The Teachings of Don Juan. A Separate Reality

Carlos Castaneda is one of the most famous, cult authors of the second half of the 20th century. His first book is not yet the 'real' Castaneda. The young anthropologist cannot yet embrace the magical world of his teacher, Don Juan, and tries to write a 'scientific review' of the incredible events happening around him.
The anthropological community accepts 'The Teachings of Don Juan' as a scientific work. Carlos receives a master's degree and tries to escape forever from the reality of Indian sorcerers, which turned out to be dangerous for his usual system of perception. But Power decides otherwise: after two years, he returns — and a new cycle of learning begins. 'A Separate Reality', like the first book, is a description of an experience that he does not yet understand.
Listen to the advice: for a more accurate perception of the teachings of the Toltecs, start your acquaintance with the third book — 'Journey to Ixtlan', and only then return to the first two, for it would be too sad, on one hand, to be scared away by an inaccurate description of the Path and reject it, on the other hand, to miss the most important points of the Teachings that are found precisely in the first two books.
And remember that even if you read 11 books by Castaneda merely as captivating magical stories, considering them pure fiction, you will never look at the world with the same eyes again.

Quotes
'The path without heart is never joyful. Just to get on it, one has to work hard. In contrast, the path that has heart is always easy; to love it, no special effort is needed.'
'Being angry with people means considering their actions as something important. It is imperative to rid oneself of such a feeling. People's actions cannot be so important as to overshadow the only vital alternative: our unchanging encounters with infinity.'
'To be a warrior is the most effective way to live. A warrior doubts and reflects before making a decision. But when it is made, he acts without getting distracted by doubts, fears, and hesitations. Ahead are still millions of decisions, each waiting for its moment. This is the warrior's path.'
'He who has once overcome fear is free of it for the rest of his days, because instead of fear comes clarity that dispels fear. By this time, a person knows all his desires and knows what to do with them; he can discover or take new steps in learning, and all his actions are permeated with sharp clarity. A person feels that there are no secrets for him.'
'A person heads towards knowledge just like he goes to war — fully awakened, filled with fear, awe, and unconditional determination. Any deviation from this rule is a fatal mistake, and the one who makes it will surely live to see the day when he bitterly regrets it. Only those who meet these conditions are insured against mistakes that require a price; only under these conditions will he not act randomly. If such a person suffers defeat, he only loses the battle, and that is not something to grieve over too much.'