The Teachings of Don Juan
a Yaqui way of knowledge
by Carlos Castaneda · first published 1968
42% recommend50% neutral8% critical
Why HN recommends it
Readers call it a fascinating story with practical ideas about perception and living, and many start with it before the rest of the series. Suits curious readers interested in mysticism and other ways of seeing.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Thirty years ago the University of California Press published a remarkable manuscript by an anthropology student named Carlos Castaneda. The Teachings of Don Juan initiated a generation of seekers dissatisfied with the limitations of the Western worldview. Castaneda's now classic book remains controversial for the alternative way of seeing that it presents and the revolution in cognition it demands. In a series of fascinating dialogues, Castaneda sets forth his partial initiation with don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian shaman from the state of Sonora, Mexico. He describes don Juan's perception
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I first heard of Castaneda 7 years ago when I was at university. I started with the first book "The Teachings of Don Juan" and proceeded with reading all his other works. I was fascinated not only with the story he was telling but more so, the practical wisdom he revealed. One of the techniques he revealed in his books…
on “The dark legacy of Carlos Castaneda (2007)” ↗The Teachings of Don Juan - Carlos Castaneda
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗5 books not on this list that might expand your.mind: * The Dice Man by George Cockroft. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dice_Man?wprov=sfla1 * The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda. * Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/624 * Poverty and Progress by Henry George https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55308 * The Goal by Eliyahu…
on “Mind-expanding books” ↗This issue of "making oneself unavailable" is very well described in The Teachings Of Don Juan. Read all about it.
on “Why I Quit Being So Accommodating (1922)” ↗I first read The Art of Dreaming. Then I started with The Teachings of Don Juan and read all of the 10+ books in the series. I also read the book that was written by the women from his party. Really enjoyed all of it.
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗Having never heard of this, what other true "cult novels" are out there? They mentioned Castaneda (The Teachings of Don Juan) in the article, I also thought of The Magus by John Fowles, The Glass Bead Game by Hesse and of course Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. What others are out there?
on “Who is the real Dice Man? The elusive writer behind a cult novel” ↗…of redwood trees surrounding the huge stumps of cut old growth redwoods. If ever there were places for me to get mystical, those two would be at the top of my list. I also read Carlos Castaneda's The Teachings of Don Juan during that period, so I am familiar with the idea of mysticism with Psychedelics. In my and my friends case it just never took for whatever reason...
on “How ayahuasca changed my perspective” ↗So much for my focus; I'm only five paragraphs in and already my mind is wandering to "hmm, attention, this reminds me of 'The Rock Warrior's Way' which itself draws from Carlos Castaneda's 'The Teachings of Don Juan', and oh crap, I haven't finished that book either . . . " ETA: I'll leave these for the curious: > "Proper use of attention, in warrior-speak, is impeccability." > "When acting impeccably, a warrior…
on “How we pay attention changes the shape of our brains” ↗…he met at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television when they were both students. Carlos Castaneda, himself a kind of enigma and his books controversial wrote his first book shortly after, "The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge," published in 1968,
on “Auroratone, a Psychedelic 1940s Film, That Helped WWII Vets Overcome PTSD” ↗…they’re rightfully demanding a seat at the table where decisions about texts are being made. There's never been a time when kids didn't demand things that are "relevant" to them. Soul on Ice and The Teachings of Don Juan certainly seemed more relevant than Macbeth 50 years ago. The fact is, they're not capable of deciding that. That's why they're in school. The teacher's job, which this person refuses to do, is to make…
on “The Atlantic Did Me Dirty” ↗…this same explanation to argue that cart ruts in Malta may have had extraterrestrial purposes along with similar lines in Australia, Saudi Arabia, and the Aral Sea read with: Carlos Castaneda - The Teachings of Don Juan - A Yaqui Way of Knowledge - Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition (1998) Ray Bradbury - The illustrated man (1967, Bantam Books)
on “How airports could help aliens spot Earth” ↗…Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question..Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't it is of no use". From "The Teachings of Don Juan"
on “Ask HN: Favorite inspiring quotes or verses?” ↗…his New Age cult. Ultimately, he indirectly caused the death of at least one of his closest followers, and possibly three more [1]. The first book was also basically an instance of academic fraud: "The teachings of Don Juan" was first published as a work of real anthropological research into the mystical practices of Yaqui Indians, but it had nothing to do with them and in any case it was not the result of field work as…
on “Is the Sun Conscious? (2021) [pdf]” ↗