'My mind is part of God’s. I am very holy.' - ACIM Lesson 35 and Self-enquiry.

 

Unveiling the True Self: ACIM Lesson 35 & the Path of Self-Enquiry

"My mind is part of God's. I am holy." This powerful affirmation from A Course in Miracles (Lesson 35) strikes a profound chord with the ancient wisdom of Advaita Vedanta, particularly the practice of self-enquiry. This lesson (35) is actually one of the closest exercises in self-enquiry that ACIM includes in the entire Workbook/Course.

Both paths (ACIM & Advaita), though seemingly different in their language and origin, converge on a fundamental truth: our suffering stems from misidentifying with a false self – the ego, the body, the ever-changing thoughts and perceptions. ACIM Lesson 35 guides us to remember our inherent 'holiness', our inseparable connection to God (or Ultimate Reality). It's a call to look beyond the ephemeral and recognize our true, eternal nature. It directs us to look both at the image we've made and use in our daily dualistic experience, and then contrast that to our timeless, eternal, unchanging natural state of Being.

Similarly, self-enquiry, as taught by sages like Ramana Maharshi, and also in some of the more direct schools on inquiry such as Zen Buddhism, encourages us to relentlessly ask "Who am I?" by turning our attention inward and disidentifying from all that we are not (the mind, the emotions, the roles we play); we gradually peel back the layers of illusion. What remains is the pure, unconditioned Self – the "I AM" that is ever-present and truly holy.

Both ACIM and Advaita offer a powerful antidote to the ego's incessant need to define itself through external validation and fleeting experiences. This is what the Course terms "image making". It also notes here that images can't see or have vision in and of themselves. Both paths invite us to sort through the clutter of the false self, to let go of the imagined image we project, and to rest in the unwavering truth of our divine essence. In this remembering, lies true peace and liberation from the ego-made self that we take ourselves to be.

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Workbook lesson official text:

 (https://acim.org/acim/en/s/437 | W-35)

Spirit or flesh? Consciousness or materiality?

A random Bible quote floated into my space today:

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." (Galatians 5:16-17) NKJV.


Now, before ye think that I'm getting all puritanical here.. quotes such as these, especially in Christianity, are taken either 2 ways:

1. Certain groups take the above to mean that one should strive actively, using will-power, prayer etc., against thoughts, desires, 'wishes', and especially inclinations of the sex impulse, in order to overcome such desires in favour of "holiness" or what they perceive to be "Spirit"- usually a belief or ideal concept. Usually also the ticket required to attain better states such as entry into 'heaven'. Most orthodox religions, conservatives, and traditionalist groups fit here.

2. Certain other groups take the exact opposite road, and rebel against the above, actively seeking to prove that desire is healthy, should be acted on, and that especially the sex impulse should be satisfied in whatever means available. Most Left-hand-paths, fringe psychotherapists, new-agers, libertarians etc. fit here.

However, what if the above quote merely states a simple fact, written in a language understandable for those of 2000 years ago?

That simple fact is clearly visible to anyone on the path of Direct Knowledge. Simply stated, it is that there are two realities which do not in any way meet, and that whichever reality one is identified with, ultimately determines one's experience in the world, including one's behaviour.

Those two realities are here called "Spirit" and "flesh", but could also be called "Consciousness" and "materiality", or "Subject" and "object", or "Truth" and "illusion", or "SAT" and "maya".. come up with your own.

By attempting to act out both views (1) and (2) above, one is clearly still walking in the way of "flesh", rather than "Spirit". Why? Because there is an individual present, identified with materiality and struggling to make changes in an external world of dualities. There is a "you" and there is a problem (in this case desire/lust) which must be overcome or indulged. Even 'acceptance of the problem', as touted by so many 'spiritual teachers' today who offer advice, STILL requires an individual identified with materiality to 'accept' a material problem (often in the hopes that it will resolve).

When identification with Spirit is complete, the whole illusion of materiality and the 'external world' is seen through exactly as it is- a mind creation born of automatic conditioning, which needs no more fixing than a dream occurring during sleep.

There are only two choices or ways in which 'to walk'- Truth and illusion, Consciousness and sleep. And "..by their fruits, ye shall know them".