Toltec Wisdom for the Modern World - The Five Levels of Attachment

This book probably wouldn't have been published if the author didn't have a famous dad. It is an alright book, but I picked it up thinking it was the elder Don Miguel Ruiz-- but quickly found that it was not. If you buy, you should know that this is a book from Don Miguel Ruiz JR.

I am building a library for myself and am collecting books for the library that I will have some day. This is one such book. I haven’t read it yet but I think it will be fascinating and am looking forward to reading it.

Sophomoric, immature, unremarkable and a distant cry from prior works by the author's father. This is one of the most prosaic offerings on spiritual growth I have witnessed. There are so many other choices available to today's eager-reader that wasting time with this book is just that -- a waste of time. The main lesson I took away from this reading experience is the one I'm imparting to you, viz., don't bother.

This book is written by the son don Miguel Ruiz Jr. NOT the same author as the Mastery of Love or the Four Agreements. The writing style is totally different and just didn't appeal to me. If you loved don Miguel Ruiz's books, don't expect this to be the same at all. I was very disappointed in this.

This book helps you move forward by you, letting go of your past attachments. It helps you realise how much mental baggage you pick up in a lifetime and how to filter it out. Enjoyed reading it, so will you.

I am a bit disappointed with this book. I've read a couple of books by Don Miguel Ruiz (Sr) and they were nothing short of amazing. When I saw that his son was coming out with a book, I ordered it immediately. I can't say that I have gotten too much out of it. I almost feel like it was a forced writing to capitalize on what his father has already done. I hope that I am wrong and that it was written with genuine love but I am not feeling that energy. You decide for yourself.

Loved this book which is more than a sequel to the previous excellent one, the Four Agreements.
Don Miguel Ruiz has a way of expressing himself that goes straight to the heart and brain of the reader.
Helpful suggestions which improve every day life immensely.
A definite must read.

This is a wonderful book! It is like a continuation and expansion of the teachings in The Four Agreements.

I have read a lot about the importance of "detachment" from people, things, and material possessions, etc., but this book focuses on the way we become attached to our beliefs and ideas, or what the author refers to as "our knowledge." He asks this question at the beginning of the book: "Are you using knowledge, or is knowledge using you?"

Great question!

Miguel Ruiz says that as we become more attached to knowledge, "who I am" becomes directly linked to "what I know." When this happens, we are "blinded" to all the options and possibilities in front of us, and our pre-existing beliefs keep recreating the same situations in our lives. He also points out that we often do this without even realizing it. This is a very powerful book about becoming aware of your beliefs, and how to release the ones that are causing you suffering.

I also really enjoyed the background the author shared about his father and grandmother, the wisdom keepers of the Toltec tradition. It was all quite fascinating.

In short, this is another great Ruiz book!

I'm in a bit of a pickle here, since there isn't really a way to separate a review for the content of the book from a review of the audio.

But I do want to caution people to try and hear a sample of the audio if they can, to be sure they're okay with the reading style.

It really sucks to feel like I'm criticizing the person who's reading this, because he's probably a great guy, etc. But, personally, I found his voice really distracting. He reading style has a strange, clipped quality, sort of "grand" sounding, with a peculiar theatrical emphasis and a curious accent that again, I personally, found extremely distracting.

(I think he's putting too much emphasis on creating "characters." He makes Don Miguel Ruiz Sr. sound like some sort of noble patriarch, the grandmother sound like a hissing gypsy, and Jr. sound like a sulking brat. As if this is a novel, not a spiritual book.)

I guess the voice I'd always heard in my "head," based on reading the books, was very simple, humble and straightforward. Whereas this reading, to me, couldn't be any more contrapuntal to the contents of the book, which is why I probably found it so distracting.

Anyway, that's just my two cents. I'm going to just go ahead and buy the book now. Sort of a pity, and I hope it's just a subjective thing and others don't find the voice distracting, as I did.

And I hope some find this review helpful.

Fantastic words of Wisdom! I recently interviewed don Miguel Ruiz Jr. for our Inspire Nation Show and was blown away. He has amazing energy, and incredible words of wisdom --- specifically, we're ALL stuck in attachment which drags us down, and don Miguel has great suggestions on how to:
A. See our attachments
B. Work to free ourselves from attachments
C. See future attachments coming and help us be mindful so we can decide how attached we'd like to be.

