What is the Last Judgment?

Our special theme says, “The final judgment on the world contains no condemnation. For it sees the world as totally forgiven, without sin and wholly purposeless. Without a cause, and now without a function in Christ’s sight, it merely slips away to nothingness.”

Terms can be very confusing, so I will do my best to simplify the meaning that lies beyond any and all terms regarding awakening. Of course, to do this I will need to select and use some terms.

Ego – Ego is sometimes used to refer to the wrong mind. When “ego” refers to the wrong mind alone, it is completely transcended when the mind becomes purified and merged. However, “ego” can also be used as a more general term that means “sense of self.” When ego refers to a sense of self, even the ‘I am’ presence could be called ‘ego,’ although few people use that term in this way. The ‘I am’ presence is a divine sense of self rather than a personal sense of self. It is the sense of a subject, even if the only thing this subject is aware of is itself, (ie., consciousness aware of consciousness.)

Christ-consciousness – At the point where the sense of self is non-dual—that is, it is consciousness aware of consciousness—the sense of self remains, but it is seldom referred to as ego anymore. The divine sense of self is what A Course in Miracles calls “Christ.” Christ literally means “anointed one.” To be anointed is to be chosen by divine selection. It is fair to say that the sense of self as consciousness is by divine selection since it is created from source. It is the first sense of self. However, it is not awakening to the state that is prior to sense of self.

Nirvana or Manonasa – “Nirvana” means “blown out.” That means the sense of self is blown out like a candle is blown out. Manonasa means “mind annihilation,” which is the total annihilation of the sense of self. Both Nirvana and Manonasa are referred to as the final death of the ego. The Biblical term for this awakening is “the second death.” This awakening is beyond any sense of self, even a divine sense of self. It is also beyond perception entirely, since there is no longer a self to perceive. The mind, or sense of self, cannot imagine this awakening.

The last judgment is awakening from Christ-consciousness into Nirvana.

Here is another symbolic way of looking at this:

1. Duality consciousness, commonly referred to as ego, is like a caterpillar. This state is prior to any awakening.
2. The spiritual path is like the cocoon. The caterpillar enters the cocoon in order to transform, although it doesn’t know what it will transform into.
3. When it emerges from the cocoon, it is a butterfly. This is like the divine sense of self. Whereas the caterpillar saw the world from the ground, the butterfly has a completely different point-of-view. Yet, there is still a self with a point-of-view.
4. Nirvana is awakening beyond the butterfly and world perception entirely. Even the butterfly is seen to be a temporary phenomenon.

I see all things as I would have them be.

Today’s lesson begins with, “Perception follows judgment.”

As we saw yesterday, the ego’s purpose for judgment is to create the appearance of “me” and “not me.” Therefore, if we believe judgment, we perceive “me” and “not me.”

Let’s continue the practice that we used yesterday to surrender our judgments. By doing this, we surrender the mechanism of separation:

1. Look when judgment occurs.
2. Notice the perception of separation that is caused by judgment.
3. Remember your desire to see without separation.
4. Let go of your judgment simply because it conflicts with what you truly want.

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What is the Last Judgment?

The first paragraph of our new special theme says:

Christ’s Second Coming gives the Son of God this gift: to hear the Voice for God proclaim that what is false is false, and what is true has never changed. And this the judgment is in which perception ends. At first you see a world that has accepted this as true, projected from a now corrected mind. And with this holy sight, perception gives a silent blessing and then disappears, its goal accomplished and its mission done.

A Course in Miracles and NTI tell the story of two awakenings. The first is the awakening from a deluded state of mind, also known as duality, to a pure state of mind, known as non-duality. It is awakening from the belief in manifestation as truth to realization of everything as consciousness. In my map, which is called The Four Principles of God, this is awakening from the Fourth Principle of God to the Second Principle of God.

However, another awakening remains. That is awakening from the Second Principle of God to the First Principle of God. That is the awakening that our current special theme points to. Notice it says, “And this the judgment in which perception ends. … perception gives a silent blessing and then disappears, its goal accomplished and its mission done.”

