May/June 2002 Spirituality
On the Toltec Path

by Kelsey Bunker

Miguel Ruiz comes from a long line of Toltec naguals (masters). After years of practice he has developed four agreements which can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness and love. In the last few issues I have discussed the first three agreements: be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions. The final agreement is the action that allows the first three to become deeply ingrained habits. It is to always do your best.

Under all circumstances, do your best. No more, no less. Remember that your best will fluctuate. If you are sick your best will be different from when you are healthy. If you are tired your best will different from when you are rested. Everything is changing all the time including your abilities to accomplish certain tasks. Sometimes your abilities will be very high other times they won’t be as high. It is not important that you perform at the same level every time. It is important that you don’t use this last agreement to judge yourself. That is why it is so important to always do your best.

Doing your best can provide you with immunity in hell. If you are doing your best there is no way that you can judge yourself. If you do your best how can you possibly do anymore? To try and do more than your best takes more energy than is needed. You end up depleting your body and going against yourself. In the end your best will not be enough because you have not been honest with yourself about what is your best. Do your best and no more.

If you take an action and you hear the little voice inside your head start to judge you, you simply remind it that you did your best. There can be no recriminations if you have done your best. This is where the warrior spirit comes to play. You must have a strong will to trust yourself. And if you don’t judge yourself then you will not suffer guilt, shame or self-punishment.

Some of you may ask, “How do I know if I have done my best?” In every action it is important that you are as honest as you can be about your motivation, your intention and your desire. Note too that your ability to be honest will also fluctuate depending on your mood, the issue and the circumstances. Doing your best is not about setting impossible standards by which to judge yourself and make you miserable, unhappy or sad. Your best can be determined only in the moment. All that is necessary is to set your intent to do your best, always.

When you set your intent do your best it does not mean that you will always be impeccable with your word or that you will never again take anything personally or that you will never make another assumption. What it means is simply that in the moment you do your best. If you are not impeccable with your word then you recognize that and reset your intent to be impeccable with your word. If you fall down, acknowledge it and then get back up and set your intent again to do your best.

Doing your best allows you to practice the other three agreements until they become habit. Most of us have grown up gossiping about ourselves and others, thinking that when ever something does not go our way then the reason why must have something to do with me, and assuming that everyone else thinks just like me. These are habits that we have ingrained over years and years of practice. And for the most part they cause us so much pain and suffering. When we get tired of the pain and suffering we can make a choice. In every action we have a choice of how we will respond. Most of the time we respond from habit but as we create awareness about our behavior and we can choose to use different tools. The Four Agreements are simply tools that you can use to transform your life. They are an antidote to years of ingrained habits of self-punishment.

Like all habits, it takes desire, determination and awareness to change them. Doing your best helps you to accept yourself just as you are. You can accept yourself even if you gossip, or take something personally or make an assumption. The less that you punish yourself the easier it becomes to follow the Four Agreements. They eventually take over your old habits and as a result you can’t help but feel greater happiness and joy.

The Four Agreements are a summary of the Mastery of Transformation, one of the three Toltec masteries. You transform hell into your personal heaven. The dream of the planet no longer controls you. You control yourself within the dream of the planet. Happiness and joy is your birthright and it is available to you in every moment. We have done a masterful job of forgetting that we are beings of love and light. Practicing these agreements and respecting their meaning will transform your life. Try them.

 Kelsey Bunker is an apprentice with don Miguel Ruiz and currently teaches classes in the Portland area on the Four Agreements and facilitates monthly workshops with don Eduardo Fox from Los Angeles based on the Toltec wisdom. For more information call 503/288-4229 or email b1kelsey@aol.com.