This makes his book incredibly empowering, and I believe important for all of us. With so many competing demands and with our minds on overdrive, it's exceptionally important to see where the strings of attachment are, so we can free ourselves to live our greatest lives.

Thank you don Miguel Ruiz Jr for such an important and beautiful work!!! ---I would highly recommend this book!!!---

I purchased this book with a couple of don Miguel Ruiz's books and when I saw "jr" after the author's name on this book, I became concerned. I am against nepitism and was worried that don Miguel Ruiz's son would not be a gifted author or Toltec master like his father and that I just wasted my money. However, I was amazed at how wisely the book was written and how wise I felt just by reading it. I like how the author pays homage to his elders, not only his father but his grandmother who was a faith healer and who he worked for as an apprentice for 10 years. Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. clearly respects his elders and incorporates their handed down wisdom while staying true to his own voice. Just like The Four Agreements, I think this is a book everyone should read. Jr. makes his ideas easy to understand with contemporary metaphors and examples. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was like uncovering lost wisdom that had been hidden in my soul.

Rating 3.5/5 stars
This was an enjoyable read. It was not quite what I expected but - like with all books that deal with life concepts - I took out what meant something to me and left behind that which did not resonate with what I believe. There are some great concepts in the book - I think I expected something more along the lines of the Four Agreements.

I enjoyed learning about the attachments and where the different levels are applied in my own life. If you enjoy spiritual reads, this is a quick snack. It isn't a heavy read and there is something in here for everyone.

Miguel has such a great way with words and explaining the concepts in layman's terms. Overall I enjoy his work and reading about the Toltec way.

Final Thoughts: It was still a great read that held some great concepts and advice. An enlightening read.

Great Book. 5 stars on content. 4 stars because the quality of the CD itself leaves something to be desired. I actually immediately made MP3 copies because I was really concerned the CD would not last or easily scratch, low quality disk. The old disks used to have pretty labels and felt a little sturdier. Taking this disk out, it reminded me of the commissary beer with black and white cans. :-) I expected more based on the quality and effort that goes into the teaching. If you look close, you can see through this disk. Feels low quality for something that will be played over and over.

Using stories and anecdotes, Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. gently draws us into a deeper understanding of the ways we lose our power to people and circumstances in our lives. The encouraging thing is that by becoming aware of the choices we make in our beliefs and our relationship to others and to ourselves, we can simply start to make different choices. When we recognize our attachment to the things that don't add true value or happiness to our lives and release those attachments, the truth can indeed set us free.

Our attachments, which usually involve how we define ourselves, limit the scope of what we believe is possible for us. Part of the problem is that it is hard to see ourselves clearly. It is like looking into a "smokey mirror." When we examine them and choose to let go, suddenly our options seem to expand before us. What we are really doing is widening our perspective, and seeing possibilities that were there all along.

This little volume is a helpful and worthy companion to the wonderful books authored by his father, The Four Agreements and The Fifth Agreement.

This is excellent reading. But, to get the most out of it a person should first read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and then The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. These three books will transform a person's whole approach to finding personal freedom, true happiness and genuine love. I highly recommend all three.

I was told to read 'The Four Agreements' during a Tolle Book club meeting and added it to my list of 'Books To Read'. The book was brought to my attention many more times. Years later on 11-11-11 my honey and I were married in a cabin in Red River Gorge. When we opened the cabin door upon arrival there on the table was a copy of The Four Agreements! I said, "OK GOD! I get it! I'll read it!" I glanced through the book and liked what I saw and said I'd order it when we returned home. Then I forgot! I opened Facebook that day and the 1st post I saw was the 2nd Agreement from the book, "Don't Take Anything Personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering." That was exactly what I needed to read! I was having many issues with my son's girlfriend and was really upset over it. I immediately ordered the book. The changes in my outlook, attitude, and stress levels were incredible! So I ordered ALL don Miguel Ruiz's books for myself and my kids! Our family was dramatically changed for the better! When I saw that Ruiz's son had written a book I ordered it and devoured it upon arrival! This book would be life changing on it's own. You would not need to have read the 'Agreement' books to benefit from this book as Ruiz Jr. reviews important points and explains how the agreements we make become attachments. I like the examples he uses as it made it so clear for me! The Ruiz family are truly a blessing to our planet! Their teachings on Toltec Wisdom have changed my life so much!

We live in a world which is changing so rapidly that our perceptions are challenged every day. This leaves most of humanity feeling fearful, since we can no longer hold on to what once seemed so certain.

