A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is one of the most widely read and influential spiritual texts to come out of the New Thought movement. It has been sold millions of copies worldwide and is used by teachers and students from every walk of life.
It was written down in shorthand from 1965-1972 by Helen Schucman, an atheist who believed that she was receiving an inner dictation from Jesus. It is a spiritual training that reorients the mind away from its conditioned perception and toward spirit as the only reality.
The Message
The message of a course in miracles is that we are all one and everything that relates to time, space, perception, and death is an illusion. It also teaches that our minds are controlled by fear, that fear binds and holds us in untruth. It suggests that we must be willing to forgive ourselves and others moment by moment, and that forgiveness is the only way to work miracles in our lives. awakening movie
The Course has a lot of similarities to meditation, in that it uses the meditative practice of stilling the mind to access higher guidance and bring it into awareness. It also combines this with the bhakti or devotional aspect, evoking love and transcendence by repeating phrases such as the name of God.
It works with beliefs in a similar way to jnana yoga, which deals with discrimination between skillful and destructive beliefs, using meditative techniques that help the student to still his mind and open to spiritual insight. But it differs in that it focuses on the role of belief in the human experience, and tries to heal and transform the beliefs through meditation and other techniques.
Another important aspect of meditation is the ability to break through defensive barriers, to bring into awareness aspects of mind that have been unconsciously walled off. This can be especially useful in breaking through the wall of fear, which tends to be very hard to do and which is often a reason for people not practicing meditation.
In addition, the Course focuses on a relationship between a teacher and a student, recommending that students develop a mentorship relationship with someone who is a more mature student of the Course. These mentoring relationships help to foster a safe environment for the learning process and are essential for long-term success on the spiritual path.
There are many spiritual traditions that have a variety of meditation practices. Some of these are more similar to the Course's methods than others, but in general, they are very powerful and effective. For example, the Sufi tradition has a chanting of the name of God as a form of meditation.
The Teachings
The Buddha's teachings on the Buddhist path are not only filled with stories of his miracles but also the miraculous results of his teaching. When a murderer, thief, terrorist or drunkard realizes that what they had been doing was wrong and decides to stop their evil behavior, this change is viewed as a real miracle.
The Buddhist tradition generally eschews the use of supernatural powers, but this may not be the case in all Buddhist texts. A few Buddhist scriptures contain stories of the historic Buddha's feats of magic, clairaudience and telepathy. In these cases, the miracle is attributed to supranormal powers gained through meditation.
For example, the Buddha was said to have possessed psychic abilities that include the ability to see past lives and future lives; to read other people's minds; to hear and speak heavenly sounds; and to disappear mentally intoxicants.
Some Buddhist scholars have argued that these miracles are not the work of the divine but rather the results of the human mind's capacity for wonder and imagination. However, the notion of Buddhist miracles has not been entirely discarded, and some writers have sought to accommodate them in order to show how the Buddha's teachings are relevant to modern life.
In the Kevaddha Sutta, Buddha describes how Brahma interceded with him to turn his wheel of dharma. The Buddha also emphasizes that the supernatural is not necessary to understand reality for oneself.
The miracle of realization is not the ability to perform a miraculous act; it is the ability to recognize and change one's distorted beliefs, which are the source of the suffering. When a person is able to accept that their ego is unreal and that the world is full of impermanent, sorrowful and egoless forms, they are then able to recognize and practice Dhamma.
These are the highest miracles a human being can perform. They are the result of practicing the spiritual teachings of the Buddha and achieving a state of complete forgiveness of oneself and all others.
The teachings of a course in miracles buddhism are not especially accessible at first glance; they are often complex, confusing and challenging to the average person. They take time and practice to be understood, but the process is a gradual one that brings clarity over time.
The Practice
In the Buddhist tradition, it is common to hear about the so-called miracles of Gautama Buddha. These are supernatural feats that the historical Buddha is said to have achieved through long meditation and mental concentration. These include the ability to levitate, to multiply his body, and to read the minds of others.
The question of what exactly qualifies as a miracle has been an ongoing topic in the study of Buddhism. Most discussions of miracles in Buddhism focus on those stories involving the miraculous display of superhuman powers, but other events also qualify as miracles according to indigenous Buddhist classifications.
Some scholars believe that the attitudes of the early Buddhists toward miracles differed according to whether they were intended for Buddhist or non-Buddhist audiences. They argue that early Buddhists did not have a problem conceptualizing or affirming miracles, while texts for non-Buddhist readers generally portray them as problematic.
There is, however, a great deal of ambiguity regarding how these distinctions should be applied. Some scholarly articles in recent years have addressed the topic of Buddhist miracles from different angles.
One such article is Granoff 1996, which argues that early Buddhists did not have a hard time conceptualizing or affirming miracles. Other articles focusing on miracles in Buddhism have made more speculative claims concerning the nature of Buddhist attitudes towards miracles, such as Zin 2006 and Fiordalis 2010.
Another scholarly article, Gethin 2011, attempts to reconcile what constitutes a miracle in Buddhist literature with the traditional terminology used for them. It is a helpful and thorough overview of the issue, although it does not address all issues.
Despite the wide variety of sources on the subject, no scholarly monograph in any language has ever been published that addresses the entire topic of miracles and their role in Buddhism. Nevertheless, the issue remains a vital one in Buddhist scholarship.
The goal of a course in miracles is to awaken to the ineffable, that is, the higher self. This is accomplished through jhana or dhyana, the highest stages of meditation. When a person reaches this stage, they are in union with God and their practice of meditation is no longer necessary.
The Community
Throughout the course of the Buddha’s life, he performed various types of miracles. They were designed to awe and impress viewers and listeners in order to convince them of his teachings as the direct product of his own enlightenment, free from all intermediaries.
The most commonly discussed type of miracle in Buddhist literature is the demonstration of superhuman powers. Examples of this include the Buddha flying through the air, walking on water, and shooting fire out of his body.
It is also common to hear stories of the Buddha displaying his telepathy, or his ability to communicate with others through thoughts and images. While these may have been real, they are unlikely to convince nonbelievers, and they are easy for a smart cross-examiner to unmask.
However, other kinds of miraculous demonstrations were also performed, most importantly those related to the dharma (the Buddha’s teachings) and in particular to the conversion of non-Buddhist ascetics. These included a series of demonstrations of the Yamaka-patihariya, or twin miracle (PrS(Divy), Dhp-a), wherein the Buddha simultaneously produces two apparently contradictory phenomena (fire and water) for the benefit of those watching him.
One such display occurred at Sravasti when he was challenged by six teachers of non-Buddhist views who claimed to be superior to him in their teachings and practices. The Buddha displayed the yakka-patihariya as well as other miraculous displays to subdue their hostility and pride.
In addition, the Buddha often performed a variety of other kinds of miraculous demonstrations for the benefit of a large number of people or on special occasions. Some of these displays were particularly unique.
For example, at Sravasti he demonstrated the yamaka-patihariya or “Twin Miracle” in which he simultaneously produced fire and water for his audience on the ground. He did this for the benefit of those who prayed to him for help.
He also displayed the yamakapratiharya or “Great Miracle” in which he taught the Law of Love from the sky. This is one of the strongest materialisations of the dharma and was especially popular with women, who longed to be able to see a Buddha in the sky and ask questions about his dharma.
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