice.

If you'd like to surrender the lies that keep you in bondage... study this book and try to live by its principles if it resonates with you. The goal is to live YOUR LIFE instead of the life of THE BELIEF SYSTEM. This is a practical guide to self-mastery.

These agreements are the song my mind, body, and soul will sing!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good book to make you evaluate your life and get rid of needless worry. Basically, it is saying your life can be anything you make it. Just look at things in the light you want to have it. The 5th Agreement is the follow up to The 4th Agreement. All are good points, but I would just skip to this book because he goes over everything from the 1st book in some detail, but adds the 5th agreement which is doubt. I think that for me that is the most meaningful one. It is something that is hard to do, but amazing what can happen once applied.

All said, my favorite part of the book was something that really made me laugh. I was reading this book on a flight from Dublin to JFK. It was talking about letting go of your worry for what others think about you because basically they are focused on their life and not worried about yours. Great advise. Then, as I was waiting at JFK, I found a "quite" area and did some yoga before my next flight. I sat down and the lady next to me launched into how she was watching me practice and thinking about how she needed to do that, how did I do this and that, etc, etc... Life is just too much fun.

[Jeff Maziarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. Although there is some repeat of information from Ruiz's book "The Four Agreements," there is also a lot of new and very insightful content. As such, I highly recommend The Fifth Agreement as a spiritual growth resource. Here's one of my favorite passages:

"Let’s say you’re living with guilt and shame for a mistake you made ten years ago. The excuse for your suffering is, “I made a terrible mistake,” and you’re still suffering for something that happened ten years ago, but the truth is you’re suffering from something that happened ten seconds ago. You judged yourself again for the same mistake, and of course the big judge says, “You need to be punished.” It’s simple action-reaction. The action is self-judgment; the reaction is self punishment in the form of guilt and shame. All your life you repeat the same action, hoping to have a different reaction, and it never happens. The only way to change your life is to change the action, and then the reaction will change."

[King · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was given this book as a gift by my sister for Christmas. I am not sure if she read this or not, but I am assuming the primary motivation for its purchase was that it had a big neat number 5 on it's cover. That's my favorite number. And that's pretty much the only thing I like about this book. If it seems interesting to you, I suggest saving the 20 bucks(seriously, at that price I have to say it's a POS), and just read the dust jackets flaps. All you need to know about this book is there. The rest of it is just pretentious page fillers.

I do have the prequel to this book, "The Four Agreements." It was on the bargain table at Borders and I got it for like 5 bucks. I can't help but feel that Ruiz decided to write this after getting exposure on Oprah or something. It's basically the same book as before but unnecessarily verbose. He can go on and on and on talking about the same concept. And like a true self-help con-artist...err... writer, he likes to embellish the work with pseudo-metaphsyical claptrap and self affirming phrases. And frankly, anyone in a good mood can come up with a self affirming thought. It's not hard at all. It's one of those books that tries to be deep when it should really be operating on KISS principle(Keep It Simple Stupid).

Now if it seems like I am being too hard or pessimistic, well perhaps I am. But I don't like any book that over simplifies the process of self improvement. More specifically, I don't like it when its glamorized like explosions in a Micheal Bay film. Its not glamorous. It's hard work. I think books like these make it like it's not and sets up people for failure. There's more to self actualization than having a good attitude, granted it helps. Studies show that there is a weak correlation to attitude and behavior, because n the end, how you behave will really have more determining weight on your life.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

***Spoiler Alert*** The Fifth Agreement is.....


Be Skeptical But Learn To Listen.

Thank goodness because the gems of this book are buried underneath wayyyy too much repetition. The symbols you put so much faith and meaning into are just that... symbols...got it...I got it the first 20 times....Doubt is your friend...got it....

Among the gems however, is the call to let go of the shame from your past, both from your own actions and the actions of others, they don't need to rule your life now and you certainly do not need to be defined by that shame now.

And lucky for all of us, one of the original Four Agreements was, "Don't take anything personally."

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Second verse, same as the first... Geez, this guy must get paid by the word. By the way, if you missed the first book, not to worry, it's all again in this one.

Personally, these are the only words I would have paid for, and they came from the inside front jacket cover:

Be Skeptical, But Learn to Listen
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.

