The Tao Te Ching and The Four Agreements

by Bruce Magnotti

I recently read The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz and I was impressed with the wisdom, as well as the clarity and brevity of the work. I re-read it and then read the companion book. After reading the books I began to think that the spiritual awakening we are all moving toward is less "spooky" than I had previously thought. Perhaps the categorization of, "this is spiritual and that is physical" is more of the polar thought process that confuses more than clarifies. Perhaps the spiritual awakening is an awakening of physical perception as well.

Eckhart Tolle writes, "Beyond the beauty of the external forms, there is more here: something that cannot be named, something ineffable, some deep, inner, holy essence. Whenever and wherever there is beauty, this inner essence shines through somehow. It only reveals itself to you when you are present."

Hameed Ali (A.H. Almaas) writes: "Everything around you is in the process of creativity, is in the process of being, or coming into being: creation. That is actually the objective situation - everything you see around you is being created every second... Forget about the past, don't think of time. Think about right now... There is a constant process of magical creation every second... If you see from this perspective, there is a sense of newness. Everything is newly created, not only what we call the essential (spiritual) dimension; even the physical dimension..."

Almaas writes in the preface of his Diamond Heart series, "We live in a world of mystery, wonder, and beauty. But most of us seldom participate in this real world..."

Personally, I remember experiencing the world in this way, as a child. Experiencing the world for the first time. As I became a "grown up" it appears that I fell asleep and now when I see a flower or a tree, a salamander or a dragonfly, I see through the mist of the knowledge and history. As Almaas states, this is NOT the objective perception, this is subjective and what many spiritual disciplines call the illusion.

don Miguel Ruiz has proposed the wisdom that can clear this mist and awaken us to the real world, in my opinion. He suggests that we have made "agreements" with our selves, our fellows, and our world. By changing these agreements, we can change the way we interact and hence perceive that world.

The first agreement - Be impeccable with your word.

Ruiz states, "Your word is the power you have to create." He writes that the human mind is like fertile soil where seeds are always being planted. Being "impeccable" requires us to use our words carefully to bless and honor others and ourselves. The way to accomplish this agreement is to avoid judging or blaming others and ourselves; our words should be compassionate and uplifting.

Concisely, speak with integrity, say what you mean, and avoid using words to speak against yourself and others. Use words to further truth and love.

Tao Te Ching 23:

Speak little
Hold to your own nature
One who lives in accordance with the truth
becomes the embodiment of Tao
Their actions become those of nature
their ways those of heaven

Tao Te Ching 27:

A knower of truth...
Speaks without causing harm...
The sage is always on the side of virtue
so everyone around her prospers
She is always on the side of truth
so everything around her is fulfilled

Tao Te Ching 73:

Bold action against others leads to death
Bold action in harmony with Tao leads to life

You might wonder how changing how you act toward and respond to your environment will alter the way you perceive your environment, I asked this question myself. In "The Mastery of Love" also by Ruiz, he writes, "If you can control your reactions, you will find that soon you are going to see, meaning to perceive things as they really are... There's a big difference between seeing the way people see in the Dream, and seeing without judgment, as it is. The difference is in the way your emotional body reacts to what you perceive..."

Hameed Ali (A.H. Almaas) writes: "When you are looking at a pool of water and you see a reflection, you know the reflected object is not really there, it is just a reflection. You know that what is there is water. It is the same thing with the mind: When you look, you see the content of the mind, but you know it is a reflection. We take the reflection in the water to be what is there most of the time, and we forget the water. After awhile we take our minds to be what is there and we forget the true reality."

Of course, others also take what is in their minds to be "what is there," as well. If we accept their words as indications of our worth and character, we are assuming their reality is the same as ours, this is simply not the objective situation. If someone is pleased with you, or pleased with themselves, they are more likely to say kind words to you. If they are unhappy with you, or miserable that day, they are more likely to insult you or criticize you. I realize this sounds simple, as it is.

The second agreement - Don't take anything personally.

I was reading J. Krishnamurti this morning, his talk in Mexico City in October of 1935, "What I Want To Do."

"Either you are conscious of the chaotic state of the world, or you are completely asleep, living in a fantastic world, in an illusion. There can be fundamental and lasting change in the world, there can be love and intelligent fulfillment, only when you wake up and begin to free yourself from the net of illusions, the many illusions which you have created about yourself through fear."

