Daily Lesson

  

L e s s o n  10      

My thoughts do not mean anything.

<AUDIO> <VIDEO>
Hear Today's Lesson~Voice & Music by
Martin Weber-Caspers [maz] 
<GUIDANCE from ELDER BROTHER>

¹ This idea applies to all the thoughts of which you are aware or become aware in the practice periods. The reason the idea is applicable to all of them is that they are not your real thoughts. We have made this distinction before and will again. You have no basis for comparison as yet. When you do, you will have no doubt that what you once believed were your thoughts did not mean anything. 

² This is the second time we have used this kind of idea. The form is only slightly different. This time the idea is introduced with "My thoughts" instead of "These thoughts" and no link is made overtly with the things around you. The emphasis is now on the lack of reality of what you think you think.

³ This aspect of the correction process began with the idea that the thoughts of which you are aware are meaningless, outside rather than within, and then stressed their past rather than their present status. Now we are emphasizing that the presence of these "thoughts" means that you are not thinking. This is merely another way of repeating our earlier statement that your mind is really a blank. To recognize this is to recognize nothingness when you think you see it. As such, it is the prerequisite for vision.

⁴ Close your eyes for these exercises and introduce them by repeating the idea for today quite slowly to yourself. Then add:

⁵ This idea will help to release me from all that I now believe.

⁶ The exercises consist, as before, in searching your mind for all the thoughts which are available to you, without selection or judgment. Try to avoid classification of any kind. In fact, if you find it helpful to do so, you might imagine that you are watching an oddly assorted procession going by, which has little if any personal meaning to you. As each one crosses your mind, say:

⁷ This thought about _____ does not mean anything.
That thought about _____ does not mean anything.

⁸ Today's idea can obviously serve for any thought that distresses you at any time. In addition, five practice periods are recommended, each involving no more than a minute or so of mind searching. It is not recommended that this time period be extended, and it should be reduced to half a minute or even less if you experience discomfort. Remember, however, to repeat the idea slowly before applying it specifically, and also to add:

⁹ This idea will help to release me from all
that I now believe. 

Workbook - Part 1
 Introduction 

 <AUDIO> <VIDEO>      

Voice & Music by Martin Weber-Caspers [maz] 

¹ A theoretical foundation such as the text is necessary as a background to make these exercises meaningful. Yet it is the exercises which will make the goal possible. An untrained mind can accomplish nothing. It is the purpose of these exercises to train the mind to think along the lines which the course sets forth.

² The exercises are very simple. They do not require more than a few minutes, and it does not matter where or when you do them. They need no preparation. They are numbered, running from 1 to 365. The training period is one year. Do not undertake more than one exercise a day.

³ The purpose of these exercises is to train the mind to a different perception of everything in the world. The workbook is divided into two sections, the first dealing with the undoing of what you see now and the second with the restoration of sight. It is recommended that each exercise be repeated several times a day, preferably in a different place each time and, if possible, in every situation in which you spend any long period of time. The purpose is to train the mind to generalize the lessons, so that you will understand that each of them is as applicable to one situation as it is to another.

⁴ Unless specified to the contrary, the exercise should be practiced with the eyes open, since the aim is to learn how to see. The only rule that should be followed throughout is to practice the exercises with great specificity. Each one applies to every situation in which you find yourself and to everything you see in it. Each day's exercises are planned around one central idea, the exercises themselves consisting of applying that idea to as many specifics as possible. Be sure that you do not decide that there are some things you see to which the idea for the day is inapplicable. The aim of the exercises will always be to increase the application of the idea to everything. This will not require effort. Only be sure that you make no exceptions in applying the idea.

⁵ Some of the ideas you will find hard to believe, and others will seem quite startling. It does not matter. You are merely asked to apply them to what you see. You are not asked to judge them, nor even to believe them. You are asked only to use them. It is their use which will give them meaning to you, and show you they are true. Remember only this-you need not believe them, you need not accept them, and you need not welcome them. Some of them you may actively resist. None of this will matter nor decrease their efficacy. But allow yourself to make no exceptions in applying the ideas the exercises contain. Whatever your reactions to the ideas may be, use them. Nothing more than this is required.

