Forgiveness is letting go of the mind. Or said another way, it is letting go of believing the chatter in one’s mind.

With that said, there are some helpful pointers in today’s lesson.

1. “Because you think your sins are real, you look on pardon as deception.” – I would word that this way: Because you think your thoughts are true, you think letting go of them is foolish.

It doesn’t matter if the chatter that plagues you now is fear about the future, a grievance against another person, a judgment against yourself or something else. The reason it is not let go and forgotten is because you think it is true. You think your mind is right.

Why do you think your mind is right? When there are so many people on the planet who would have a different perspective than you, what makes you so sure that your mind is right?

As one’s mind rises up to comprehend truth, one is happy. When one’s thinking is in harmony with truth, one is happy. If one is not happy, the current thinking IS NOT TRUE. You really do not need any other measure. If you are happy and at peace, fine; let your thoughts be. But if you are not, trust that your thoughts are wrong, and let them go. That is forgiveness.

2. “Forgiveness is the only thing that stands for truth in the illusions of the world. It sees their nothingness … and merely says to them, ‘… what you think is not truth.'” – Whenever you are not happy, this is what you need to say to yourself: What you think is not truth.

When a situation is upsetting you, don’t try to figure it out. When peace comes, you will know what to do. Instead, realize your thinking is not true. (You know that, because you are upset.) And let your thinking go. The sooner you let it go, the better. You do not have to go deeper into suffering before you decide to let go of thinking that is causing fear or unhappiness.

3. “The strength of pardon is honesty, … it sees illusions as illusions, not truth.” – In this context we need to see ‘pardon’ as ‘letting go.’ Letting go is ceasing to put attention on it.

It was helpful for me to see that I was being honest when I chose to let go of mental chatter. It was also helpful for me to realize I was willingly deceiving myself whenever I kept my attention with mental chatter. I knew I did not want to deceive myself, so this helped me to let it go.

4. “[Forgiveness] opens up the way to truth.” – It was also helpful to realize that if I chose to believe my mind’s chatter, I was blocking truth. If I want truth realization, I must free up space within the mind by letting go of the mental chatter that crowds it.

5. “do not allow your mind to dwell” – Today’s lesson is speaking in specifics when it says this, but I feel this is good to remember as a generalization. Do not allow your mind to dwell on any thought. If dwelling is happening, distortion and deception are happening. Dwelling, distortion and deception go hand-in-hand.

6. “Forgiveness must be practiced.” – In the movie, “Peaceful Warrior,” Socrates said there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. “Wisdom,” he said, “is doing it.” In other words, to know about forgiveness, but not to practice it, is not wisdom. Wisdom is practicing it. In fact, wisdom is practicing it, not occasionally, but with every opportunity that is given. Each time you notice your mind dwells with a line of thinking that is not creating joy in you, be honest with yourself. The current thinking is not truth. And for that reason, let it go

Today’s lesson begins by telling us we will take a break from the theoretical and come back now to practical concerns. If we will see today’s lesson as practical and not theoretical, we will shed the ego thought system.

Let me start by saying that the ego is inherently selfish.The ego always thinks of ‘me’ and ‘mine.’ It has no other point of view. Spirit, on the other hand, thinks only of purpose and wholeness. It has a broad perspective, and ‘me’ is completely unimportant. That doesn’t mean that the individual is sacrificed. The individual is loved as part of the whole, which is completely different than the selfishness of the ego.

I will also say that one of the most challenging things to teach is dropping selfishness. The ego is extremely protective of it. Yet, if you are to know the heart of truth, selfishness must be let go.

Today’s workbook lesson is excellent in its practicality, if you will use it that way. I did. The effect for me was that I saw my own selfishness in a way I had not seen it before, and this generated a change in me from a selfish perspective to a perspective of service.

When I first used this was during that period of time when Ron and I had agreed to marry, and then I began to sense that he was going to back out. I told that story in last Sunday’s service. (I will provide the link to the audio in the comments section below.)