There. That was the Fifth Agreement. All those extra works contained in 228 pages? Extra words that suck your time. Enough said.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked Four Agreements,The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book and I loved The Voice of KnowledgeThe Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace. This book just reiterated and repeated what those books said. I didn't feel like there was anything new.

You'd think that would frustrate or bore me, but it didn't. I liked reading the same information again. I think I needed to read it again, but I wouldn't pick up the same books.

I like the reminder that we are perfect, because perfection is all that exists. I like the reminder to be impeccable with the word: Never use the word against myself or others. I like the reminder that the real self is different than the self that sometimes talks in my head. I like the way it made me think differently about the world around me.

[Madalina Lacatis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the book is simply written it challenges important beliefs regarding gods, religion & society. It also promotes rewriting the stories we tend to tell to ourselves and the opinion we have about others.

The book promotes a simple way of living, yet filled with happiness, wisdom, and power; power upon our thoughts, our actions, our words.

The five agreements are:
1. Be impeccable with your words - be kind and speak only what you truly believe. Spread joy and happiness.
2. Don't take anything personally - what people do is about themselves, not about you.
3. Don't make assumptions - ask open questions and clarify each aspect. Each person has a different understanding of each word.
4. Always do your best - the power is inside of you, not outside. You have the power to create your life.
5. Be skeptical, but learn to listen - have an open mind and question everything, even your own thoughts.

I enjoyed reading the book, and I resonate with his way of seeing the world in many aspects. I recommend reading it with an open mind.

P. S. I didn't read The Four Agreements book. Even though they are described in this one, I do plan to read it after some time.

[Ghada Zakaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great review of the Four Agreements and tying it in with the the Fifth Agreement which takes you more in depth into self awareness, the unconscious behaviours and perhaps the perpetual attitudes and clearly defines the choices and options we do have to work with to bring about the change we seek, always enhancing the state of awareness and of course in the process providing us with better skills in understanding ourselves and others..
It is the process of unlearning what we have previously learnt and re learning to better grow and develop and then taking all that new learning to benefit others and send a message of hope, love and peace to the world.. just by being who we set out to be and sharing it.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good review of the 4 agreements, plus the 5th: Be skeptical; listen with respect.
All sound advice, although I thought it was interesting that even though one of the "agreements" is "Make no assumptions," the author seems to assume that the reader is having a terrible life and has suffered some terrible past that needs to be forgiven and/or forgotten. Otherwise, a decent perspective.

[Christine Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life-changing. Read it. This father and son have written practical Toltec guides to transform lives. If you keep in mind the agreements, your life will be better. I’ve worked it, and it’s true. Be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, always do your best, and finally, be skeptical but learn to listen. Learn to listen to the truths of other people, but be skeptical because each person is living their own dream. No one truly knows who you are except for you. If everyone were watching their own life movie, especially your parents, they would see themselves entirely different from how you see and perceive them. Only make yourself pay for a mistake once, not your entire life. Don’t be a victim anymore. Appreciate what you have while you have it, because the only sure thing is the moment at present. Highly recommended reading for any sentient human being.

[Hector San Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Neta.... los acuerdos están chidos pero insisto, con 10 páginas para explicar cada uno es más que suficiente. Esta vez se aventaron 100 páginas recapitulando los primeros 4, con las mismas cursilerías y redundancias, y el quinto en las 100 y pico restantes. El tono de auto-superación es insoportable a momentos. En fin, para los que no han leído el primero, ahórrenselo y dense este que trae el resumen y uno más y si quieren ahorrar aun más, lean las solapas en la tienda y se acabó. De hecho, no gasten gasolina, aquí están los 5 :
1. Se impecable con tu palabra
2. Evite tomar las cosas personales
3. Evite asumir
4. Siempre haga lo mejor posible
5. Sea escéptico, pero aprenda a escuchar

[Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book and I love the audio book.
This book really has the power to transform you, it has the power to change your feelings about things
necessarily things that bother your inner emotions, it puts a halt to all the racing thoughts that are corrupting reality inside of your brain. It is helping you cope with things that really do not matter in the real world, all the unnecessary lies that slow our day down day by day by day. If it is difficult for you to understand or if you have problems reading this book i recommend you open up a book or kindle and play the audio book both at the same time and listen and read it has helped me so much to read right through chapters like it's nothing. Enjoy your awareness.

[Patricia Carpio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fluff. And blah blah blah. More fluff. Even more blah blah blah. Meh.