ACIM Edmonton - Sarah's Reflections 

Lesson  10  
My thoughts do not mean anything.     

Sarah's Commentary:         

Jesus tells us that this is the second time that this idea has been used. The first time was in lesson 4. The only difference is only a change from "These thoughts....to my thoughts....do not mean anything". In lesson 4 we were told that "this is a major exercise and will be repeated from time to time in different form" so here it is again.  

So why would it be so important? Well, let's examine what is said about thoughts in the Course. If we look at Chapter 21 Introduction we read that "Projection makes perception" a very significant line in the Course. But what exactly does that mean? Well, to start, we all believe that there is a real world outside of our minds that we can see with our eyes and experience with our senses. The world seems to reflect reality yet we are told in Chapter 21 that "the world you see is what you gave it, nothing more than that. But though it is no more than that, it is not less. Therefore to you it is important. It is the witness to your state of mind, the outside picture of an inward condition."    

So while our thoughts do not mean anything while we think them,  we project them out and now see them as what appear to us to be real images in the world. Thus what is in our mind as thoughts is the source of the images we see. But what is it that we actually believe? We believe that the images in the world is what gives rise to our thoughts. We think that the world is acting on us and that what we see in the world is the cause of our thoughts. Yet these images are not there! The world of illusion is not real. It is just our dream. We are holding a belief system about the world as being outside of our own thoughts that is wrong.   

What do we do when we are feeling distressed, troubled, unhappy about a situation in our lives? We try to make changes in the world don't we? We try to solve the problem by changing something "out there". Yet  in Chapter 21 we are reminded that we need to "seek not to change the world but choose to change your mind about the world". Why is that? Because what we see in the world started with our thoughts.  Those thoughts are based on our beliefs about the world. Our belief is that the world is separate from our thoughts. We don't see that the cause of everything we see in the world is our own thoughts. So we are asked to look at those thoughts  and recognize their nothingness because they are really nothing but thoughtless ideas that we have put our belief in. When the lesson 6 says "I am upset because I see something that is not there" it is the recognition that our minds are full of thoughts and ideas that don't mean anything.  

"The reason the idea is applicable to all of them is that they are not your real thoughts". (1.2)  So, if our thoughts do not mean anything, what are "real thoughts?" The thoughts that currently occupy our minds seem like real thoughts, don't they? Yet we are told that there is no reality to what we think we think!! In fact, we are not thinking at all and our minds are actually blank.     

Jesus says we don't really know our real thoughts. He says that we "have no basis for comparison as yet." (1.3). And we won't until we have some experience of our real thoughts behind the illusory thoughts that we are thinking. When we do have an experience of our real thoughts he says we "will have no doubt that what you once believed were your thoughts did not mean anything." (1.5) What we have assurance of, however, is that real thoughts are currently in our right mind while illusory thoughts come from our wrong mind where we identify with the ego. The right mind is where the light of the Holy Spirit shines waiting for us to clear our minds of our egoic thoughts and turn these false thoughts over to the light of truth. What is wonderful about that, is that we have the power in us to change what we believe simply by bringing our false beliefs to the truth.  

And thus we will experience the miracle where our false perception is shifted. Does that mean we deny what we see in the world as just an illusion? Definitely not as that would just be a denial of what we currently believe. It only means that we look at our thoughts and be willing to acknowledge that they do not mean anything.  Currently I am involved in addressing a difficult situation that seems to have no easy solution. Lawyers are involved and everything seems tenuous. What a tremendous opportunity for me to look at all of my obsessive concerns and all neurotic future projections and bring peace to my mind by starting to recognize that "my thoughts (about this situation) do not mean anything." When I acknowledge that maybe there is another way to see this situation, I am willing to be shown. My wrong mind thinks it knows and uses past experience to try to solve a problem that seems beyond solving. When I do that, I do not make way for the Holy Spirit to reinterpret how this situation can be used for healing my wrong perception. His purpose is that I might use every situation that shows up for me to see that I don't understand and can be shown another way.  