Or as NTI puts it, “…you pass from a final illusion of beauty to Beauty that cannot be contained in illusion. You pass from form, which reflects Light, to Light, which shines into form.”

In other words, there is one awakening, which is awakening to Christ. And then there is a second awakening, which is awakening into the Father. This could also be called awakening to the ‘I Am’ presence, and then awakening into its source.

As we continue to walk the spiritual path individually by being fully in the phase of awakening that we are currently in, which for most of us is either purification or merging, we will also look ahead of us in order to become clear on the destination and the landmarks along the way. This will help eliminate the ego’s ability to confuse us into thinking we have arrived at the destination when we have not.

I judge all things as I would have them be.

Today’s lesson speaks of judgment as “a weapon used against the truth.” It says that judgment “separates what it is being used against, and sets it off as if it were a thing apart.”

This is something you can see today. Judgment, as it is used by the ego, reconfirms over and over that there is a ‘me’ and ‘not me.’ It does not matter what you judge against. With each judgment the ego whispers its judgment into your mind—”me and not me.”

Notice this today. Look whenever you judge anyone or anything. If it is as simple as judging the weather, notice there is a ‘me’ and the weather, which is ‘not me.’ If it seems like a righteous judgment, notice there is a ‘me’ that is right and others—’not me’—who are wrong. Every time the ego uses judgment, judgment is used to separate.

After noticing the separation that comes from judgment, “make a gift of it to Him Who has a different use for it.” In other words, surrender your judgment because you don’t want to perceive separation anymore. No more thought is required than this. If you think too much about it, thinking may lead you right back into ego and the belief in separation. Do not think. Simply:

1. Look.
2. Notice the perception of separation that is caused by judgment.
3. Remember your desire to see without separation.
4. Let go of your judgment simply because it conflicts with what you truly want.

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What is the Second Coming?

This special theme ends by saying, “Pray that the Second Coming will be soon, but do not rest with that. It needs your eyes and ears and hands and feet. It needs your voice. And most of all it needs your willingness. Let us rejoice that we can do God’s Will, and join together in its holy light.”

As we have seen, the spiritual path is made up of four primary stages. The four stages lead to a final awakening that is beyond those stages completely. It is an awakening that is beyond perception. It is awakening to the First Principle of God, which is the Source and ultimate truth.

The Second Coming is awakening to the Second Principle of God, consciousness. That is the fourth stage of the spiritual path. Although it is an awakening, it is prior to the final awakening. Consciousness sees with true perception. It knows all things in manifestation as consciousness. Therefore, it knows all things are one.

Merging is the stage that leads to awakening as consciousness. This is a stage of surrender, when one continually lets go of anything that appears to be a separate will or separate self and surrenders into spiritual intuition and the recognition of consciousness. Awareness-watching-awareness meditation is an important part of this stage. Practicing surrender as it is taught in The Teachings of Inner Ramana is another part of this stage. The Loving All Method is also a wonderful practice during this stage of awakening.

Purification prepares you for merging. Purification is a stage of clearing away false beliefs and conditioning. It is a stage of untangling or undoing. It is also when most people discover spiritual intuition. Inquiry is a very important part of this stage. Focusing on one’s willingness, spiritual aspiration or desire for clarity is also very important. Awareness-watching-awareness meditation is helpful, because it can help you achieve some distance from the mind, which aids immeasurably in letting go. The Loving All Method helps you gain freedom from your emotions and judgments, which is also very helpful.

In fearlessness and love I spend today.

Today’s lesson says, “This day, my Father, would I spend with You, as You have chosen all my days should be.”

Nisargadatta Maharaj once said, “If you desire to be free, do not neglect the nearest step to freedom.”

Let’s spend this day with our Father by paying attention to our individual “nearest step to freedom.”

Ask this question:

What is my nearest step to freedom?
What do I need to know and do?

Let writing (or speaking into a recorder) lead you to the answer. Start by writing the answer that feels true to you. Write to the boundary of your knowledge, and then wait to see what truth comes from beyond the boundary of your current knowledge.

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