The Secret of Carlos Castaneda 2018

I read most of his books starting in the 70's. I then had the opportunity to attend a lecture Castaneda gave here in California in the 80's. He, Florinda and some apprentices rented a hall. It was advertised through word of mouth. Fascinating talk, and then he answered questions from the audience. He was generous with his time. We all paid five dollars to get in, and then, after the lecture, they divided the cost of the hall by the number of people who attended, and then they refunded the excess money to each of us. Quite extraordinary.

In the 80s Soviet Union Castaneda's books were available in the form of typed up letter size bundle of pages that were xeroxed and distributed among people who were interested. I was able to read about 5 books by Castaneda in that format. I read them as a spiritual seeker and as a philologist. They were in Russian language and I never knew who had translated them. I appreciate mentioning of the Russian translator, Vasiliy Maximov, in the beginning of this documentary. Eventually I moved to the United States and that’s where I saw Castaneda's books in a book format :). In the summer of 1996, when I stayed at one of the Tibetan Buddhist centers in the Rocky Mountains, there was a group of students from Mexico City. One evening I saw them practice Tensegrity exercises. They gladly showed me how to do some of these exercises, and I am forever thankful. I remember them as "very cool," benevolent group of people. Although I was very impressed by Castaneda’s books - especially the earlier books because, I remember, it was harder to read his later books - it did not happen that I joined any of his groups, and instead I became a student of Tibetan Buddhism. I see some of the similarities in Castaneda's teachings about assemblage of points to create different realities and the way Tibetan Buddhism views how mind works. For example, one of the great teachers in Nyingma school, Tarthan Tulku, wrote: "Mind, like space, has no foundation. It is not a palpable or solid thing, and it does not do anything. Rather, the mind is a sign of a specific focal setting being taken on Great Space." I am thankful to the makers of this documentary - mostly a Russian crew, as I see. I bow to all the people who have contributed to this film! Art works presented in this film are Amazing!

I devoured these books 50 years ago. I'm about to reread them. Thank you!

Around 1970 , my sister came home from college w The Teachings of Don Juan. I read it and gave a book report on it to my 9th grade class. I started it.”Death sits on my left shoulder…”. I remember my teacher looked up. She had this look on her face like , she was expecting just another boring book report but was suddenly riveted. Castaneda had an effect on me in more ways than one.

Carlos me ayudó con sus libros a quebrar mi conciencia lógica, me ayudó a descarrilarme de las vías de lo normal y a considerar por un momento, que todos llevamos al chamán, al yogui dentro de nosotros. "Detén el diálogo interno", detén la mente y atisba al ser que eres, la realidad que eres: Energía e Intención. "Te das demasiada importancia personal", te dejas llevar por tu ego (chiquitito, "pinche demonio chiquitito") el cual quiere enseñorearse sin ninguna calificación, sin conocimiento. A eso me ayudaste Carlos, a sentirme un ser que necesitaba más conocimiento, más práctica y más humildad.

I stumbled upon Castaneda's books in a second-hand bookshop in Melbourne and bought the first 4 intrigued by the covers. For me, they were fascinating in that they change the way one looks at things. They are also a great introduction to quantum physics. The world our senses are trained and able to perceive things is not what they are in reality. This doco inspired me to read them again. I find living like a warrior very attractive. My discipline is so poor, I won't even attempt to live like one. Our planet would be much healthier if the majority of humans lived a disciplined life and were conscious of the consequences/impact of the choices made.

I read his books many years ago and was blown away! I reread his first book again not long time ago and still was amazed and fascinated by it!!

Easier to dismiss Carlos and his experiences with Don Juan than to question ones own shallow understanding of reality and give his books serious and open attention...

Everyone always talks about the drugs in his books but for me the ultimate drug was his imagination and creativity. Gratitude for the doors he opens. Now and forever.

His book "A Separate Reality" changed my life. So much that I ended up living with the Zapotec Indians in Oaxaca for a year. RIP Professor.

The truth can be stranger than fiction, reality is ultimately subjective.

I read “Journey to Ixtlan” in 1980 and it was one of the most influential books in my lifetime , it showed me that the way I looked at the world was quite right…🙃👍

During the late 60's and beyond, I, along with many friends, waited for each book to be published with great anticipation and celebration with each one. I have re-read them many times over the course of my 76 years. I began to follow a very different spiritual practice earjy on, but the books have remained an inspiration. It's about time to dust them off again!

I was absolutely in love with Castenada’s books, way back in 74 , (or earlier?). I never for a moment thought any part of the stories were made up. I owe Carlos an immense amount of gratitude. His books led me to my own spiritual guide 50 years ago, and the amazing journey hasn’t ended. While read8ng Carlos’s books, I begged God for my own guide & got one through the incredible “The Spiritual Notebook” by Paul Twitchell. Life was turned on its head, my dreams completely changed bc of the sacred word HU that I found in the book. All these years I chant the sacred word HU daily, & it opened the door to time travel, seeing the future & many past lives, healing, and pure love. We have no idea what we’re missing until we have it. The HU is now on many YT channels, & the one w/ the quotes is great! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

In continual pursuit of an impeccable warrior's life, after reading the books by Carlos as a teenager, I studied the Silva Mind Control Method of Jose Silva. This path eventually led me to study Remote Viewing. With the use of Extended Remote Viewing protocols, I believe I've been able to walk in beauty as a shaman who honors the knowledge my soul acquires in past lifetimes. I salute you Carlos for inspiring my journey.

The BEST documentary on YouTube about Carlos Castaneda and the teachings of Don Juan. If you've read the books and practiced the teachings, the many insightful comments by respected students and colleagues will help illuminate your own journey as well as shed light on the enigmatic man. Thank you for posting this!

This is an excellent documentary and I recommend it to anyone who has had interest in Castaneda's work. I was fortunate to attend a rare lecture by him at Stony Brook University in about 1971 or so. My main recollection of that talk was how sincere he was in relating his stories and that he, despite some of the far-flung aspects of these tales, did not seem at all like a charlatan. I also remember him talking about the "bonds of intentionality", I think his metaphor for the limiting beliefs our cultures make us internalize, and the need to see through them.

Thank you for this documentary 💝 I have read and loved all his books. A friend tried to make him some kind of drug addict… I loved Don Juan’s lessons and never forgot the ‘clock’ that determines our daily routine arbitrarily . Forever grateful for his books🙏

So glad you focused on the non-ordinary aspect of Castaneda's contribution - his is a gift that obviously keeps on giving. Half a dozen books i read as a teenager changed the trajectory of my life - Hesse, Pirsig, and Yaki Way of Knowledge were a potent trinity.

Appreciate the film so very much .. Carlos’ books helped me enormously as a young adult, experiencing life as an outlier. The work via Castaneda’s books allowed me to fully be me in those moments. When I read the early books, I felt the work, travelled with the work, literally entered the page of description, as he wrote it. The later books felt more convoluted to me, in the sense I couldn’t enter the work so clearly. (And this could of course be more about me than the books, for sure.) All love to all students