I was impressed by the words of Ruiz when he described the dream of the planet. "What you are seeing and hearing right now is nothing but a dream." Our evening dreams and our waking "reality" are not very different. When I look at you, or hear your words, I see you as an impression, my impression of you. When I hear your words I hear my interpretation of what you are saying. I do not see you as you really are, nor as you see yourself.

You are also dreaming, this is why we do not understand each other; why the world's organized religions "fight" over the truth. It is an amazing phenomenon to read the ancient and modern spiritual texts and realize they are all speaking the same truth. As Tara stated, "It has been my conclusion that they are speaking the same truth's, just with different words and from different angles. It looks like a beautiful unity of all of our various paths..we are beginning to see that we are all going in the same direction and virtually searching for the same thing. Now our paths are coming close enough that each of us can see one another and know that where one may stand isn't so different a place as the other... Love is all there is..."

Ruiz states, "Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream."

Just as we are to be careful with our words, we should be careful not to take other's words personally. What anyone says or does is ALL about them, never about you. Ruiz states. "All people live in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in." Ruiz cautions that words of praise or words of blame are not to be taken personally, "Either way, it does not affect me because I know what I am."

If we are reliant on what others think for our self-esteem or self-image, even in a minimal way, we will be "setting ourselves up for needless suffering."

Tao Te Ching 13:

Be wary of both honor and disgrace
Honor is founded on disgrace
and disgrace is rooted in honor
Both should be avoided
Both bind a person to this world

Tao Te Ching 44:

One's own reputation - why the fuss?
One's own wealth - why the concern?
Be content,
rest in your own fullness -
You will not suffer from loss
You'll avoid the snare of the world

Tao Te Ching 56:

Become one with the dust of the world
This is called
"The Secret Embrace"
One who knows this secret
is not moved by attachment or aversion,
swayed by profit and loss,
nor touched by honor and disgrace
He is far beyond the cares of others

Tao Te Ching 81:

Words born of the mind are not true
True words are not born of the mind
Those who have virtue do not look for faults
Those who look for faults have no virtue

The third agreement - Don't make assumptions.

According to Ruiz, "Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want." Asking for clarification of what we see others doing or hear others saying is important because we do not know what anyone else is thinking or meaning. I have difficulty understanding my own feelings and thoughts at times, how can I assume that I know what someone else is feeling or thinking?

According to Ruiz, "The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are true." In relationships making assumptions causes much of the drama we experience. Often we make the assumption that our partners know what we think and that we don't have to say what we want. We assume they are going to do what we want, because they know us so well." "we make the assumption that everyone sees life the way we do."

"The way to keep yourself from making assumptions is to ask questions... Also, find your voice to ask for what you want."

Again I will relate this agreement to the Tao Te Ching. I have been asked why I do this, why the Tao? I appreciate that question and it follows the spirit of this agreement. The Tao Te Ching, to me, is less a religious or philosophical work and more an explanation of how things work. It is more concerned with physics than philosophy. I would define the Tao Te Ching specifically as the physics of relationships; relationships between us and the universe, between us and others (all sentient life), between us and God.

The Tao requires us to consider things like, "what existed prior to creation?" and "what will exist when the material world no longer exists?" More important, the Tao Te Ching defines all relationships that exist in our cosmos and details how to thrive in those relationships. Ruiz definitely puts these concepts into words that we can understand and words that can transform our lives. The Tao was written 2,500 years ago in a seeming cryptic manner - the closer our physicists get to an understanding of the universe, the more the Tao reveals its truth. I am convinced that all our mystics, the Buddhist masters, the Hebrews, the Stoic philosophers, Sufi poets, Christian saints, and the poet saints of India, all had an understanding of the Tao, either through the experience of studying it or the inner knowledge that is so clearly relates.

Tao Te Ching 15:

Through the course of nature
Muddy water becomes clear
Through the unfolding of life
Man reaches perfection

Tao Te Ching 19:

See with original purity
Embrace with original simplicity

Tao Te Ching 43:

Stillness benefits more than action
Silence benefits more than words
Rare indeed are those who are still
Rare indeed are those who are silent
Rare indeed are those who obtain the bounty of this world

Tao Te Ching 72:

Thus he discards the view of his own self
And chooses the view of the universe

The fourth agreement - Always do your best.

