The Book of Manuals Read online

  Paulo Coelho

  The Book of Manuals

  September 2008

  Translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa

  Summary

  Man and his manuals

  Convention for those wounded in love

  The warrior of light and his quest

  Rules for the 21st Century

  The art of the sword

  Manual for preserving paths

  Manual of reasons to love men

  Manual to help men understand women’s behaviour

  Julia’s manual explaining why men love women

  The professional crisis and its booby-traps

  Manual for real travelling, and not just so that you can tell your friends you’ve visited other countries

  The ten steps of the spiritual search according to the Tradition

  Manual for dealing with time

  The warrior of life and renunciation

  Carlos Castañeda and the sacred lineage

  Manual for being accepted in society as a normal person

  Manual for climbing mountains

  Man and his manuals

  There are several dictionary definitions of the word ‘manual’. The most common definition for the adjective is ‘done or performed with the hands’, but the noun has its origins among pilgrims, who could only carry very slender books in their luggage, books containing abbreviated texts and aphorisms as food for thought.

  I have read many manuals in my life, ranging from manuals on how to mend boats to ones telling me how to use a computer (nowadays, of course, the computer itself tells us what we should do). Gradually, I developed something of a passion for the manual and started to draw up my own, based on my observations of daily life. When I was asked to write a book, I thought: Why not collect together all the manuals I’ve written over the years and publish them? The result is the book you’re holding in your hands now.

  As I worked on the project, I came across some other manuals I had compiled, based on other people’s work: Carlos Castañeda, Tahlan, Mario Rosa and Stephan Rechtschaffen – all duly acknowledged on the relevant pages.

  The manuals written by Julia Dragan and Kristen about relationships between men and women were sent to me via the internet, and I give them due credit. Hard as I’ve tried, however, I’ve been unable to confirm that they are the actual authors of those texts.

  May I make a suggestion? Write your own manuals. It’s a fascinating exercise.

  Paulo Coelho

  Convention for those wounded in love

  General provisions:

  A - In view of the fact that the saying ‘all’s fair in love and war’ is absolutely correct;

  B – and in view of the fact that whereas in the case of war we have the Geneva Convention, approved on 22 August 1864, which states how those wounded on the battlefield should be treated, there has, up until now, been no convention regarding those who have been wounded in love, even though they are far more numerous;

  it is hereby decreed that:

  Article 1 – All lovers, of any sex, are given due warning that love, as well as being a blessing, is also extremely dangerous, unpredictable and capable of causing serious harm. Consequently, anyone planning to love someone else should be aware that they are exposing their body and soul to various kinds of wounds and that they should not, at any point, blame their partner, since both run the same risks.

  Article 2 – If struck by an arrow fired from Cupid’s bow, you should immediately ask the archer to fire the same arrow back in the opposite direction, in order to avoid being afflicted by the wound known as ‘unrequited love’. Should Cupid refuse to do this, the Convention requires the wounded party to remove the arrow from his or her heart and throw it in the bin. In order to achieve this, the injured party should avoid making phone calls, sending messages via the Internet, sending flowers that end up being returned, or engaging in any other attempts at seduction, since while these may yield results in the short term, in the long term, they always turn out badly. The Convention decrees that the wounded party should immediately seek the company of other people and do his or her best to ignore the obsessive thought: ‘This person is worth fighting for.’

  Article 3 – If the wound is caused by a third party, that is, if the loved one has become interested in someone who was not included in the original agreement, vengeance is expressly forbidden. In such cases, the following actions are permitted: crying one’s eyes out; punching the walls or a pillow; heaping insults on one’s ex-partner during conversations with friends; commenting on his/her complete lack of taste, although without ever besmirching his/her honour. The Convention states that the rule contained in Article 2 should also be applied: seek out the company of other people, preferably in places not usually frequented by the other party.

  Article 4 – In the case of slight wounds, herein classified as minor betrayals, sudden short-lived passions, a temporary loss of libido, then the medicine known as Forgiveness should be applied generously and quickly. Once this medicine has been applied, there can be no going back on one’s decision, ever, and the whole subject should be completely forgotten and never used as a weapon in an argument or in a moment of anger.

  Article 5 – For all mortal wounds, also known as ‘breaking up’, the only effective medicine is called Time. There is no point in seeking consolation from fortune-tellers (who always tell you that your lost love will return), romantic novels (which always have a happy ending), TV soaps or other such things. One must simply suffer intensely, making no use of drugs, tranquillizers or prayers offered up to saints. Alcohol should be restricted to a maximum of two glasses of wine a day.

  Final resolution: Those wounded in love, unlike those wounded in armed conflicts, are neither victims nor torturers. They chose something that is part of life, and so they must accept both the agony and the ecstasy of that choice.

