Page:Para leer a Carlos Castaneda.djvu/106

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no longer has hatred, anger, resentments and acquires a controlled folly that flows smoothly. The warrior mark will be his indifference, his patience and his detachment.

Don Juan says that in men there are two distinct parts: the first is old, quiet, indifferent; the second is new, nervous, agitated, and cares about himself because feels insecure. The first remains in our bottom. The second is on the surface and is vulnerable; is what we use to see the world. The first is silent knowledge, intent, the spirit, abstract, and nobody can describe, only experience it.

The warrior job is fighting against the second part, that "I individual" that prevents human beings from developing full power. Don Juan says that movement and fixation of the lace point that maintains modern human beings is what has made him an egocentric murderer who has been stuck in the self-image absorption. Disconnecting him from the world around him, is capable of destroying the environment, all other living beings and even threaten his very own survival.

When changing from the lace point usual position, among other things, the warrior obtains a state that might be called "not having compassion". To not have compassion does not mean to be cruel and ruthless with others.

"Witches are convinced that the lace point position is what makes modern man an egocentric homicide, a being completely trapped in his own image. Having lost all hope to return to the silent knowledge, man seeks solace in his individual self. And in doing so, manages to fix his lace point in the most convenient place to perpetuate his self-image. Therefore, witches can say with certainly that any movement that moves their lace point from its usual position is equivalent to move away from the self-image and, consequently, from personal importance.

Don Juan defined personal importance as the force generated by the self-image. Reiterated that it is this force what maintains the lace point fixed where the present is. For this reason, all witches goals is dethroning personal importance.

He explained that witches had unmasked personal importance, finding that it is, in fact, disguised self-compassion.

—Does not seem possible, but it is —assured me—. The real enemy and men misery source is self-compassion. Without some degree of self-compassion, men could not exist. However, once that compassion is used, it develops its own momentum and becomes personal importance...

He continued explaining, saying that witches are absolutely convinced that the spirit, when moving our lace point, away from its usual position, made us reach a being state that we could only call "not having compassion".

He said that witches knew, thanks to their practical experience, that as soon as the lace point moves personal importance collapses, because without the usual lace point position, the self-image loses its focus. Without that intense approach compassion extinguishes by itself and with it personal importance, since personal importance is only disguised compassion...

The witches war is the total fight against that individual self which has deprived men of his power..." C.C.

THE INTENT REQUIREMENTS

Breaking the self-image

Don Juan said the only thing he did with Castaneda was to destroy his

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