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A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume: Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers

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A COURSE IN MIRACLES is an astonishing set of three books that are now available in one combined volume printed on "bible-thin" paper. For those unfamiliar with "the Course" (as "students" are inclined to call it), it is not a class, a cult, or a religion. The Course is set up in the format of a class, with a Text, a Workbook For Students, and a Manual for Teachers and is primarily intended to be studied on one's own. But many students like to form "study groups." Neither approach to studying the Course is "right" or "wrong."

The Course is a non-dual system of spiritual psychotherapy. Non-dual means that there is no "good" or "bad," there are no opposites. A common mistake people make in interpreting the non-duality of A COURSE IN MIRACLES is to think it means that only the "good" things in the world are real and that the "bad" things aren't. The Course could therefore be seen as just an extension of "New Age Positivism." A next logical step in this misunderstanding of Course theory is to focus on the "good" things in the world and to be contemptuous of those who do not agree with you about what is good. This is where we can get caught in the trap of attempting to "enlighten" others. What the Course's non-duality really means is that the very concept of "good" and "bad" is an illusion. This points to the profound metaphysical teaching that our personal identities themselves are illusions. And since the Course aims at "removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence" (Introduction, p. 2), it could even be thought of as a type of "negativism." Ultimately, Love is all that is real. But the Course teaches that this world was not made by Love and is not a loving place. Trying to make this world loving is futile.

Many people have commented that the Course really is not all that "new" in this point-of-view because Hinduism and schools of Buddhism have been teaching non-duality for millennia. But the Course even goes beyond those forms of non-duality by saying that the world is not only an illusion, it is an illusion made by the ego as an attack on God (workbook p. 403). God is all perfect, loving, eternal, changeless, formless, and no division or opposites reside within Him. (The Course uses the masculine term for God exclusively, but acknowledges that this is just a symbol. Since God is formless and timeless and is not anthropomorphic, God does not have a body and cannot be either male or female.) If we look around the world we will see that everything in it will either change or die, has an opposite, and has a physical form. God cannot have created the world we see since God only creates like Himself. The Course says this is a dream world, and there is no difference between our "waking" and "sleeping" dreams. Both are insane.

Everything the Course says is on the level of content, not form. The Course only offers advice on how we should "perceive" things, not how we should "do" things. When the Course says to be defenseless it is really just pointing back to its metaphysical teaching that we are not our bodies but are Spirit. If we are Spirit then we are defenseless because Spirit is eternal and changeless. When the Course says to be defenseless it means to "remind ourselves" that our true reality is not in this world but in the "Real World" of Spirit. And that is what the Course refers to as a "miracle": a change in perception. We are to change our perception of ourselves. No behavior in this world, no rituals, no amount of group study, no advertising the Course itself, will bring us salvation. The Course teaches that "my salvation comes from me," and it means that only we can "save" ourselves by changing our minds about ourselves.

The Course is not "literally" channeled from Jesus. In A COURES IN MIRACLES "the Name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol. But it stands for a love that is not of this world" (Manual For Teachers p. 58). Jesus in A COURSE IN MIRACLES could easily be replaced with the words "Higher Mind" "Christ Consciousness" "Cosmic Consciousness" or any other name to denote Eternal Love. When Helen Schucman said the Course was channeled from Jesus, she meant it came from that place in her mind that is still in touch with the completely abstract non-temporal and non-physical awareness of only Love. The reason she chose the word "Jesus" to denote that awareness is because there is so much pain centered on the word and figure of Jesus ("Some bitter idols have been made of him who would be only brother to the world." Manual for Teachers, p. 88). Jesus is the most powerful and important man and concept in the western world. Indeed, even our calendar marks the days since his death. If we in the Western world are to truly heal from the pain we are in and the mess we have made of things we will need to look at our most powerful symbols and teachers. As the Course teaches, individual identity is ultimately illusory and so Jesus is just an illusion as well. But in the Course he is used as a symbol for our Inner Teacher and for Eternal Love. This helps to correct the idea that our supreme symbol of love, as indeed Jesus has been purported to be, wants us to suffer. Ultimately, all concepts of Jesus only exist in our minds and we therefore need to change our minds about Jesus.

The Jesus of A COURSE IN MIRACLES is not the Jesus of the Bible, and the Course is not Christianity. The Course is actually an erasing of 2000 years of Christian doctrine because it says we got it all wrong from the start.

There has been a great deal written about ACIM and it all pales in comparison with the experience of the Course itself. That would include this introduction!

ACIM is not for everyone. As the Course says, many are called but few choose to respond. If you're ready, your soul will be hungry and ACIM will come to you. Read the Introduction carefully and see how it resonates with your Spirit. There should be no doubt if you're ready.