At first my response to realizing he would back out was a lot of ego chatter. That chatter was focused on ideas about how I could still get what I wanted. It looked at the situation from many different angles, like it was working on a puzzle, and it tried to figure out the exact strategy that would get what I wanted. And yet, somehow I was blind to the selfishness in that until I tested what I wanted against the criteria in today’s workbook lesson. The test looked something like this:

1. I want to convince Ron to marry me. I remember there are only two alternatives, and in every choice I make I choose either ego or heaven. I accept that as true. I also accept there is no compromise, no ‘in-between’ option. This wanting is either ego or heaven, and I am here to discover which it is. If I convince Ron to marry me, will that marriage last forever? No. At best, “death do us part.” It could end in divorce before that. If I convince Ron to marry me, am I taking something from someone else? Cleary the answer is ‘yes.’ If he does not want to marry me, and I somehow convince him to marry me, I am taking his freedom to follow his own will from him. Is it possible that if I convince Ron to marry me, I will later feel guilty? Yes, I can see how that might occur. Therefore, my desire to convince Ron to marry me is ego and must be let go.

2. What if I do nothing? What if I simply let this unfold without grievance and let everything be? Will that last forever? Yes! I see how simply letting everything unfold and be as it is, is a non-ending state of being. If I make this choice, am I taking something from someone else? No, not at all ever. Will I feel guilty for this choice? No, it seems that I would only feel curious. And if I am completely genuine in letting everything unfold without putting my desires upon it, I would be happy.

And so, I made the second choice. That is how this lesson works in a practical way. Also, from looking at this and other choices this clearly, I could instantly see what was selfish and what was not. I learned to drop the selfishness, and live in a state of service, which is ‘letting it all unfold and be as it is’ while intuiting my little part in it, but never seeking for what ‘I can get out of it.’ Except for awakening, of course.

Link to last Sunday’s Weekly Gathering, as mentioned above: 

Today’s lesson is an interesting lesson. Is it implying that you should be able to heal the sick and raise the dead? Does it mean you can end wars by changing your mind? Or is the main point that there is no world at all?

I have seen many Course students give their point of view in answer to those questions over the years, but I don’t think we should get lost in those thoughts or those discussions. I feel this is the main point of the lesson and where we should focus our attention today:

Today’s lesson is good news. It’s just as Jesus said, “Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

It is popular today to say that seeking is the problem; one is already awake & needs only to let go of seeking. To me, that is kind of like saying, “You know the door opens, so why knock?”

Today we go even deeper into ‘Choice A’ and ‘Choice B,’ which were introduced in yesterday’s tip. Today we are told that we see a world of differences, which is not there, because we want to see it; we value it.

This is where A Course in Miracles and other truth teachings can become a little difficult to accept. You may feel resistance to this message. However, let’s put any resistance we may feel aside and look at today’s lesson and ourselves objectively (without judgment).

We are told that we see this world because we value it. Is that true? There is a way you can find out. How much of your time is spent thinking about you and the world from your point-of-view? And how much of your time is spent in awareness-watching-awareness, turning attention away from the world and away from thought, and turning attention towards the Self?

If we look honestly at how we spend our time, we can see which we value more.

In “The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss,” Chapter 5, Michael Langford writes, “How will you know that you have made Choice A? When you drop all unnecessary activities everyday, and use all of the free time thus created to actually practice everyday the most rapid and direct means to eternal bliss, you will know you have made Choice A.”

Let’s look at the story of Nisargadatta Maharaj. He said:

“My Guru told me, ‘Go back to that state of pure being, where the ‘I am’ is still in its purity before it got contaminated with ‘this I am’ or ‘that I am’. Your burden is of false self-identifications — abandon them all.’ My Guru told me — ‘Trust me. I tell you; you are divine. Take it as the absolute truth. Your joy is divine; Your suffering is divine too. All comes from God. Remember it always. You are God, your will alone is done’. I did believe him and soon realised how wonderfully true and accurate were his words. I did not condition my mind by thinking: ‘I am God, I am wonderful, I am beyond’. I simply followed his instruction which was to focus the mind on pure being ‘I am’, and stay in it. I used to sit for hours together, with, nothing but the ‘I am’ in my mind and soon peace and joy and a deep all-embracing love became my normal state. In it all disappeared — myself, my Guru, the life I lived, the world around me. Only peace remained and unfathomable silence.”

That is the story of how the world of differences disappeared and another, the divine Self, came into view. Nisargadatta valued truth enough to sit for hours each day with attention turned away from the world and towards the Self, until the former disappeared, and the latter shined forth as the only reality.

We contemplate this today: What do I want?

