the adventures of don juan carlos castaneda

But I insisted on knowing if there were any clues he could use to determine whether or not I had a chance of becoming a man of knowledge. He said no man could possibly tell that for sure. I tried to keep the topic alive and asked him if he thought I could become a man of knowledge. He said it would be a long time before the subject would make any sense to me. “What kind of enemies are they, don Juan?” The enemies a man encounters on the path of learning to become a man of knowledge are formidable most men succumb to them.” Anyone can try to become a man of knowledge very few men actually succeed, but that is only natural. “But are there any special requirements a man must fulfill before fighting with these enemies?” “Anybody who defeats them becomes a man of knowledge.” “Then, can anybody who defeats these enemies be a man of knowledge?” A man can call himself a man of knowledge only if he is capable of defeating all four of them.” “Will he be a man of knowledge after defeating these four enemies?” “He must challenge and defeat his four natural enemies.” “Then what must a man do to become a man of knowledge?” “A man who has, without rushing or without faltering, gone as far as he can in unraveling the secrets of power and knowledge.”

“A man of knowledge is one who has followed truthfully the hardships of learning,” he said. In our conversations, don Juan consistently used or referred to the phrase “man of knowledge,” but never explained what he meant by it. I present this excerpt in the spirit that those who are yet unfamiliar with these works might investigate for themselves. Either way, the reader benefits from the journey.įor me, the most profound discussion of any of these books starts on page 82 of the first book. Some critics have claimed the books are fiction, while others are convinced they are authentic. In the earliest books, especially the first (“The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge”) there is an almost frustrating level of naivety on Carlos’s part, but through his dialog with don Juan, the reader is lead down the road through Carlos’ words into a fascinating mystical world. A series of books would evolve from this friendship.

After forming a friendship during the following year, he eventually becomes a student, or apprentice to don Juan.

While pursuing the study of medicinal plants of the Native Americans of the southwest, he was introduced to a wise old medicine man (don Juan) in Arizona who was a Yaqui Indian from across the border in Sonora Mexico. In June of 1960, Carlos Castaneda was student of anthropology at UCLA. The following is not about birds, but mysticism.

The adventures of don juan carlos castaneda