ACIM requires dedication and commitment. There is so much information in each paragraph of text that frequently one must stop and contemplate each sentence in turn! It is counter-productive to read on past sections one has not internalized, so patience is a must.

There is a meditation sequence that requires a minimum of one year to complete. Even if you are an experienced meditator, you will probably take a quantum leap in your spiritual awareness and for the first time comprehend the true nature of meditation. This meditation is required in order to grasp the underlying message of the Course and the ability to put oneself instantly into the Presence of God is emphasized throughout the text.

ACIM is a two-way street. Along with the peace and confidence that accompanies learning to see the world through the eyes of Christ comes the awesome responsibility of becoming a Teacher of God.

When I saw there were only six reviews for perhaps the greatest book every published I was a bit shocked, so I decided I had to do my own review.

I first did A Course In Miracles about 20 years ago. That means that I went through the workbook exercises, one each day. Only it didn't take me a year -- it took four years. But the results were astonishing because my life totally changed and it really did produce miracles.

I'm now doing the course for the second time and this time its like a whole new course. That's probably because I perceive it on a different level. WHen I first did it, I was having trouble with concept like I create what happens in my life. Now I teach that concept as part of my business. But now I get to deal with a new way to do forgiveness and making that a part of my life.

Anyway, this course is amazing. I would challenge you to do the first 100 exercises in the workbook without seeing a MAJOR change in your life. Perhaps that's enough said.


GET THIS COURSE.

If you truly want answers to life's deep questions, look no further. Beyond self-help, this inspiring book brings self-transformation. In a gentle way, your destructive life misconceptions will be deconstructed and the loving self that is your true being will emerge. My paragraph could not begin to do justice to this powerful book. Read it with no more than a willingness and you will find yourself.

I first found this work in 1981, five years after it was published. Although it is anonymous, it soon becomes apparent who its astonishing author is... Word by word, phrase by phrase, day by day, as I have opened this material whenever I am upset or confused, my Heart has found peace and my mind clarity...

"Resign as your own teacher..."

The book is so rich in interwoven themes, it is possible to mention only a few. To those who have read the book I ask your forgiveness for all my simplification. To those who are frightened off by the one-star reviews I would explain -- Yes it is circular and repetitive, but that is hardly a negative criticism: so is Beethoven's music, about whose value there is no debate. Most negative comments seem to characterize the Course's ideas as sophisms. But to call an alternative thought-system a sophism is always a form of attack, and no-one attacks save out of fear.

Why does it engender fear? Truly, no plausible thought system can be without initial assumptions, from which plausible progressions evolve. The thought system of the ego and that of the Course are completely different, but both entirely plausible, as outcomes with certainty, based on their respective assumptions.

The fear always arises from having those initial assumptions challenged.

A small challenge as to form produces only controversy.

A major challenge as to genesis or content produces fear, because the ego recognizes its identity is at stake.

The ego thus produces its own sophistries in response, notably perception and empiricism.

In the world of ego-constructs, it is common to dismiss faith-constructs as sophisms, precisely because their assumptions cannot be empirically demonstrated.

This is entirely circular reasoning because empiricism is a necessary outcome of perception, and perception is a necessary outcome of the ego. Think, if you will, of a painter dismissing the existence of a symphony because he cannot perceive its colors.

In fact, the sophistic nature of empiricism becomes evident when we understand it cannot be proved valid by any of its own criteria for validity. It too, is mere assumption.

When we can view the divergence between the ego's thought-system and the spirit's thought system, as two entirely plausible but incompatible progressions arising from different initial premises, then only one question needs to be asked. The question no longer is: which is right and which is wrong? It is: how can they be reconciled? For in their reconciliation, all wrongness vanishes. Peace is re-discovered. A Course in Miracles prepares us for this process.

The ego would retort: it does not seek peace, but challenge, growth, stimulation, pleasure, power, reward, etc. This is another certainty: a sure progression from the ego's underlying perception of scarcity and finiteness. This is the ego trying to blend its own prescription for happiness, by constantly re-arranging the deck-chairs on the Titanic. Spirit Knows none of this: it knows only eternal peace, which is a threat to the ego since its acceptance would imply an end to scarcity and hence once more the dissolution of identity.

All forms of reconciliation are, at heart, non-dualistic. Non dualism embraces the necessary and continuous evolution of momentary illusory form from formlessness, and by forgiving it, allows it to return to the void, a mere thought that never happened.

The ego cringes at what it perceives as such sophistry. Or, in a desperate twist, attempts to discredit it because it is not "real" Christianity. No it is not. Nor is it meant to be. It addresses us in familiar terms without meaning to take ownership of them. As Nietzche wrote, "There was only one Christian, and he died on the cross." The spirit smiles and sees the ego hissing and spitting in fear, and does nothing. Its peace is undisturbed, and by definition, undisturbable.

