For Those Theologically Inclined
What do you think of
A Course In Miracles?
Have any of you tried to do the lessons?
(i am reminded here of Yoda's "there is no try") but anyway...
I've done up to #124 or so of 365 lessons, but stopped about a few months ago. I've read the entire text.
Just wondering people's opinions, etc.
Most of y'all are probably familiar with the concept of "non-dualism" and "dualism" in spirituality, this "pure non-dualism" thing as suggested by A Course In Miracles, is pretty new to me...
later
A Course In Miracles?
Have any of you tried to do the lessons?
(i am reminded here of Yoda's "there is no try") but anyway...
I've done up to #124 or so of 365 lessons, but stopped about a few months ago. I've read the entire text.
Just wondering people's opinions, etc.
Most of y'all are probably familiar with the concept of "non-dualism" and "dualism" in spirituality, this "pure non-dualism" thing as suggested by A Course In Miracles, is pretty new to me...
later
Comments
the language was getting too 'thick' for me as well, too hard to 'decipher', it started getting too cryptic
edit:
i read the 400+ page text in like several months. was very insightful and provided a lot of answers to the questions i had at that time, but that was full-on too, reading the Text part of it... there's a lot there...
but you're supposed to read the text first before doing the lessons, so yeah i wanted to get through the text so i could start with the lessons.
before getting my own copy of Course In Miracles book (Text + Workbook + Manual for Teachers), i was introduced to what it was about by a new-age-ish friend and her mum and stepdad, and also through the book "Dissapearance of the Universe" ~ the book was quite helpful in getting an idea of what course in miracles is about
i must admit that i have a lot of resentment still lurking around towards Christianity, so i know Course in Miracles is not Christian per se, but uses Christian terminology and the teachings of Jesus to deliver their message, which, looks like, could be part of the "whoa... too heavy" part of why i stopped the lessons...
Read:
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Thich Nhat Hahn
Being Dharma: Ajahn Chah
The Quantum and the Lotus: Matthieu Ricard & Trinh Xuan Thuan
Note Buddhism is neither "New Age Crap", "for Asians only", nor a religion proper (although various schools verge on religion - the basic tenets are more philosophy/science).
A Course In Miracles is just the worst of pseudo-Christianity and pseudo-Buddhism without "getting it". It's cultish and pointless.
If it makes you feel bad it is of no use to you.
Neither indulgence nor asceticism are beneficial.
Drop ACIM immediately. Denying reality and sickness is dangerous. It's about controlling you. Instead, Buddhism empowers you as an individual to see the interdependence of your perceptions, your body, society and the nature of things beyond their appearances. Buddhism teaches experience over dogma. You'll intuitively know what is true and what is false. Good or bad.
Read those books, trust me. They won't "make you a Buddhist". They'll make you make balanced observations and allow you to make good decisions and actions - all without an oppressive, unnatural dogma.
Originally posted by johnq
.....all without an oppressive, unnatural dogma.
i sensed that was my real purpose of coming across the new-agers and the 'friend' that introduced me to Course of Miracles, and doing Course of Miracles itself.
it was kind of a journey through the dark side to know the light, perhaps very much like Vader...
basically for me the Course In Miracles "worked" by "working in reverse"... i think y'all get my drift...
well, maybe it's time to move on, maybe not, thanks for the book suggestions.
i'm living in malaysia at the moment and orthodox buddhism is all way way way too closely entwined with instituitionalised chinese culture and religion, so i'm taking books, buddhism and spirituality one step at a time...
also i've had some powerful experimentations with wicca last year, and that was good to get in touch with feminine aspects of divinity for me, and our 'pagan roots'
phew... i'm in a holding pattern at the moment, enjoying geeking out and slowly getting back on my feet helping to teach Flash at a local art college.
i've come in contact with some pretty dark and scary stuff, but beautiful expansively peaceful stuff... however after moving back with my parents (i'm 26), seeing a psychiatrist that is familiar with various spiritual teachings, and i'm on prozac and xanax now, things feel more 'stable'
i'm starting to get back a sense of confidence and gnosticism that i 'lost' about a year ago ~ mainly because of a moment in september 2003, just a few weeks before my 25th birthday, when i was lost on a mountainside in new zealand and really thought i was going to die, like that was it...
heh.. i'm starting to get a sense that i'm only at the beginning of another cycle, not a collapsing end as i did several months ago.. the fact that i missed out midichlorians being mitochondria+chloroplast, thinking it was only referring to mitochondria, has opened my eyes in a little way...
in the depths of darkness one can have some amazing insights but i tell ya, it's bloody risky. it is very dangerous... i'm not fully out of the woods but i feel like i have i'm now holding a lantern of some sort to guide me, one step at a time for now...
i do appreciate you all helping chime in and the intelligent discussions and sometimes wild geekouts that goes on on appleInsider...
take care
ACIM is all about making money from books, period. I doubt you got the material for free?
Be safe and smart.
Originally posted by sunilraman
i'm living in malaysia at the moment and orthodox buddhism is all way way way too closely entwined with instituitionalised chinese culture and religion, so i'm taking books, buddhism and spirituality one step at a time...
Each country there puts it's personality on the superficial aspects of Buddhism, but that is not Buddhism per se. No one owns it.
The gaudy trappings serve as a nice reminder to not be distracted by appearances. Hence westerners thinking it mere idol worship. They aren't realizing you don't just obsequiously, fearfully, ignorantly worship Buddha, so much as participate in a course of action he discovered, that is accessible to us all. (That's not to say that all Buddhists follow it "properly", either).
picked up about almost 100 lessons (here i go marking off the lessons like notches on my belt) just online - some people have put the entire material online now...
the 'temptation' is that 'what if there's something left out there in ACIM' that i'm gonna miss if i don't complete the lessons...
but that's kinda ridiculous because whatever it is, i have faith that the divine/universe/god/goddess/whatever/Self will present it as and when i need it, with a sense of clarity, not in a shroud of doubt. right??
Originally posted by johnq
.....
The gaudy trappings serve as a nice reminder to not be distracted by appearances.
gonna bail from this thread for now, thanks to all. peace and blessed be.