About don Miguel Ruiz
Don Miguel Ruiz’s work has inspired the world. His teachings have changed people’s lives and will continue to do so for generations to come. He has written five Toltec Wisdom Books, including the international bestseller, The Four Agreements. During his career don Miguel has traveled around the world lecturing, teaching, and leading power journeys although he is now entering semi-retirement and traveling less frequently. In this interview, I connected with don Miguel to give you a taste of this wonderful, transformational teacher of the Toltec Wisdom Tradition.
Note: This interview was initially published in the September/October 2006 issue of New Visions Magazine.
About the interview
Since interviewing don Miguel many people have asked me what he was like and I must admit he was one of the sweetest people I have spoken with. He was warm and friendly and very giving of his time for this interview. Thank you don Miguel…
Here’s the interview:
Dawn – To what do you attribute the tremendous success of this information in the United States and the world at this time?
don Miguel – I think that now the world is ready for the truth. In this little book, my intention was to make it very small and simple so that anyone could understand it well. Before, there was a lot of superstition, a lot of things that made it difficult for everybody to accept the truth.
Dawn – In what areas of the world have you been most well received and the wisdom been most embraced and put into practice?
don Miguel – I can really say that the United States is the country that is much more open for the truth. Even though this book has been published in 32 different languages and there are different ways of thinking and I was writing for everybody–for the most intelligent people to those who hardly have an education. This book is really speaking to everybody.
Dawn – Toltec wisdom seems to be a living organism evolving through many centuries. What inspired the creation of the original Toltec wisdom teachings?
don Miguel – Well, you know, it’s really the whole dream of humanity. It’s the dream of all human minds together all around the world. It’s not really important what language they speak, what is important is what comes directly from their intelligence, because every single human, ask any living being in the world, has been programmed to be just what they are and that is exactly what we want to be. Then it doesn’t matter whatever we do, it doesn’t matter if we’ve accepted it or not accepted it, we are the way we are because we are programmed to be the way we are. That’s the simple truth.
Dawn – What language were the original Toltec teachings in?
don Miguel – Well, there’s no way I can imagine the way they used to speak. I learned Spanish. I was born in 1952, and that’s the language that I learned. And I never really tried to learn any of the other languages that they speak in Mexico. And, like I said before, it’s not really important which language they speak. What is important is the impeccability of the words, that they mean every single word.
Dawn – You’ve created tools based on Toltec wisdom to help your students. Will you share with us how you came to develop these methods and knew that they were what was needed?
don Miguel – Okay, let’s see, for example, when I was teaching my son, the oldest one, when he was maybe 5 or 6 years old, and I wanted to teach him how to swim. The way to teach him is, I throw him into the water and he came out. Then, before he can start fighting with me, I push him again in the water, he came out again. By the third time he really enjoyed it. Then he was throwing himself in the water, coming out, and he had a great time. Then instead of telling him how to swim I push him into the experience of life, and this is what life is doing to all of us all the time. You know, when we were born, we didn’t decide to be human. We didn’t decide who would be our parents. We never decide where to be born or which language we’ll pick. We didn’t decide what we’re going to learn. We didn’t make any of those choices. We just came into life, and life just started sharing everything with us. And this is what we call oral tradition.
Dawn – What inspired you to carry on your family’s legacy through oral tradition instead of a healing tradition?
don Miguel – I also started learning about a healing tradition, but I didn’t like it because of the way that people see me as a healer. They want miracles and I really don’t like to work for miracles. What I want is for them to see that there are different ways to live life. There is a way to make life so easy so that anybody can enjoy life, because this is the point, to enjoy life, to be happy.
Dawn – How will these traditions carry through and be relevant for future generations?
don Miguel – Well, we can say, it’s acceptance, to accept what we really are and not to try to be what we are not. You know, like a dog is always going to be a dog, a cat is always going to be a cat. And they don’t know they are dogs or cats. They are just what they are and they are programmed to be the way they are. Then by following, let’s say a different knowledge, it’s accepting ourselves the way they are. It’s through acceptance.
Dawn – What are the core teachings?
don Miguel – Well, it’s like I say, it’s about acceptance. Accepting yourself just the way you are. Once you’ve accepted yourself just the way you are, just accept the world, just the way it is. Just accept the Universe just the way it is. Just see everything as perfection. Because everything really is perfect.
Dawn – There have been people who felt the time would come when science and spirituality are seen as one. This is something the Toltec knew from the very beginning. Do you see Toltec wisdom being the catalyst for the connection being drawn between modern science and spirituality?
don Miguel – I can say that the word “Toltec” means “artist.” It isn’t a religion or anything like that. You know, the Toltec see life as an art. In that way, we can see that the artist really can put together science and religion, and much more than that.
Dawn – How did your medical experience affect your path?
don Miguel – Well, you know, it was a very important part for me to become a medical doctor, to be a surgeon. Because just to learn about science, it provided me that language which I applied in everything I say. It’s easier for me to explain and understand the symbology. That helped to facilitate what I do in my life.
