Rating: 
Summary: The Daily Practice of Enlightenment.
Review: This beautiful book is an honest and courageous exploration of what it takes
to experience being human in all its fullness. While "THE MASTERY OF LOVE"
deals very well with romantic relationships, it encourages the reader to
look at all of one's relationships, especially the one with yourself. Ruiz
describes the process of growing up in and absorbing the habits, thoughts,
and behaviors of one's culture. With great compassion, he points out that
it is quite normal to practice living one's life with a great deal of pain.
"All of our drama and suffering is by practice. We make an agreement with
ourselves, and we practice that agreement until it becomes a whole mastery.
The way we think, the way we feel, and the way we act become so routine that
we no longer need to put our attention on what we are doing. It is just by
action-reaction that we behave a certain way." So none of us is a failure -
we are masters of how we live.This book provides an alternative to living in an endless loop of
self-diminishing behavior. I particularly liked Ruiz' discussion of how a
person in a couple looks to the other to provide happiness and how no matter
how much you love someone, you will never be what that person wants you to
be. With each page, Ruiz guides readers to loving themselves. When you
can truly love yourself, then you can love another and have a successful
relationship. How do you love yourself? Practice being yourself, Ruiz
tells us, without judging yourself. Soon it becomes easier to find your
voice and state your needs. Through practice comes mastery. I find that
this book rings true. It is not a quick fix, but rather an approach to a
way of life. If your heart is telling you to be gentle to yourself and to
practice just being, you'll find another treasure in "WORKING ON YOURSELF
DOESN'T WORK," by Ariel and Shya Kane. Their book is devoted to the practice
of living with excellence through awareness of one's moment-to-moment
experience. Living a life you love just takes practice, and good coaches
like these authors make a huge difference in how well you succeed.
Rating:
Summary: A HIDDEN PEARL ABOUT THE ART OF RELATIONSHIP
Review: Having now read all of Don Miguel Ruiz's books including "The Four Agreements" and "Prayers", this is the one work where all of his challenging ideas come to beautiful fruition. Each detailed chapter, exhaustively illustrated with carefully chosen parables and examples, expresses his remarkable knowledge of the human condition based on ancient Toltec teachings. Many of the ideas in "The Mastery of Love" focus on how we as human beings have long ago surrendered our childlike willingness to love without fear (our true selves) and have accepted the world's yoke of domestication. According to Ruiz most of us exist in a state the Toltecs referred to as the "dream of hell" where we have allowed our collective beliefs (primarily based on fear and emotional poison) to determine the course of our lives and relationships. "The Mastery of Love" is far more practical and down to earth than most other books found on "self help" or "new age" shelves these days. It is one of those wonderful books where the reader pauses frequently to digest the often profoundly insightful information Ruiz is offering and to constantly affirm that the knowledge expressed is certainly true in his or her own life and relationships. The answers and remedies Ruiz provides to address the human conditions described therein may seem disturbingly simple to some...as simple as ending the old "dream of hell" and dreaming a new dream for ones life. But this is a suprisingly helpful and moving work about the human heart and the art of relationship almost certain to have some impact on every reader who invests the few hours it takes to complete this little book. It is a treasure.
Rating:
Summary: I would give it ten stars if I could
Review: I love this little book! There have only been two or three books in my entire life which have had as much practical and personal impact as this one. It is written lucidly and directly. What is more important in this world than learning about love: love of yourself and love in all of our relationships? This isn't like most hokey-pokey "love" books out there. Mr. Ruiz cuts through the bull, the illusions, the old patterns, and really gets to the heart of what it means to have love as a powerful presence in your life. He gives analogies which are very helpful, and he doesn't just tell us what we want to hear. We are responsible for the state of our relationships. This book comes from a place of self-responsibility for the state/the dream of mature relationships. I first read this book when I was going through a divorce. This book heals, and not just by hand-holding and patting you on the back. It comes from a place of love, so the book is kind, but like I said... it uncovers the truth. It's a quick, powerful read. When I feel like the clarity I have about my relationships is fuzzy, I return to his words. They help me to cut out the nonsense and get to the source. I feel clearer, lighter, stronger and wiser every time I pick up it up and start to consider his words. Ruiz is compassionate about his presentation. He understands where we are at and how we got here. He also has a vision for how relationships of love can be that inspires me completely and feels true. This book is like a reverse infection. It spreads from person to person, but the infection is a healing one--medicine for our spiritual and emotional wounds. Not only did it help me let go of my divorce and heal from that pain, but when I was ready for a new relationship I noticed a marked difference in the way I related to my man, my love, after I read this book. I accepted him as he was-- beyond where I was ever able to before. I didn't take his "stuff" personally where I might have before. I also found a vast compassion for him and a greater capacity for intimacy. Yet, at the same time I became clearer and more confident about my own needs and desires. It decreased my need to control/manipulate aspects of my life or people, and opened up a world of choices. Miguel Ruiz's words changed my thinking, so I could choose my behavior in any given moment. It has improved my ability to relate and the quality of my relationships. This is a gift: a direct result of reading this book. The Mastery of Love helped me to reshape old patterns of thinking and behavior. It didn't just fill me with information; it impacted and increased my level of consciousness. From there I was able to heal myself and act in less reactionary, more creative ways. Get it. Read it. Pass it on. But don't try to take mine, because you could not wrestle it from me... Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for this beautiful little book.