  Par. 4 says that when we close our eyes and search our minds for "thoughts that are available to you, without selection or judgment", you might imagine "that you are watching an oddly assorted  procession going by, which has little if any personal meaning to you". So we are practicing a kind of detachment here. We are simply witnessing our thoughts. We are told to "avoid classification of any kind." It matters only that I look at the thought and watch them pass by without any judgment. So who is it that is looking at thoughts that include odd assortments of worry, hatred, anger, jealousy, sadness, frustration, discomfort, fantasies, planning, anticipation, strategizing, discomfort or whatever. My mind may be chewing on a grievance against someone, strategizing how to get even, looking at how to fix a relationship, solve a problem or a myriad of other odd assortment of thoughts. When I step back to a place outside of this thinking mind, then I can join with Jesus or the Holy Spirit, or whatever the symbol of eternal love is for you, and watch the self that is doing this thinking. It is just a character in the dream. But I can step out of the dream and become the observer of this character that is thinking that it is thinking meaningful thoughts. It is an important exercise because "This idea will help to release me from all that I now believe" (4.3) " Incredible as that sounds the basis for what I believe is that I have actually left the truth of who I am and separated from Love! It is my belief that I am now different and separate from you and everyone else and have a special, individual self that I call Sarah.

It is not an easy exercise because our thoughts are so much on automatic pilot that we are not aware of them most of the time. And when we try to look at what we are thinking about it can be difficult for the untrained mind to do.  

If any of these exercises are a strain, there is a reminder here that we should then reduce that time to less than a minute. Just be aware of any resistance. It is there! And try not to judge the thoughts that come up. It is helpful to recognize that they are not important, meaningful, good, bad, big, insignificant, beautiful, tragic....they are nothing. When we categorize them and put judgment on them, we are believing that what is actually nothing and means nothing is indeed important and something. I find that if I am feeling particularly vengeful or angry, that I do judge myself for these kinds of thoughts and reactions. I think of them as bad thoughts. I then think of myself as not loving and not spiritual.  Or I judge that some of my thoughts are meaningful and important. Based on those judgments I think of myself as naughty or nice. But we need to remind ourselves that it is important to look at all thoughts without judgment. Behind these thoughts is where the truth lies. Judging our thoughts simply makes them real and important. They are not!  

So the purpose of what we are doing in this exercise, is to recognize the blocks that are keeping our real thoughts away.  These thoughts cover over the truth of who we are and also keep us from hearing guidance from the Holy Spirit. Our thoughts are what keep us from recognizing the Self that wants to reveal It Self to us yet we are afraid to know it. Who will I be without my thoughts, I may wonder. We have used all kinds of words and ideas about ourselves in constructing who we think we are. This self concept that we have constructed and the world that we think is there is all that covers over the mystical which we think we have lost. Yes, we have lost our way, but we can never change who we are as the Christ Self. This journey is about coming to awareness of this Self. We may be nervous about what it means to know the Self that we are, but that is just another meaningless thought.  

The power is in us to do our part. No one can do it for us. As Jesus reminds us in Chapter 2.VII "You may still complain about fear, but you nevertheless persist in making yourself fearful. I have already indicated that you cannot ask me to release you from fear. I know it does not exist but you do not. If I intervened between your thoughts and their results, I would be tampering with a basic law of cause and effect; the most fundamental law there is. I would hardly help you if I depreciated the power of your own thinking. This would be in direct opposition to the purpose of this courses. It is much more helpful to remind you that you do not guard your thoughts carefully enough. You may feel at this point it would take a miracle to enable you to do this, which is perfectly true. You are not used to miracle-minded thinking, but you can be trained to think that way."

Love and blessings, Sarah 

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A Course in Miracles   
TEXT  

Chapter One 

Introduction to Miracles

I. Principles of Miracles

44. ⁷¹ Miracles arise from a miraculous state of mind. By being one, this state of mind goes out to anyone, even without the awareness of the miracle worker himself. The impersonal nature of miracles is because the Atonement itself is one, uniting all creations with their Creator.

45. ⁷² The miracle is an expression of an inner awareness of Christ and the acceptance of His Atonement. The mind is then in a state of grace and naturally becomes gracious both to the host within and the stranger without. By bringing in the stranger, he becomes your brother.