Dawn – Before you committed your life to teaching Toltec wisdom did you use it in your life, even when you were in medical school and practicing surgery?
don Miguel – Oh, definitely, yes. It’s a way of life. As I said before, the word “Toltec” means “artist,” and since high school, or maybe even before, I started seeing my own life as an artist, and breaking all those limitations, because I see medicine as an art. I see science as an art. Then my whole life I see as an art.
Dawn – Since you are now returning this wisdom to the people, is it possible for those who study your teachings to teach this work themselves? Is there any advantage to having others teach it?
don Miguel – Oh, definitely. You know, this is not a monopoly. This has come directly from Divine Intelligence. As I said before, we are programmed to be what we are. And by saying that, that means also that we’re programmed to dream what we dream and make a story for life the way we do, which means to create all of life and believe in all of life. But even if we believe or not in all the programming we have in our life, we are programmed to be human and we’re never going to be anything else but human.
Dawn – What kind of experiences did you find helped you most on your teaching path?
don Miguel – I see the resistance of many people, even when they see the truth so clearly. I can see the superstitions coming up or their way of believing or things they learned from their family, you know, the training they received from their family. Therefore the greatest thing is to see the old belief system falling apart, and finally they start seeing the simplicity of the truth, because the truth is very, very simple and we make everything extremely difficult.
Dawn – You were on a power journey to the Yucatan last month. One of your stops was Chichen-Itza. My husband and I were there on our honeymoon. What do you feel is the true purpose of the site, and are the tourists told something different?
don Miguel – Well, you know that there is an old dream there. We can see it and we can compare with the way we dream this time. It’s so beautiful to see, that time and that place of the world. These people really, really were into science very, very strongly. And the place, you know, the whole peninsula is just gorgeous. It’s a little paradise there.
Dawn – I understand that you had a near-fatal heart attack in 2002. How are you feeling now?
don Miguel – Well, I’m living with only 60% of my heart’s capacity, which is very low. But I’m happy and I enjoy life. I cannot do what I used to do before, of course, but you know, I accept my life that way and I’m happy the way I am.
Dawn – Besides limiting your travel and speaking engagements how do you feel this experience has changed you?
don Miguel – Well, the only thing that really changed is the time that I am awake. You know, I used to be awake 16 hours and sleep only six or seven hours. And, right now, it’s kind of the opposite. I’m awake maybe 8-10 hours a day and I rest the remaining time. Eight to ten hours, that’s enough to create, to enjoy life.
Dawn – You were already living life completely, fully, with joy before. Did this event heighten the experience of life anymore for you?
don Miguel – Well, things changed because the capacity of my body changed. You know, I used to be very strong and very fast and hardly got tired, and these days I’m tired most of the time, but now I’m enjoying resting. Time shifts for me because my point of view shifts also. I’m more relaxed, you could say that. But the thing is I’m always peaceful.
Dawn – How successful do you feel your life has been?
don Miguel – Well, it’s completely a success. You know, every human is really a winner. Maybe they don’t see that but just imagine, before conception there was a big race of millions of sperm and only one made it to the ovum. And from that one that made it to the ovum, we were born from that, each one of us, every human. Then every human is really a winner.
Dawn – From all your years of teaching the Toltec wisdom what is your favorite memory?
don Miguel – Well, there’s so many. We can say that one of the biggest ones is my first son coming into life, when he was born. He was something so beautiful, and just a year ago, I was so lucky that I bring my first grandchild, I helped to deliver my grandchild. It was amazing. It was so beautiful. It’s the miracle of life.
Dawn – That must have been an amazing experience for you.
don Miguel – Oh, my God, yes.
Dawn – Your son, don Jose Luis Ruiz, is now following in your footsteps. You must be very pleased.
don Miguel – Oh, he’s very happy. Yes, he’s a wonderful son.
Dawn – There have been many predictions about the time we are living in. What do you think is in store for the world in the years to come?
don Miguel – Well, this is more joy, more freedom, more happiness. and humanity will be better, and better and better.
Dawn – That’s great! That’s what I’m looking forward to.
don Miguel – Well, we see it’s coming. You know, if you see history, history proves what I’m saying. You know, 700 years ago, the way we used to live. If you imagined yourself waking up in Europe 700 years ago, knowing what you know now, and if you see what they used to believe at that time, the way they used to treat each other, how often they showered, all the disease that existed in that time? You can see that, for instance, in 700 years, humanity grew a lot, and that we are becoming happier and happier and happier; we’re going in the right direction.
Dawn – If Toltec wisdom is the answer, what is the question?
don Miguel – There is no question and there is no answer.
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don Miguel Ruiz’s works:
View product details at Amazon:
- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)
View product details at Amazon.com:
- The Four Agreements Companion Book : Using the Four Agreements to Master the Dream of Your Life
- Four Agreements Cards
- The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace
- The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship: A Toltec Wisdom Book
- Mastery of Love Cards (Small Card Decks)
- Prayers: A Communion with Our Creator