This is the “Consistent, Gentle Healing Group,” and so we are increasing our time spent in awareness-watching-awareness meditation gradually. Are we now spending at least 15-20 minutes a day in awareness-watching-awareness as we are asked? Are we doing the other homework assignments, which are intended to help increase our desire for truth?

Spend today in contemplation of ‘Choice A’ and ‘Choice B,’ and ask yourself if you value ‘Choice A’ enough to spend time each day consciously making that choice

Anyone who is familiar with Michael Langford’s work may have noticed “Choice A” and “Choice B” in today’s workbook lesson. These choices are laid out in Chapter 5 of ‘The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss.’ Here are some excerpts:

“The primary means to awaken the extremely intense desire for liberation is to carefully examine two choices everyday until the extremely intense desire for liberation awakens. …

“Choice A is Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss with no sorrow and no suffering. Choice A is Eternal Life. Choice A is to live as your true Self for all eternity. Choice A is absolutely perfect joy.

“Choice B is being identified with a body subject to suffering, sorrow, disease, death, violence, fear, anger, etc. Choice B is to allow an imposter called the ego to pretend to be yourself and to control you. Choice B is to allow an imposter called the ego, that has created all the wars, diseases, death, sorrow, suffering and evil that every human has ever experienced, to continue. Choice B is to have a temporary and therefore futile life that leads only to death.”

Today’s Course lesson asks us to look at these same choices. It says:

“Our emphasis is not on giving up the world but on exchanging it for what is far more satisfying, filled with joy, and capable of offering you peace. …

“The world you see is merciless indeed, unstable, cruel, unconcerned with you, quick to avenge and pitiless with hate. It gives but to rescind, and takes away all things that you have cherished for a while. …

“Is it loss to find all things you really want, and know they have no ending and they will remain exactly as you want them throughout time? Yet even they will be exchanged at last for what we cannot speak of, for you go from there to where words fail entirely, into silence where the language is unspoken and yet surely understood. …

“Such is the choice.”

This is what we are asked to look at today, Choice A and Choice B. It is helpful to consider these two choices honestly and deeply.

For me it came down to this: Even if this life is absolutely perfect by giving me everything I want, it will still end with death. When I looked directly at the fact that everything I enjoy is temporary and must end, I became ready to reach for what Jesus called ‘eternal life.’

Here are some more quotes from Chapter 5 of ‘The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss’:

“The ego is the source of all evil. The ego is insane. This is true for all humans. To produce so many trillions of horrors, the ego has to be evil and insane.

“Something in you longs for an end to the imposter’s dream. Something in you longs for infinite Love. Something in you longs for the end of all suffering and sorrow. Something in you longs for eternal-joy-love.

“It is possible to end the ego’s dream and to discover the true Self which is free of all suffering and sorrow and whose nature is infinite-eternal-love-joy. It is possible now in this lifetime, while this body is living.

“Co-operate with your Heart. Stop listening to your ego.

“If you turn your attention away from thought and towards awareness watching awareness and sustain that look for many hours everyday, eventually the ego dream will end and the true Self will be known.”

Today’s Course lesson asks us to practice awareness watching awareness for 30-minutes broken up into three 10-minute segments. I ask that you extend at least one of those segments into a 15-minute segment.

We have found the pathway home. Now, let’s walk it.

In ‘The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss,’ Michael Langford writes:

“54. What is the goal of [spiritual] practice? It is to bring the ego and its suffering and illusions to a final end so that only the true Self whose nature is Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss remains.

“55. What is most important is already described in #54 above. …”

From there, Michael goes on to attempt to describe awakening using other symbols that might help us understand what awakening is, and I will share some of what he writes in the comments section below, but I feel we should pause and look at what he has written in #54 above first.

Today’s workbook lesson says, “Each thing you value here is but a chain that binds you to the world.” NTI Hebrews 7 says, “Can you imagine letting go completely that which you seem to value? Can you imagine closing your eyes and letting it fade completely away? If you can imagine letting it go, feeling peace and no loss in the imagining, you are preparing to wake up from dreams.”

NTI Galatians calls the world a false god. It says the world is an effective false god because it allows us to feel joined, but it teaches separation. In other words, there are things here that we can value like nature, relationships, hobbies, etc. However, none of those things are eternal and everything in the world will eventually be replaced with suffering. As Adyashanti says, two things are certain in this world: tragedy and death.