  And those who have never been wounded by love will never be able to say: ‘I have lived.’ Because they haven’t.

  The warrior of light and his quest

  1. The Warrior of Light knows the importance of intuition. In the midst of battle he has no time to think about the enemy’s blows – so he uses his instinct and obeys his angel. In times of peace he deciphers the signs that God sends him.

  People say: ‘He’s crazy.’

  Or else: ‘He lives in a fantasy world.’

  Or even: ‘How can he put his trust in such illogical things?’

  But the warrior knows that intuition is God’s alphabet, and so he continues to listen to the wind and talk to the stars.

  2. For the warrior there is no such thing as an impossible love.

  He is not intimidated by silence, indifference or rejection. He knows that, behind the mask of ice that people wear, there beats a heart of fire.

  This is why the warrior takes more risks than other people. He is constantly seeking the love of someone, even if that means often having to hear the word ‘No’, returning home defeated and feeling rejected in body and soul.

  A warrior never gives in to fear when he is searching for what he needs. Without love, he is nothing.

  3. A warrior of light cannot always choose his battlefield.

  Sometimes he is taken by surprise in the middle of battles not of his choosing, but there is no point in running away, those battles will merely follow him.

  Then, at the point when conflict seems almost inevitable, the warrior talks to his opponent. Showing neither fear nor cowardice, he tries to find out why the other man wants to fight, what made him leave his village in order to seek him out to fight this duel. Without even unsheathing his sword, the warrior persuades his opponent that this is not a fight for him.

  A warrior of light listens to what hi
s opponent has to say. He only fights if absolutely necessary.

  But if he has no alternative, he doesn’t think about victory or defeat: he fights to the end.

  4. The warrior of light never forgets the old saying: the good little goat doesn’t bleat.

  Injustices happen. Everyone finds themselves in situations they do not deserve, usually when they are unable to defend themselves. Defeat often knocks at the warrior’s door.

  At such times, he remains silent. He does not waste energy on words, because they can do nothing; it is best to use his strength to resist and have patience, knowing that Someone is watching, Someone who saw the unnecessary suffering and who will not accept it.

  That Someone gives him what he most needs: time. Sooner or later, everything will once more work in his favour.

  5. A warrior of light is wise; he does not talk about his defeats.

  A warrior of light accepts his Personal Legend completely.

  His companions say: ‘He has remarkable faith!’

  For a moment, the warrior feels proud, then immediately feels ashamed of what he has heard because he does not have as much faith as he appears to have.

  At that moment, his angel whispers: ‘You are only an instrument of the light. There is no reason to feel proud or to feel guilty, there are only reasons to fulfil your destiny.’

  And the warrior of light, aware now that he is but an instrument, feels calmer and more secure.

  Rules for the 21st Century

  1. All human beings are different, and they should do everything they can to continue to be different.

  2. Each human being is granted two possible courses of action: doing and thinking. Both lead to the same place.

  3. Each human being is granted two things: the power and the gift. The power is what drives a man on to meet his destiny; the gift obliges him to share with others what is best in him.

  4. Each human being is given a virtue: the capacity to choose. For those who do not use this virtue, it becomes a curse, and others will make their choices for them.

  5. Each human being has the right to two blessings: getting things right and getting things wrong. In the latter case, there will always be a kind of apprenticeship that will lead him back to the right path.

  6. Each human being has his own sexual identity and should live according to that identity without guilt, provided that he does not oblige others to share it.

  7. Each human being has his own Personal Legend to fulfil, and that is his reason for existing in the world. The Personal Legend manifests itself in his enthusiasm for what he does.

  Additional clause: one can abandon one’s Personal Legend for a short time, provided that one does not forget it completely and returns to it as soon as possible.

  8. Every man has a feminine side, and every woman has a masculine side. One must be intuitive when using discipline and objective when using intuition.

  9. Each human being should know two languages: the language of society and the language of signs. The first allows us to communicate with each other. The second allows us to understand God’s messages.

  10. Each human being has the right to seek happiness, happiness being understood as something that makes you happy, but does not necessarily make other people happy.

  11. Each human being must keep alight within him the sacred flame of madness, but behave like a normal person.

  12. The only truly grave faults are these: not respecting other people’s rights, allowing oneself to be paralysed by fear, feeling guilty, believing one does not deserve the good or bad things that happen in life, and being a coward.

  Sub-clause 1 - we will love our enemies, but not make alliances with them. They were placed in our path to test our sword and deserve the respect of our fight.

  Sub-clause 2 - we will choose our enemies

  12a. All religions lead to the same God, and all deserve the same degree of respect.