I felt like this was a self-mastery for dummies book. Put in only the simplest of terms, using pithy and effusive language. I had a hard time with this one.

Why are so many self-help books so fluffy and insubstantial? Give me something meaty to sink my teeth into and actually work on self-HELP! Ugh.

[Chetan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection! This is my new favorite Miguel Ruiz work. While all of his previous works were brilliant this one is definitely the cream of the crop. This is the sequel to The Four Agreements. In Don Miguel delves deeper into each of the now five agreements. He explains in more detail than ever before why the human mind has become what it is and how we can break loose from our shackles.

[ScienceOfSuccess · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read this book because the four agreements are probably one of the most popular books, and I loved it.

This book tho, is pure garbage. It's a money-making machine for author (or co-authors) and there is nothing new.

[Francisco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este me hizo entender mejor "Los 4 acuerdos" y considero que deja más claras las ideas y la filosofía que maneja.
Como cualquier libro, hay cosas en las que se puede o no estar de acuerdo, pero el mensaje llega y la idea se queda en la cabeza.

[Rachel Fleming · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected to resonate more with this book than I did. I found the concept of truth problematic. It appears that aside from objects in the world and universe around us, truth is relative. We each have our dream; you have your truth and I have my truth. However, the world is either round or flat, and the unseen either exists or does not just like objects, so the idea of relative truth is a strange one to me.

I like the idea of each of us as artists creating our world, and recognize that we all have unique perspectives that differ more than we might think from those of others. Heaven turns out to be a dream of lies that we create. The argument appears to be that if we are cognizant that our self-created reality is a lie, then we are still a master of truth because we don't believe our lie or anyone else's.

Love is important as an end result of the respect that we have for others and non-attachment to any knowledge we have gained from our infancy. However, it does not have much of a place as a motivating factor. In fact, as long as we live whatever dream makes us happy and respect others, what we do in life and say to others if of little importance. I don't buy it. Of course it doesn't fit with my Christian view of the world, as he says that we need to save ourselves and not rely on a Savior or anyone else.

There are some nuggets of wisdom in the book. For the most part, however, the more interesting elements relating to the mind can be found in greater detail and more specific vocabulary in Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now. For the aspects that relate to our relationship with others I prefer Byron Katie.

[Roy Khadra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is about both books: "The four agreements" and "The fifth agreement", since I considered them as a sequel about five agreements one must follow as a spiritual guide. Usually, I am not a fan of this type of books that promise some high spiritual-improvement. But I gave myself the chance to be informed about "Don Miguel Ruiz" philosophy, and to be honest it wasn't easy to put down each of the books and stop reading. Here are the five agreements "Don Miguel" recommend practicing:

1) Be impeccable with your words:
The writer gives the exact definition of the word "impeccable". Which means sinless. It comes from the Latin word "Pecado". Isn't said in the Bible "In the beginning was the word "? Yes, and usually, words either become actions or affect some. So, one must perfectly be impeccable with his words.

2) Don't take anything personally:
Social domestication programs us for a reward-or-punishment's system. To avoid the punishment, we become ourselves punishers. But the weird part is that we learn to recompense once and only one for a well-done job, and in the other hand we judge a tiny mistake millions of times. And, in fact, no one knows our goals as we do, so one must remember that he takes things personally, he would be allowing an exterior concept to define him. People say their opinions about us. And when we say "their" we mean what belongs to them and has nothing to do with us. But, since each if us sees himself as the hero of his story, he wishes that the characters respect his expectations. Ego again.

3) Don't make assumptions:
Don't, unless you really believe that you can read others minds. I guess the fact that the majority of conflicts are based on some misunderstanding is enough to prove that no one can read anyone's mind. Honesty, direct questions, and answers are what mostly required.

4) Always do your best:
No more, no less. Each has to do his best, his own best. Each person must achieve according to his scale, not others. Each must try to find to find the best way to express his character, not to be a hero. It is not about beeing a hero, but a peaceful person and a productive one.

5) Be skeptical, but learn to listen:
One has to be skeptical, since the virtual reality controls our life since the day we are born. But, in the other hand, one has to learn to listen, since this world has a lot to give and to teach us. What we think is the truth is nothing but the image of our perspective and the way we understand Life.

