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Originally Posted by mgrean  The claim is that we are all one. That we have split ourselves into different perspectives and live out the separation from God over and over again. ... this is the way the ego sees the world. The Holy Spirit looks at the ego created world and seeks to undo these mistaken perceptions (by forgiving). In ACIM, true forgiveness is what is known as a miracle. |
Hm. Forgiveness is certainly a positive force in the world. I don't know that a belief that we are not separated from god or that reality is not actually reality is a requirement to enjoy the substantial benefits of forgiveness. However, if by "the situation is not real" you mean that "because it's a dream nothing is really at stake so there's nothing to take personally", I think I have come at this same idea from a different direction. Basically, I regard all humanity's egoic striving, all the hue and cry, as essentially unconscious non-thinking that has no actual meaning. This allows me to give people the space to be where they are and not take it personally. To distinguish between, if you will, a person and their pain-body.
It is more difficult to do this the more you open your heart to trust someone, because when you trust someone enough, there IS something at stake because you ARE vulnerable to them, regardless of what you think about the ultimate nature of reality. The towering rage of a complete stranger is for instance quite a bit different from the careless cruelty of a soul-mate.
I don't see any remedy for that, other than passionless detachment from outcome. But again, that isn't really dependent on or necessarily helped in practice by dismissing everything that happens to you as unreal. At least not for me. I suppose I can see how it might be a useful calming mantra for most things, but some things just are wrong and/or just hurt and there's no sense papering it over. Beyond a certain point, it's a fool's errand.
There is a whole mechanism for grief / loss processing that seems designed to take care of those cases anyway. Suffering can be generated if you don't acknowledge when you are S.O.L. This hurts, but in the long run, accepting that which is irrevocably lost (trust, innocence, unrequieted love, youth, death of loved ones, etc) frees you from suffering. In such situations, dismissing pain as unreal will get you stuck in the pain. I have been through things where leaning into the pain is the ONLY way out of it.
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Originally Posted by mgrean I use a line of forgiveness ( from Disappearance of the Universe) which I use all the time. As a result I am much, much happier and I am grateful for this course. |
Good for you. Whatever works, I say!
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Originally Posted by mgrean From what you've said, I can see that I haven't explained ACIM properly to you. I feel like a bad ambassador for its message! Please don't judge it from what I have said. |
Don't worry, it isn't your responsibility. A philosophical system that is generally useful for practical living sells itself. I haven't met one yet that has people lined up around the block to get some. However you have prompted me to read
The End of the Universe to glean from it what I can. There's that.
Best,
--Bob