01-16-2006, 12:00 AM
I have to quote more... ...I'm impressed, and I like this topic. Castaneda deserved some respect after all...
A warrior must learn to make every act count, since he is going to be here in this world for only a short while, in fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it.
All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. However, a path without a heart is never enjoyable. On the other hand, a path with heart is easyit does not make a warrior work at liking it; it makes for a joyful journey; as long as a man follows it, he is one with it.
The world is incomprehensible. We wont ever understand it; we wont ever unravel its secrets. Thus we must treat the world as it is: a sheer mystery.
A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war: wide-awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. Going to knowledge or going to war in any other manner is a mistake, and whoever makes it might never live to regret it.
A warrior lives by acting, not by thinking about acting, nor by thinking about what he will think when he has finished acting.
A warrior-hunter knows that his death is waiting, and the very act he is performing now may well be his last battle on earth. He calls it a battle because it is a struggle. Most people move from act to act without any struggle or thought. A warrior-hunter, on the contrary, assesses every act; and since he has intimate knowledge of his death, he proceeds judiciously, as if every act were his last battle. Only a fool would fail to notice advantage a warrior-hunter has over his fellow men. A warrior-hunter gives his last battle its due respect. Its only natural that his last act on earth should be the best of himself. Its pleasurable that way. It dulls the edge of his fright.
Death is our eternal companion. It is always to our left, an arms length behind us. Death is the only wise adviser that a warrior has. Whenever he feels that everything is going wrong and hes about to be annihilated, he can turn to his death and ask if that is so. His death will tell him that he is wrong, that nothing really matters outside its touch. His death will tell him, I havent touched you yet.
For a warrior, to be inaccessible means that he touches the world around him sparingly. And above all, he deliberately avoids exhausting himself and others. He doesnt use and squeeze people until they have shriveled to nothing, especially the people he loves.
If his spirit is distorted he should simply fix itpurge it, make it perfectbecause there is no other task in our entire lives which is more worthwhileTo seek the perfection of the warriors spirit is the only task worthy of our temporariness, our manhood.
Nothing in this world is a gift. Whatever must be learned must be learned the hard way.
Only as a warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge, and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges.
The most effective way to live is as a warrior. A warrior may worry and think before making any decision, but once he makes it, he goes his way, free from worries or thoughts; there will be a million other decisions still awaiting him. Thats the warriors way.
The spirit of a warrior is not geared to indulging and complaining, nor is it geared to winning or losing. The spirit of a warrior is geared only to struggle, and every struggle is a warriors last battle on earth. Thus the outcome matters very little to him. In his last battle on earth a warrior lets his spirit flow free and clear. And as he wages his battle, knowing that his intent is impeccable, a warrior laughs and laughs.
The warrior: silent in his struggle, undetainable because he has nothing to lose, functional and efficacious because he has everything to gain.
The world is incomprehensible. We wont ever understand it; we wont ever unravel its secrets. Thus we must treat the world as it is: a sheer mystery.
My deapest respect to Castaneda and Don Juan,
Castor
''Its a dangerous business, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you dont keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.'' J.R.R. Tolkien
A warrior must learn to make every act count, since he is going to be here in this world for only a short while, in fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it.
All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. However, a path without a heart is never enjoyable. On the other hand, a path with heart is easyit does not make a warrior work at liking it; it makes for a joyful journey; as long as a man follows it, he is one with it.
The world is incomprehensible. We wont ever understand it; we wont ever unravel its secrets. Thus we must treat the world as it is: a sheer mystery.
A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war: wide-awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. Going to knowledge or going to war in any other manner is a mistake, and whoever makes it might never live to regret it.
A warrior lives by acting, not by thinking about acting, nor by thinking about what he will think when he has finished acting.
A warrior-hunter knows that his death is waiting, and the very act he is performing now may well be his last battle on earth. He calls it a battle because it is a struggle. Most people move from act to act without any struggle or thought. A warrior-hunter, on the contrary, assesses every act; and since he has intimate knowledge of his death, he proceeds judiciously, as if every act were his last battle. Only a fool would fail to notice advantage a warrior-hunter has over his fellow men. A warrior-hunter gives his last battle its due respect. Its only natural that his last act on earth should be the best of himself. Its pleasurable that way. It dulls the edge of his fright.
Death is our eternal companion. It is always to our left, an arms length behind us. Death is the only wise adviser that a warrior has. Whenever he feels that everything is going wrong and hes about to be annihilated, he can turn to his death and ask if that is so. His death will tell him that he is wrong, that nothing really matters outside its touch. His death will tell him, I havent touched you yet.
For a warrior, to be inaccessible means that he touches the world around him sparingly. And above all, he deliberately avoids exhausting himself and others. He doesnt use and squeeze people until they have shriveled to nothing, especially the people he loves.
If his spirit is distorted he should simply fix itpurge it, make it perfectbecause there is no other task in our entire lives which is more worthwhileTo seek the perfection of the warriors spirit is the only task worthy of our temporariness, our manhood.
Nothing in this world is a gift. Whatever must be learned must be learned the hard way.
Only as a warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge, and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges.
The most effective way to live is as a warrior. A warrior may worry and think before making any decision, but once he makes it, he goes his way, free from worries or thoughts; there will be a million other decisions still awaiting him. Thats the warriors way.
The spirit of a warrior is not geared to indulging and complaining, nor is it geared to winning or losing. The spirit of a warrior is geared only to struggle, and every struggle is a warriors last battle on earth. Thus the outcome matters very little to him. In his last battle on earth a warrior lets his spirit flow free and clear. And as he wages his battle, knowing that his intent is impeccable, a warrior laughs and laughs.
The warrior: silent in his struggle, undetainable because he has nothing to lose, functional and efficacious because he has everything to gain.
The world is incomprehensible. We wont ever understand it; we wont ever unravel its secrets. Thus we must treat the world as it is: a sheer mystery.
My deapest respect to Castaneda and Don Juan,
Castor
''Its a dangerous business, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you dont keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.'' J.R.R. Tolkien