Rating: 
Summary: An Inspiring an Refreshing Look at Love
Review: The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz is a rich and colorful book about relationship, love and finding our own truth. The author uses simple, understandable language and metaphors to describe these concepts and experiences that are usually difficult to put into words. Through his Toltec perspective, Ruiz describes the experience of each individual as a dream: one that each of us creates for our self, and another that we have created as a society, one that we all share. His description shows that people do act mechanically, but that we have a choice in how we interact with people. I really enjoyed this book and came away with a sense of inspiration. Ruiz doesn't talk about how people should behave, or how to love. He illustrates the way that we are, the rules and judgments that we have, and that despite our training to act mechanically, we do know how to love. Another book that I also enjoy for its simplicity, honesty and impact is Working On Yourself Doesn't Work, by Ariel and Shya Kane. This book explores the how to unwire our mechanical behaviors and live from a place of well-being. The simple experience of reading the book can give you a taste of what it's like to be present to each moment, where there are no problems or hardships, just what is.
Rating:
Summary: Mastering relationships.
Review: For many of us, the quest to have a dream relationship has in the end left us fiercely wounded. "Can you see the possibilities a relationship offers? Explore the possibilities. Be yourself. Find a person who matches with you. Take the risk, but be honest. If it works, keep going. If it doesn't work, then do yourself and your partner a favor: Walk away; let her go" (p. 82). Don Miguel Ruiz is both a medical doctor and a Toltec shaman. His 205-page book is about learning how to live life as an expression of love, and more specifically, learning how to experience love in our relationships. In his "practical guide" to relationships, Miguel Ruiz may not lead you to a dream relationship, but he will show you the way to real love in a relationship. In his book, Don Miguel Ruiz takes his reader on a journey through the art of relationships that is both amazing and profound. Chapters include "The Wounded Mind," "The Loss of Innocence," "The Man Who Didn't Believe in Love," "The Track of Love, The Track of Fear," "The Perfect Relationship," "Sex: The Biggest Demon in Hell," "Seeing with Eyes of Love," and "Healing the Emotional Body." Along the way, Ruiz teaches us that to become a master of love, we must first overcome old emotional wounds and learn to love ourselves. We shouldn't expect others to make us happy; rather, we should make ourselves happy. In "The Track of Love, The Track of Fear," he encourages us to take responsibilty for only our half of the relationship, rather than trying to take control of the whole relationship. "If we respect, we know that our partner, or friend, or son, or mother, is completely responsible for his or her own half. If we respect the other half, there is always going to be peace in that relationship. There is no war" (p. 70). Ruiz's book teaches many lessons about real love. Love has no obligations. Love has no expectations. Love is based on respect. Love is ruthless. Love is responsible. Love is kind. Love is unconditional (pp. 59-64). Couples will enjoy reading this book together. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in experiencing real love. G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: Life Changing Read
Review: This book is amazing. Amazing, Amazing, Amazing.
If anyone is looking for truth and for something that will change your life, this is it. I have read many books, and have enjoyed and been affected by many, but this book is incredible. Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: WISE & WONDERFUL
Review: The Mastery of Love is, simply put, one of the most beautiful and potentially life altering books I've ever had the pleasure to read. The message is a simple one, yet anyone willing to embrace this concept will discover true emotional freedom which leads to a lovely sense of inner peace. (I'm not kidding!)
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS THE BEST !!
Review: I am always working on self improvement.
This book was the first book I've ever read that helped
me almost instantly to understand my relationship better.
This book is soooooo full of Wisdom it is remarkable !
Please read it, and FEAR NO MORE !! :)
Rating:
Summary: The Power of Love
Review: Don Migual Ruiz is right on in regards to the power of love and the affect is has on our daily life. This book can only improve your life. A good follow-up to the Four Agreements.
Rating:
Summary: Waking up to one's true self.
Review: In "The Mastery of Love," Ruiz describes the dreamlike process by which a person grows up in a culture and takes on its rules, values, and neuroses. He discusses in plain terms how we become emotionally and spiritually poisoned and how we perpetuate and intensify the effects of that poison, unless we become aware that we have it. Once we are aware that we've been relating to ourselves and others through trying to avoid pain, we can discover the love, joy, and well-being that lives relatively untapped in us. To have a great relationship, Ruiz points out, one needs to heal oneself, not their partner. Rather than dominate one's partner, "you are there to serve the one you love, the one you choose. You are there to serve your love to your lover, to be each other's servant." It all begins with you. The book abounds in valuable observations. The one that stayed with me the most is that, through awareness, we become responsible for our own lives and we recover our free will. I don't know of any principle more powerful than this. That alone is enough for me to recommend this book. I would also point readers to another treasure about living a magical live through awareness. It's called "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work" by Ariel and Shya Kane. Both these books, like ancient truths, are deceptively simple and immeasurably powerful.
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