  Additional clause - A man who chooses a religion is also choosing a way of worshipping and of sharing the mysteries collectively. However, he alone is responsible for how he behaves on his path and has no right to make his religion responsible for his steps and his decisions.

  14. We hereby declare an end to the wall separating the sacred from the profane: from now on, everything is sacred.

  15. Everything that is done in the present affects the future and redeems the past.

  All dispensations to the contrary are hereby revoked.

  The art of the sword

  (An adaptation of a few extracts from a book written for Samurai warriors and entitled Treatise of Tahlan, after the author, who was both a fencing master and a Zen monk.)

  1. Keep calm.

  Anyone who understands the meaning of life knows that things have neither a beginning nor an end, and that there is, therefore, no point in worrying. Fight for what you believe in without trying to prove anything to anyone else; maintain the calm and silence of someone who has had the courage to choose his own destiny.

  This applies to both love and war.

  2. Let your heart reveal itself.

  Anyone who trusts absolutely in his powers of seduction, in his ability to say the right thing at the right time and how best to use his body, becomes deaf to the ‘voice of the heart’. This can only be heard when we are in complete harmony with the world around us and never when we judge ourselves to be the centre of the universe.

  This applies to both love and war.

  3. Try to see the world through other people’s eyes.

  We are so focussed on what we judge to be the correct attitude that we forget something very important: in order to attain our objectives, we need other people. It is necessary, therefore, not only to observe the world, but to imagine ourselves into the skins of other people and to learn how to follow their thoughts.

  This applies to both love and war.

  4. Find the right teacher.

  Our path is sure to cross that of other people who, out of love or pride, want to teach us something. How can we distinguish the friend from the manipulator? The answer is simple: the true teacher is not the one who teaches us the ideal path, but the one who shows us the many ways of reaching the path that we need to travel if we are to find our destiny. Once we have found that path, the teacher cannot help us anymore, because its challenges are unique.

  This applies to neither love nor war, but unless we understand it, we will never get anywhere.

  5. Never believe in threats.

  We often think that the ideal stance is to give up one’s life for a dream: nothing could be further from the truth. In order to achieve our dream, we need to preserve our life and we must, therefore, know how to avoid those things that threaten us. The more we plan our steps, the more chance there is that we will go wrong, because we are failing to take into consideration four things: other people, life’s teachings, passion and calm. The more we feel we are in control of things, the farther off we are from controlling anything.

  Final dispositions:

  Therefore, if you want to be in harmony with your love or with your fight, learn to react rapidly. Do not allow your supposed experience of life to transform you into a machine. Use that experience to listen always to ‘the voice of the heart’. Even if you do not agree with what that voice is saying, respect it and follow its advice: it knows when to act and when to avoid action.

  This applies to both love and war.

  Manual for preserving paths

  1. The path begins at a crossroads. There you can stop and think about which direction to take, but do not spend too much time thinking or you will never set off. Ask Castañeda’s classic question: which of these roads has heart? Reflect on the choices that lie before you, but once you have taken the first step, forget all about the crossroads, otherwise you will be for ever tormented by that futile question: Did I choose the right road? If you listened to your heart before taking that initial step, you will have chosen the right path.

  2. The path will not last for ever.
It is a blessing to travel it for a while, but one day, it will end. So always be ready to say goodbye to it at some point. However dazzled you may be by certain landscapes or frightened by other difficult sections where it took an enormous effort simply to carry on, do not become attached to any part of it. Not to the moments of euphoria nor to the seemingly endless days when everything is difficult and progress is slow. Don’t forget, sooner or later, an angel will arrive, and your journey will come to an end.

  3. Honour your path. It was your choice, your decision, and if you respect the ground you tread on, that same ground will respect your feet. Always do what you can to preserve and maintain your path, and it will do the same for you.

  4. Be well equipped. Carry a rake, a spade and a penknife. Remember that penknives are useless for raking up dried leaves and that rakes are no good when it comes to digging up deep-rooted weeds. Always know which tool to use when. And take care of them, because they are your greatest allies.

  5. The path goes both forwards and backwards. Sometimes, you have to turn back because you have lost something, or you find that a message you should have delivered is still there in your pocket. A well-kept path allows you to find your way back without too much difficulty.

  6. Take care of your path before you take care of anything else around you. Attention and concentration are fundamental. Don’t be distracted by the dried leaves along the edges or by the way in which other people are tending their paths. Use your energy to care for and preserve the ground you walk on.

  7. Be patient. Sometimes you will have to repeat the same tasks, such as pulling up weeds or filling in holes that appear after unexpected rain. Do not allow yourself to be irritated by this, it is part of the journey. Even when you are tired, even when these tasks become repetitive, be patient.