Amazon.com: Customer reviews: A Separate Reality

Top positive review

A good read but not my type of shaman

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2020

I like it as a story, but as far as the art of shamanism goes i do not enjoy what don Juan refers to as folly, which is just manipulation of others minds while laughing about the deception of the act. I got the impression he was drowning Carlos many times and that what Carlos was experiencing was death by the hands of another that was not teaching shamanism as much as he was traumatizing Carlos to be able to mind control him. Again not my idea of shamanism really, but still a neat treat.

10 people found this helpful

Top critical review

All critical reviews›

John Wright

Drawn-out story telling with only a few bits of spiritual wisdom

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2019

I was looking for deeper, spiritual truths about our reality but this book is primarily a story about the author’s relationship with a self-proclaimed shaman named Don Juan. It was a very interesting story, but there’s also a great deal of “first I did this, then I felt this, then I could feel...” while the spiritual wisdom that’s shared is only briefly discussed a few times throughout the book. The author is also frequently afraid, upset or worried instead of curious and this was frustrating for me as a truth seeker. For anyone interested in spiritual matters and seeking inner truth this book isn’t that helpful, but if you’re just looking for a decent story to pass the time this might interest you.

4 people found this helpful

Sort by

Filter by

636 total ratings, 147 with reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

Politically Incorrect

Life changing

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2019

Verified Purchase

There are books 📚 and then there are books 📚 .. of all the books 📚 I have read over my life, this by far is the most life changing
I bought this for a friend

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Collin Suttles

Must read!

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

Amazing book on the nature of reality, a must read for those interested in exploring the universe in a new way and also for anyone interested in different cultures, medicinal plants, and sociology!

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

kmob

Fascinating Story

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

Fascinating story about an alternative view of our reality

One person found this helpful

Helpful

SD Ponder

Legendary (Used) Book at Great Price- In Great condition.

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2021

Verified Purchase

Well, you talk about 'under promise over deliver'. This used book was in Great condition - at only $8.54 !

Helpful

M. Freas

Wonderful read

Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

Whether the writings are fiction or not...they probably are, this is still a great read!

Helpful

R. Schwartz

To "See" = Alone In The World With Nothing But Folly.

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2005

Verified Purchase

This book is the sequel to the first book "The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge" and is just as meaningful and profound. The idea of spirituality under the Yaqui Indian paradigm, like other esoteric perceptions, conveys a non-ordinary reality where rationalizations and human explanations act as superficiality.

"Once a man learns how to "see" he finds himself alone in the world with nothing but folly." p. 81 Anotherwards, all the world is a stage and everything we do are roles we act. We don't leave the world as a hermit because we don't willfully abandon ourselves, but instead we recognize the superficial roles we are required to play as human beings and in turn, rest in our silent self, the silent observer who "sees" this world as a series of necessary folly and superficiality and learns to to limit mental chatter, thinking and rationalizing and to start listening.

This book reminds me of Timothy Leary's explanation of reimprinting. Each time one "trips," he takes a trip beyond static reality to the dynamic flow and each time he returns he takes an additional snapshot and reimprints as a baby does when born. Each imprint is added to the previous imprints, as well as reinterpreting former imprints. And so, when Don Juan uses the power of suggestions with Carlos Castaneda and consensus is agreed, the dynamic affect under hallucinogens conform to such ideas which are compounded during the reimprinting stages back to normal reality. And so, peyote consists of an entity called Mescalito and magic mushroom smoke produces encounters with allies.

In turn, as with many Eastern mediators, the awareness grows of the silent observer self beyond the superficial ego self we are required to live through as human beings. We see the folly of human existence and become detached while simultaneously maintaining our lives active in this world, not in inertia, but with the paradox of "seeing" our real silent witness selves and using our superficial roles with more artistic and less attachment.

One learns to act like a warrior by acting, not by talking." p 144 "If a man sees he doesn't have to live like a warrior, or like anything else, for he can see things as they really are and direct his life accordingly." p 149 "Seeing dispelled the illusion of victory, or defeat, or suffering." p. 138 "Nothing of what I had done in my lie was really worthy of that last ultimate emphasis so I had nothing to think about. That was an exquisite realization." p. 243"Worry and think before you make a decision, but once you make it, be on your way free from worries or thoughts . . that's the warrior way." p. 47 Don Juan teaches learning how not to think, silencing the mind and learning to listen.

I also enjoyed how Don Juan considered much of the Tibetan Book of The Dead as "crap." And yet, one can say the same thing about his Yaqui Indian Sorcerer interpretation of non-ordinary reality. Yet both paradigms, Tibetan and Yaqui acknowledge the silent observer, the mental chatter, and the need to listen without fear in reality of clarity beyond mental conceptions.

66 people found this helpful

Helpful

ohfour44

Great philosophy

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2012

Verified Purchase

There is some excellent wisdom in this book about how to live one's life. Of course, I don't plan to take mescaline to achieve this separate reality but reading about having an ally helps me with my own problems with alcoholism and a higher power. Also, living life as a "warrior" by choosing the path with heart, taking responsibility for all of our decisions, even the most minute, then moving on without hesitation, worry or second guessing, knowing that before you made your decision you wholeheartedly ensured that it followed your path, is eye opening, although of course I think we all simply need to be reminded of it. I plan to read the other books in this continuing saga. (Run on sentence, I know. Don't feel like fixing it it was stream-of-conscious writing lol.)

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Rebecamyth

Another great one

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2013

Verified Purchase

As always, Carlos writing is exciting, eloquent , amazing and you can't put it down once you start.
For those of you new to Carlos Castaneda's works, start with The Teachings of Don Juan - all books in his series are worthwhile reading and comptemplation. Highly recommended

3 people found this helpful

Helpful