That is why I love this book by don Miguel Ruiz, Jr so much. He translates ancient wisdom of the Toltecs into modern language and makes it more relevant than ever.

Like his father, who wrote The Four Agreements, the author uses simple stories to illustrate deep concepts. This book was highly readable, but packs a lot of meat on its bones.

I underlined many passages and will re-read this book soon. I especially appreciate his explanation of the Toltec way of life: "Toltec means 'artist', and according to our teachings, the canvas for our art is life itself... The Toltec tradition is not a religion, but rather a way of life in which our great masterpiece is living in happiness and love."

What a beautiful way to lead a new direction for humanity. Thank you, don Miguel Ruiz, Jr.

The three stars are in no way of "bashing" this book. My opinion like everyone else's is merely subjective. It's only natural to compare this book to The Four Agreements which is the one I read first. I liked The Four Agreements so much that the moment I opened the package I started reading it and didn't stop until I was done reading the whole book! This book by Jr. is good and the reader will get plenty out of it but I found the writing to be somewhat drawn out and I began to get bored---it seemed like Jr. liked to take the long road to get the point he was trying to make while Papa Sr. in his books gets right to it and repeats it over and over again.

I had trouble getting through the book and when I was done I didn't really have any "ah ha" moments like I had with The Four Agreements which made total sense to me. In fact I reread many parts of The Four Agreements over and over again. The Five Levels of Attachment for me was a one time read. I"m aware that different writers have different styles but I feel the weight of this book went more on the success of Daddy's books.

After reading The 4 Agreements, The fifth Agreements, The Voice of Knowledge, and The Mastery of Love, I was hesitant to read this at first because I thought everything had been covered already. I'm glad I read it, it is a great book. The 5 levels of Attachment is similar to The 4 agreements in that it seems like common sense when you read it, but it is so much more. I had to stop multiple times to take notes and on multiple occasions I had to stop reading to I could digest key parts.

I read his father's book THE FOUR AGREEMENTS, and was told about this book through a friend, and I must admit that I was impressed. This book is captivating, inspiring, and profoundly spiritual in that it will instruct and encourage the reader to break free from the various beliefs and opinions that hold us back from becoming our authentic self. It's a great book that I will read again and again.

I found this book to be as engaging as the author is in person. It has helped me learn how to "let go" of my attachments and find my true self instead of relying on others opinion on me.
Great book and I would highy reccommend it!

Have you ever wondered why you or someone you know is almost fanatical about a belief, political stance, parenting ideas, moral issues, etc.? This book explains the different levels of attachment from detached to fanatical. It also explains how we get to the different levels. The best part is that it also explains how to change your level if you choose. My personal experience with sports made the author's metaphors easy to understand, but even if you have no interest in sports, I am sure you will understand the concepts as explained through a "sports" example. "GO RAIDERS"

Our thinking is so programmed that we forget that we have a choice in what we choose to think. The author identifies the ego's relationship with the most ingrained beliefs that run our emotions to those beliefs to which we are so little attached that we experience the flow of life more purely. The information in this book not only puts a spotlight on our programmed beliefs, its practical value is in offering a way to choose to keep beliefs that work well for us and how to disentangle ourselves from those that do not. This book addresses the subject in an uncomplicated way that can be understood easily by readers, in the same tradition as his father's famous book about agreements.

This is a very readable book where insights and stories are interwoven seamlessly. Like The Four Agreements, this book is almost deceptively simple. I found myself saying: "of course" many times while reading. But most importantly, this is a practical book. When I take Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.'s teachings and actually apply them to daily living, life is simply more fun.

I LOVE the four agreements book by Ruiz senior. I read it several times a year. Unfortunately this one was flat and didn't really offer new insights to me. I also felt there were several places in the book, where Ruiz junior had hidden agendas, perhaps to negative critical viewpoints he is attached to...He chose vegan-ism, civil rights, environmental rights, animal rights, basically "liberal" causes...etc as things that one could become too attached to and become fanatical. It is interesting and curious that he didn't choose abortion rights, gun rights, or any other "conservative" causes to make that point. It was unbalanced and ultimately revealed the stories Ruiz jr. tells himself. I probably won't read this book again. I am going to stick with the 4 agreements.

Excellent book. I ordered the audio version and the only down side is that the reader rather robotic. Perhaps I was spoiled by Peter Coyote reading the four agreements. I still recommend this and all of the Ruiz literature.