As easy as the five agreements sound, as deep as they are represented by the writer. This book, and the style of "Don Miguel" inspired me to talk about the following points:

If the universe is infinite, and that is what science is convinced in till now, so we share the infinite the same matters and the same atoms. And when we die, we go back to the source. This is the only way to translate the words of saint Paul, scientifically and logically: " Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." (I Corinthians 6:19). Yes, the infinite, whatever we name it, gave us the matter to serve life and at the end we give it back the day we die. So, our journey is between two infinites, two boundaries that our limited awareness could never conceive. Wouldn't that be enough as a gift from the Creator? or we are still seeking for some fighting and punishing gods? Wouldn't life be a convincing purpose to live? Living to serve life. Or, our Ego wouldn't accept such a simple formula? It seems we still like complicated stories, and heroes are what we want.
All the holy books refer to angels as messengers. They are right based on the origin of the word (Greek: messenger). So, could the angel that talked to Mary, in the Bible, be some sort of messenger of life? I prefer to understand it this way, rather than the interpretation the catholic church gives.

It is all about symbolism. We learn that things have names according to our symbolization. But names are not enough to define things. By saying: " this is a tree ", we only indicate it. Some trees have stories of hundreds of years. Who can pretend to know them all? No one. If this is the case of a tree, so what is the case of a creature with a conscience? Labelling isn't getting to know the subject. Some more effort needed. If not, giving up judgement is the better solution. I loved how "Don Miguel" described what is called ' The Judgement Day '. He defines it as the day when all who are spiritually dead rise and talk one last time before getting free of death and of judgements. Dead are the ones who follow some dreams from the first attention, they live others dreams, not theirs. They are followers because they are afraid of the judgement of the living before being afraid of the after-death one. Wild and free are the ones who are still clean of this civilization's deceases. The nature doesn't compromise because it doesn't fall under our symbolization. What is true is true, and the truth doesn't need to be proven and it doesn't come with words. The philosophy is the art of interpreting what we conceive. An apple will never get confused whether to fall up or down. Where did it get its determination? Gravity doesn't need to fight to prove it is true.
We used to worship gods who ask, constantly, for bloody sacrifices. Some of us conserved this ritual and some other moved to serve softer gods. Some gods with smoother images, but with the same level of violence. Don't we sacrifice ourselves for and an idea, a dogma or some sort of an identity. I guess faith isn't about believing in any sort of god, but it is about being highly attached to an idea. And violating life occurs when one tries to impose his beliefs to others as the absolute truth. What is an absolute truth doesn't need to be proven, as our existence and our future departure. Yes, our biggest mistake is that we confuse the virtual reality with what is absolutely true. While sleeping our dreams take a linear form, they follow the instructions of some random without considering any other possibilities. But during our day hours, dreams take a better organized form which we confuse with reality. What gives the impression that we control them. I guess, we have to be fully awake to succeed in this mission. Are we?!
"Don Miguel" says that, during the process, one will have to choose between two categories of the I-don't-care defense. The first is chosen by whose loss reached a point where they lost any hope of having a meaning for their life, so they don't care. And the second is chosen by those who don't care about what it is said by those who take others' opinions personally. I, totally, agree that one must know where to care and where to care not.

If I have the chance to ask "Don Miguel" some questions, those questions would be: " If it is possible to unlearn what thousands of years have written genetically on our conscience, and if we are able to liberate our minds from the Philosophy and its complications, what phase would we miss in the process of our evolution? ". Whatever would be his answer, I may tell him that we share the same dream.

Despite what would the intentions of "Don Miguel" be: an angel (peace messenger) or some god (guru) who seek some worshipers and some incense burners. Away from any assumption, I can give and impeccable but a personal opinion: I loved these two books.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

❝El cielo está por todas partes a nuestro alrededor, igual que el infierno también está a nuestro alrededor. El cielo es un punto de vista, un estado mental, igual que lo es el infierno❞

Intentar explicar algo de este libro sería simplemente contraproducente. Los símbolos, la entrega del mensaje y su comprensión, son meras problemáticas, dependiendo de qué tan profundo te parezca esto. Todo cambia dependiendo desde dónde lo ves.

Solo puedo decir que si leíste los cuatro acuerdos, este libro es para ti. Si llevas una vida más espiritual/cósmica/despierta que puramente práctica, este libro es para ti. Y si quieres transformar tu mundo y el de quienes te rodean, este libro es para ti.

Dentro de sus páginas están también los 4 acuerdos anteriores, que son la base para el Quinto.