In the movie, “The Peaceful Warrior,” Dan Millman walks away from the teachings of truth because he values his life as a star gymnast who has sex with one beautiful woman after another. But then it is all taken away in a motorcycle accident where his leg is shattered. This is how he learns there is nothing worth valuing in this world, and he returns to his teacher and spiritual practice.

I recently witnessed a similar story with someone I know. He had interest in spirituality and deep mastery with part of its teachings, but when I spoke to him of disappearing into the absolute, he said the absolute wants us to enjoy the world. I knew that was a projection of his own desire to enjoy the world, and I understood his desire. He seemed to have the world in the palm of his hand. But recently, things did not appear to go so well for him. He became very frustrated with the world. Now he is focused on the direct path, awareness-watching-awareness meditation.

As recorded in the Bible at Matthew 5, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” NTI’s interpretation of that is, “Blessed are those who have tired of this world, for they will be comforted.”

One way to let go of our value in the world and increase our desire for awakening is to let tragedy strike so that we are disillusioned by the world. However, today’s workbook lesson offers a gentler solution:

“Pause and be still a little while, and see how far you rise above the world, when you release your mind from chains and let it seek the level where it finds itself at home.”

I told you that spiritual practice itself motivates me to spiritual practice. That is the gentler method that is recommended by the Course. Practice awareness-watching-awareness anyway, even if you do not think you are ready to let go of the world, and the practice itself will prepare you for awakening.

Let’s review #54 from “The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss.”

“What is the goal of [spiritual] practice? It is to bring the ego and its suffering and illusions to a final end so that only the true Self whose nature is Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss remains.”

From ‘The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss’ by Michael Langford:

55. What is most important is already described in #54 above. An attempt will be made to describe the final goal further; however, such descriptions are not what is most important. The fact that when the imposter self ends, all suffering ends for all eternity and that the True Self has never had any suffering in all eternity and is always absolutely perfect love-bliss is what is most important. …

58. Describing the final Reality as Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss is the closest one can come in words without straying too far from the human frame of reference.

59. In the final Reality, which is the only Reality, there are no worlds, no places, no dimensions, no universe, no realms, no forms, no time, no things, no beings and almost nothing that any word in the dictionary points towards.

60. In the final Reality, which is the only Reality, there are no humans, no animals, no planets, no stars and no earth.

61. The final Reality is infinite awareness aware of infinite awareness. In the final Reality, which is the only Reality, is infinite awareness aware of itself and itself is infinite awareness. …

66. When the ego comes to its final end, what remains is Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss and nothing ever reappears. The planets, the stars, and almost everything that the words in the dictionary point towards never reappear. They were all part of the dream. Upon awakening, the dream disappears.

Comment from Regina: Based on this description, we can see why attachment to the world would keep us from awakening. That’s why it is important to see, as Adyashanti said, that only two things are certain in the world: tragedy and death. Everything here can and will be taken away. Will we wait for tragedy to propel our true interest in awakening, or will we take the gentle path by practicing awareness-watching-awareness now?

I remember the first time I read this lesson. I DID think “there is a kind of love for this, a kind for that; a way of loving one, another way of loving still another.” Back then, if a mother had told me that she loves a bug in the same way she loves her daughter, I would have either been appalled or simply unable to imagine it. But today, I am that mother.

The only reason it would be difficult to understand how a mother can love a bug in the same way she loves her daughter is because one has a misunderstanding about what love is. Don’t get me wrong. I have a more intimate relationship with my daughter, a longer-lasting relationship with my daughter, and a human-to-human relationship with my daughter. All of that is different than my relationship with a passing bug. But the love is the same.

Today’s lesson says, “If you believed this statement, there would be no problem in complete forgiveness, certainty of goal, and sure direction. You would understand the means by which salvation comes to you, and would not hesitate to use it now.”

This is true. I know it is true, because it is exactly what happened to me. I stumbled roughly with forgiveness until the day that I truly understood ‘giving and receiving are one.’ On that day it was like a light bulb went off in my mind. In fact, I call it my “Helen Keller moment at the well.”

Today’s lesson tells us that God/Spirit has not waited for our return to it to give its word to us. I think it is really important for us to realize that inner wisdom has always been there; we just haven’t always been listening. In fact, often we have purposefully chosen the opposite of inner wisdom.

To the degree that we are unhappy or suffering, that is to the degree that we choose the opposite of inner wisdom.