Though the fourth agreement is an important principle in itself, this agreement is crucial to the first three agreements:

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word - Ruiz states that the mind is like fertile soil, seeds are always being planted. The seeds we plant in others minds should be compassionate and uplifting. The easiest way to accomplish this agreement (in the early stages) is to avoid judging or blaming each other. Stop the gossip! The seeds we plant in our own minds should be compassionate and uplifting as well...

2. Don't Take Anything Personally - What ANYONE says is all about them, never about you. This is a powerful way we can all wake up to our environment. Ruiz states, "All people live in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in." This agreement can be applied to our own sense of self worth as well, if we are hard on ourselves in this process, we are taking ourselves personally, as well as perhaps too seriously.

3. Don't Make Assumptions - Ruiz cautions, "The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth." Because we are afraid to ask for clarity (or too lazy), we instead make assumptions. This agreement encourages us to ASK QUESTIONS, and do not assume that others (i.e. our loved ones) know what we want, we have to be responsible and let them know. The fourth agreement encourages us to question and clarify our own reasoning as well.

Ruiz warns that trying too hard is just as problematic as not trying hard enough. We are encouraged to do our best according to our state of mind and emotions in the present. Our best will become better over time, with practiced repetition. Ruiz states, "Doing your best is taking the action because you love it, not because you are expecting a reward." Learning from mistakes means practice, "this increases your awareness." "Always do your best and you will avoid self judgment, self abuse, and regret."

The essence of this fourth agreement is related by Susan Gregg in her book, The Toltec Way:

"We can't do anything wrong; we merely get outcomes or results we do not like. If we take responsibility for the outcome, we can lovingly explore the choices we made so we can make different ones in the future."

"The word mistake takes on a new meaning; it means you merely need to adjust your choices so you will get a different outcome.'

Jeddu Krishnamurti relates, "You are concerned with the purpose, with the end, rather than living in the present; whereas a man who fulfills never inquires into the end because fulfillment itself is sufficient. So, we can have understanding of what is when we recognize it without condemnation, without justification, without identification. To know that one is in a certain condition, in a certain state, is already a process of liberation; but a man who is not aware of his condition, of his struggle, tries to be something other than he is, which brings about habit."

Gregg Braden, "...it is less important what we accomplish as opposed to how we accomplish it... How may you fail when your purpose is to experience?"

A.H. Almaas (Hameed Ali) relates in his "Diamond Heart" series: "The Work we are engaged in is not easy; in fact, it is very difficult... To do the Work with love and compassion means to appreciate that this process is tough... it is best not to give yourself a hard time about it. You need to learn to be patient, to not judge or criticize yourself when things do not happen the way you think they should. You need not be too pessimistic, and also not too optimistic. Balance is the best way."

Again to answer the question, "..why the Tao?" The answer to that is twofold, one is that the Tao Te Ching is wisdom and knowledge that has stood the test of time. The writings are at least 2,500 years old and have been translated almost as many times as the Bible. If wisdom is recognized for a period of time, it is perilous to ignore it and profitable to attempt to understand it. Secondly, the Tao, though it has been made into religions and understood as philosophy, is in my understanding a work of physics. It describes how things work, plain and simply. How do human relationships work, relationships with each other and with the universe. If you want to live in accordance with nature, or align yourself with the forces of the universe, understanding the Tao Te Ching will assist your journey.

I believe the following sections of the Tao Te Ching relate to the 4th agreement - Always do your best.

Tao Te Ching 27:

The path of the sage is called
"The Path of Illumination"
She who gives herself to this path
is like a block of wood
That gives itself to the chisel
Cut by cut it is honed to perfection
Only a student who gives herself
Can receive the master's gift

Tao Te Ching 29:

Allow your life to unfold naturally
Know that it too is a vessel of perfection
Just as you breathe in and breathe out
Sometimes you are ahead and other times behind
Sometimes you are strong and other times weak
To the sage
All of life is a movement toward perfection

Tao Te Ching 30:

A knower of truth does what is called for then stops

bruce@webentry.com