46. ⁷³ A miracle is never lost. It touches many people you do not even know and sometimes produces undreamed of changes in forces of which you are not even aware. That is not your concern. The miracle will always bless you.

⁷⁴ The miracles you are not asked to perform have not lost their value. They are still expressions of your own state of grace, but the action aspect of the miracle should be Christ-controlled because of His complete awareness of the whole plan. The impersonal nature of miracle-mindedness ensures your grace, but only Christ is in a position to know where grace can be bestowed.

47. ⁷⁵ Miracle-mindedness means miracle-readiness. Readiness means that you should always keep your perceptions straight, so that you will always be ready, willing, and able. These are the essentials for "listen, learn, and do." You must be ready to listen, willing to learn, and able to do. Only the last is involuntary because it is the application of miracles which must be Christ-controlled. The other two, which are the voluntary aspects of miracle-mindedness, are up to you.

48. ⁷⁶ Awe is an inappropriate response to miracles.

⁷⁷ Revelation is literally unspeakable because it is an experience of unspeakable love. Awe should be reserved for revelation, to which it is perfectly and correctly applicable. It is not appropriate for miracles because a state of awe is worshipful. It implies that one of a lesser order stands before a greater one. This is the case only when a Soul stands before its Creator. Souls are perfect creations and experience awe only in the Presence of the Creator of perfection.

⁷⁸ The miracle, on the other hand, is a sign of love among equals. Equals cannot be in awe of one another because awe implies inequality. It is therefore an inappropriate reaction to me. An elder brother is entitled to respect for his greater experience and a reasonable amount of obedience for his greater wisdom. He is also entitled to love because he is a brother and also to devotion if he is devoted. It is only my devotion that entitles me to yours. There is nothing about me that you cannot attain. I have nothing that does not come from God. The main difference between us as yet is that I have nothing else. This leaves me in a state of true holiness, which is only a potential in you.

⁷⁹ "No man cometh unto the Father but by me" is among the most misunderstood statements in the Bible. It does not mean that I am in any way separate or different from you except in time, which does not really exist at all. Actually, the quotation is more meaningful if it is considered on a vertical rather than a horizontal axis. Regarded along the vertical, man stands below me and I stand below God. In the process of "rising up," I am higher. This is because, without me, the distance between God and man would be too great for you to encompass.

⁸⁰ I bridge the distance as an elder brother to man on the one hand and as a Son of God on the other. My devotion to my brothers has placed me in charge of the Sonship, which I can render complete only to the extent to which I can share it. This may appear to contradict the statement, "I and my Father are one," but there are still separate parts in the statement in recognition that the Father is greater. (The original statement was "are of one kind"). The Holy Spirit is the bringer of revelations. Revelations are indirectly inspired by me because I am close to the Holy Spirit and alert to the revelation-readiness of my brothers. I can thus bring down to them more than they can draw down to themselves.

49. ⁸¹ The Holy Spirit is the highest communication medium. Miracles do not involve this type of communication because they are temporary communication devices. When man returns to his original form of communication with God, the need for miracles is over. The Holy Spirit mediates higher to lower communication, keeping the direct channel from God to man open for revelation. Revelation is not reciprocal. It is always from God to man. The miracle is reciprocal because it involves equality.

50. ⁸² The miracle is a learning device which lessens the need for time. In the longitudinal or horizontal plane, the recognition of the true equality of all the members of the Sonship appears to involve almost endless time. However, the sudden shift from horizontal to vertical perception which the miracle entails introduces an interval from which the doer and the receiver both emerge much farther along in time than they would otherwise have been.

⁸³ The miracle thus has the unique property of shortening time by rendering the space of time it occupies unnecessary. There is no relationship between the time a miracle takes and the time it covers. It substitutes for learning that might have taken thousands of years. It does this by the underlying recognition of perfect equality and holiness between the doer and the receiver on which the miracle rests.

⁸⁴ We said before that the miracle abolishes time. It does this by a process of collapsing it and thus abolishing certain intervals within it. It does this, however, within the larger temporal sequence. It establishes an out-of-pattern time interval which is not under the usual laws of time. Only in this sense is it timeless. By collapsing time, it literally saves time. Much as daylight saving time does, it rearranges the distribution of light.