Comments for Commentaries on A Course in Miracles

Comment on The Paradox of A Course in Miracles by Dan Pallay

Dan Pallay — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:01:16 +0000

Your comment is a clear summation of the Course, if I may say so without sounding arrogant or partisan. And your reply indicates why the Course is incompatible with any other thought system or religion, and why it is a self-study course. Regarding the so-called teachers and baby gurus… There are so many! I met one a few years ago in Tucson, AZ, the Venerable Sumati Marut (AKA Brian K. Smith), ordained in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. I went to his lecture with my ex-wife, June, who is a disciple. This man, dressed in traditional Buddhist robes, gave a talk at a local church attended by his students who regard him as their Guru. Afterwards, June and I met privately with Venerable Sumati Marut. At the time I was an indefatigable Course student, as I am now. I recall being quite polite to him during our meeting, mostly a small-talk type exchange. He was intelligent (has a Ph.D. in Comparative Religions and taught at Columbia University) and showed a sense of humor. His robes and status established a kind of aura, which I simply yielded to – June was deferential to him as her Teacher; I was respectful, not because he was “above” or “beneath” me but because I am a respectful person, and also deferring to a kind of protocol in the moment. Venerable Sumati Marut, or Brian K. Smith, seemed sincere to me. Whether he was a true Holy Man, or Enlightened, I cannot say. He did not appear to be parroting concepts he had read or heard, nor did he claim, in the moment, to be experiencing no self, no world and no duality. He was a nice guy, respectful to June, and to everyone during his talk, and (I thought) fulfilling his Karma in a heartfelt way by providing a Western interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism to Americans.

Regarding your question (if #1 is the case): To whom would one be speaking in a state of no self, no world, no duality? Who would hear? Good questions! I prefer the dream analogy. In my nighttime dream, last night, What if I met a Guru who said he was AT THIS MOMENT experiencing no self, no world and no duality? Being it’s a nighttime dream, the “I” would be speaking to no one. The Guru and me are projections of my mind. The “me” in the dream is not here! And there is no we! In the dream I am speaking to me, so to speak. Any good shrink would agree: all figures in the dream are aspects of myself, and then merely illusory and symbolic. And when I awaken, in my bed, in the morning? My goodness! “Is it not possible that you merely shifted from one dream to another, without really waking?”

Comment on The Fourth Obstacle to Peace by kokopelli

kokopelli — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:13:53 +0000

Excellent thoughts. I think all we can do is to really understand our predicament and NOT pretend otherwise. Certainly false piety or bliss ninnyhood is not the way. In the Study Guides on the website there is a collection entitled, “Have you even begun to be a student of the Course?” Take a look at that.

Comment on The Fourth Obstacle to Peace by Dan Pallay

Dan Pallay — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:37:21 +0000

Yes: No other goals, no other loves – but God. That’s very scary indeed! It’s not too scary while I’m reading ACIM. It’s when I lift my eyes from the page! Then “God as the only goal” makes no sense! A part of me rejects this immediately. It’s not that I have one or two goals other than God here in the world. It’s that I have endless multitudes of goals; they stream in as soon as my eyes lift from the page: breathing, eating, working, clothing, shelter, family, friends, debts, tasks, kindnesses, responsibilities. etc. Ken Wapnick provided a huge insight into this…problem, for lack of a better word, during a workshop I took in the mid 1980s. Smiling, and very gently he said, to the audience, “You think you’re here!” Of course he meant: here, in the world. It’s not that I merely think I’m here. I am here! Seemingly. And here are the 10,000 goals. What to do? I can’t escape into some false piety. But I keep studying ACIM.

Comment on Meaninglessness and Despair by Verena Greve

Verena Greve — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 07:52:55 +0000

Now thats what the Course teaches: that neither the world nor the illusury self knows what anything is about.
And if we struggle to come to grips with that, it can only mean that we want it otherwise. And that is true for the ego. That is what the ego endeavours to prove: that it knows and has the answers.
What makes it possible to learn this, is reading the Course and following its guidance. What makes it difficult is that we insist on following the ego.

Comment on There is no way to reconcile ACIM with any form of psychotherapy by Ron

Ron — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:06:47 +0000

Hi, And thank you for the site. I am interested in discussing this point as I too think that your friend’s reply is inadequate. Psychology is the study of the ego, so says Ken Wapnick, a seemingly reasonable statement as it certainly is not a study of the Holy Spirit or God.