Un libro que necesita este mundo, tú mundo, no el mío (que no existe), el tuyo, que es lo único real.

❝Una vez que nos tragamos la mentira, ya no creemos que somos Dios y es entonces cuando empezamos a buscar a Dios. Después creemos que tenemos que edificar un templo para encontrar a Dios; necesitamos un lugar para rendir culto a Dios❞

❝...cuando vives tu vida en el amor, ves cómo se refleja tu propio amor en cada personaje secundario de tu historia [...] No necesitas tener razones para amar a alguien o para no amarlo; ni siquiera eliges amar, porque amar es tu naturaleza [...] No hay historias. Es una comunión, y eso significa tener la misma frecuencia, la misma vibración que el amor❞

❝Cuando la estructura de tu sistema de creencias desaparece, eliminas las barreras y ya no ves sólo un punto de vista. Hay muchos puntos de vista que puedes ver a la vez. Te ves a ti mismo no sólo desde el punto de vista de un ser humano, sino desde el punto de vista de una fuerza. Te ves a ti mismo no sólo como una fuerza, sino como la manifestación de esa fuerza. Sabes que eres luz, que eres únicamente una imagen en la luz y utilizas la atención para ser testigo del sueño desde el punto de vista de la luz. Ya no ves todo lo que está fuera de ti como si estuviera separado de ti. Sientes la totalidad de ti❞

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book adds more context to the first four agreements and explains the fifth. I have profited from reading it, though a couple of the later chapters are a bit too woo-woo for me. The author encourages his readers (as we're admonished in the 5th Agreement) to Be skeptical, but learn to listen, and to not believe everything you hear or read, even his writing. It's a lesson in critical thinking, really. I've taken what is true for me and left the bits that don't speak to me. I've ordered the companion book to The 4 Agreements, which offers practical advice on applying the agreements.

[Judy Phin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the first book "The Four Agreements", this book was filled with so much wisdom, executed through fantastic story telling. The ideas in the Fifth Agreement are a little more spiritual and may be harder to grasp for some as it does delve into the mystical realm of a virtual world. The message is explained through many examples which helps the reader understand the concept on a deep level. An easy ready, always a pleasure to glide through Miguel Ruiz's books.

[امین باورصاد · Rating 1 out of 5]

آن نظام عقیدتی که آموخته اید، کاملاً بر زندگیتان تسلط دارد. مشکل واقعاً دانش و اطلاعات نیست؛ مشکل، باورِ تحریف شده ی ما از دانش است. در فرایند تکامل، همچنان که در زندگی رشد می کنیم، آنقدر دروغ یاد می گیریم که کل ساختار دروغهایمان بسیار پیچیده می شود و ما آن را پیچیده تر می کنیم زیرا فکر می کنیم، و به افکارمان باور داریم. آن چیزی را می‌بینیم که دلمان می خواهد ببینیم و آن چیزی را می شنویم که می خواهیم بشنویم. تصورات بی اساس می سازیم و سپس آن را به خود می گیریم، که شروع شکل گیری دوزخ در این جهان است. آیا جرئت دیدن توهمات و دروغ هایتان را دارید؟ چگونه می توانیم درباره عدالت در بقیه جهان حرف بزنیم درحالی که در دنیای درون ذهنمان عدالتی وجود ندارد؟ به جای سرزنش کردن، می توانیم مسئولیت درمان خودمان را به گردن بگیریم.

[Gedion Gebreyesus · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Making assumptions and then taking them personally is the beginning of hell in this world. Almost all of our conflicts are based on this, and it’s easy to understand why. Assumptions are nothing more than lies that we are telling ourselves. This creates a big drama for nothing, because we don’t really know if something is true or not. Making assumptions is just looking for drama when there’s no drama happening. And if drama is happening in someone else’s story, so what? It’s not your story; it’s someone else’s story.”
― Miguel Ruiz, The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Fifth Agreeement, the "Messenger" for don Miguel et all is the "listener"--Listening respectfully to the multi-surfaces of self and other and perhaps beyond, to the Angels and into the "non-human" animal and plant realms, and wider still--into the songs of the rocks and molecules. This dictum to "listen" invites us all to embrace the ultimate challenge of the heart--opening to the entire Cosmos, in all of its mystery of design, at last, carrying us far into what we remember as Truth...