For a more detailed insight into the teachings and meaning of "A Course in Miracles" I recommend www.facimoutreach.org. This free website contains over 700 thoughtful questions and answers about the teachings of this wonderful book.

A Course in Miracles is a miracle! This book helps intelligent, rational people return to a belief in our higher power, God, Jesus Christ. This book explains how to be holy and happy by practicing forgiveness and non-judgement. As we grow day by day in Spirituality and become closer to God, we will finally realize the year-round love, peace and joy that we usually only glimpse at Christmas. As a Christian counselor I highly recommend this book to those with an appetite for discovery and growth. (especially the Workbook for Students section) Because of its length, I recommend that those who are not avid readers try out Veronica Ray's exceptional book, Choosing Happiness which covers the same basic material in a shorter, more practical length. (my book, The Practical Guide to Real Christianity is also available.)

A Course in Miracles is easily one of the most important spiritual documents to come out of the 20th Century. Considered to possibly be the single authentic scripture to emerge from the New Age, there is little doubt that it is something special. There, however, all agreement ends.

There are widely divergent views on what it says and what it means, even among the experts. I might even say ESPECIALLY among its experts, meaning the teachers and scholars who profess to have special insight. I've had help from both Kenneth Wapnick's work and Robert Perry, though these two teachers could hardly be further apart.

Even with guides it's a difficult book to comprehend intellectually and an essentially impossible path to walk with absolute integrity. Try living the Workbook and you'll see what I mean. The Course has meant a lot to me at different times, and though I see clearly that it's not my path, it's still an important stone in my path. I see the time I spent with it as an investment in this character's growth.

The Text, difficult as it is, is a beautiful block of prose that abounds with truth and insight. The truth is there, but it's not there by itself. I'll leave the figuring out of that statement to your own investigation.

Taking a rather unpopular view, I see the Workbook lessons, many of which offer great beauty and staggering profundity, as nonetheless primarily being tools to teach surrender, which is the unspoken common goal of most--and probably all--genuine spiritual teachings.

The Manual for Teachers is like a satsang with the author. It may be the wisest volume.

It took me nearly five years to complete my first complete read-through of the three books. It's embarrassing, but that's the Way of It. For three years or so the Christian terminology (no, it's not a Christian text) held me back. Once I finally shifted from loathing to appreciation of the terminology, then the language and presentation kept me from moving forward.

Finally, one day, something clicked. I'd done just what I'd been told to do: I simply kept "reading in the dark" and at last the lights came on. It wasn't quite this sudden or simple, but it was close enough. It took just a few months for the second reading. (FYI: The Workbook, if done correctly, will take at least a year to complete.)

While I rarely refer to it now, certain phrases and directions remain with me and ACIM holds a special place in my heart. Eckhart Tolle took me to it and Adyashanti peeled me away.

You won't know for a while, but if you begin to suspect this is your path, you might as well surrender (for Now) at the earliest possibility. It'll eat your brain until you give up. It did it to me just as I had read that it had done it to others. It simply will not let go. It wants who it wants and it gets who it wants. Until it doesn't.

Come on in, the water is fine. As to the controversy author, I'd advise you to forget about all that. Given that there is only One, guess which One wrote the book?

As highly recommended as breathing, as easy as jumping off a bridge.

This book is not for the casual nor the faint of heart; but is an invaluable source-tool for the true spiritual seeker that will guide you for many years. Journeyers will ultimately be guided to question every "false god" he/she unwittingly worships (which is not as easy as you might think)...and the transformational experience comes about uniquely for each one. ACIM says, "Many are called; few will answer" and transformation will only occur at the rate you're willing to allow. While certainly not required, it can help tremendously to work with an experienced group or individual to help clarify interpretations and deal with expected resistances. I'd advise anyone taking up the course: Don't skip the preface and feel free to begin with the "Manual for Teachers" section anytime -- even right in the beginning.

After a year long companionship with ACIM, I would rate the Workbook a 5, and the rest a 2. Not because the information is poor or not valuable. As noted by other reviewers, the material is powerful. However, it is ponderous to read.

Similar to many scriptures, the material requires meditation, thought and some real head scratching at times to try and understand. I think without some supplimental information put out by authors like Tara Singh and the Foundation For Inner Peace, I may have given up trying to wade through the hundreds of pages of other text - and I nearly gave up the entire endeavor a few times until I found some of these other helpful aids.

ACIM isn't for the faint of heart, and requires quite a bit of time and effort to get the most out of the exercises. If you are prepared to work - both on the exercises given in the workbook, as well as really work on trying to absorb and understand a somewhat abstract and obtuse text, it is worth a go. If you aren't, the frustrations will probably cause you to resell the ACIM used in short order.