And we cannot deny the Course statement that there is no such thing as an individual. The problem is as I see it is that we still seem to be believe that we are manifest as an individual. If we aspire to transcend the “brokenness” of the incarnate state we have work to do, albeit illusory. If we then consider that psychotherapy’s job is to assist illusions to disappear, then it indeed has an important job to do. A job too difficult to do on your own, a “healed” psychotherapist will work “miracles” in assisting an “individual illusion” find his/her place, as the leap from illusion to absolute reality is far to great for most of us to encompass.

Thanking you for the opportunity to think aloud,
Ron Sherwood

Comment on Forgiveness-to-Destroy by Tom

Tom — Tue, 17 May 2011 05:38:52 +0000

I’m glad i found this site because the course has changed my understanding of forgiveness. I see forgiveness today as dropping every idea, concept, opinion, and judgement of everything and everyone . I don’t have the ability to know, or judge anything. From this state what else is there but Faith? I see no evil or good, I see only innocence. To some I may seem naive, but the Holy Spirit leads me now, and everything I experience is fresh and new.

Comment on Forgiveness-to-Destroy by Anne

Anne — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 15:51:33 +0000

I was seeking and I found the answer! This I know with a resounding YES as I asked to learn the practice of forgiveness, I was lead to remember what true forgiveness is. I welcome this knowing into life.
Thanks you

Comment on Channeling Jesus by Denis Boutin

Denis Boutin — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 02:21:16 +0000

It’s nice to read your comments. Actually it’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to hear from other people about the book ACIM. I’ve read numerous books and one led to another and then I finally I came across the book that has it all. This book changed me and still does every day. Jesus as always been my guide and my teacher. He is my guide because me and him are one. As me and all my brothers are one in God. Every thing said in that book makes sense. There is no contradiction, no telling you to search for external help of some kind. Every things is within us. We just have to let go of all the illusions to remember what we really are. I’m glad to hear positive comments about this book coming from other people. Although I’d really like to hear from you regularly, I know as well, that the ones that did’nt read the book need our help as well. I try in my every day life to put Jesus teachings into practice. Not a day goes by where I’m not put in front of a situation or experience, and have to make a choice. This time I have a guide that remembers me that peace and love is the only choice I have to make in order for those illusions to disapear. Jesus was an example for me and for many. I can only return his love by giving it to my brothers. Thank you all for your contribution to bring inner peace in every ones life.

Comment on Dreaming by Linda Langlois

Linda Langlois — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:27:39 +0000

Well, yes. Certainly agree.

The mind wrestles with these thoughts worrying about everything sometimes – even about having too many thoughts!

If it is a dream, no need to fix. Unless you want to REALLY get involved in the dream. Just relax and enjoy the show. Putter around watching the dream unfold as you watch what the player, the subject of the dream, does with amusement and joy. Or let it play like a movie in the background. Or wrestle and torture yourself, if you choose! My (this player’s) choice!

A tiny mad idea where the Son forgot to laugh. Laughing is seeing it for what it is. When seen as it is, it is like a child who sees monsters as being in every shadow, but now knows it is not true. No reason not to have fun with the show, the dream! Or not. This form does.

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.

Comment on Channeling Jesus by Linda Langlois

Linda Langlois — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:14:51 +0000

Over the years a very nice man has been e-mailing quotes from ACIM with sometimes a comment. Sometimes these comments did not have any particular relationship to the Course, it seemed to me. Then he started sending quotes of Raj instead of the Course. After awhile I wrote him privately about this matter – how different he seemed from the Jesus in the Course. At one point he sent me a tape of Raj speaking. Just the voice alone cemented for me my conviction that this was not the Jesus of the Course! So many “saints” put on such an appearance of being holy. The soft, “loving” kind of voice. It’s just all so sweet that it rang a huge discord. I see Jesus as one who does not put on any kind of holiness persona at all. He is wise without flaunting it. He is humorous – even irreverent at times. To me, this special sweet, “holy” kind of stuff is just another kind of specialness. It begs being put on the pedestal. Jesus is many things as we all are, but one way I like to think of him is as a wise older brother. No doubt he is holy, but it is not a holy that is set apart.