Contemplative Comparison: ACIM Reviews & Advaita Vedanta's Path to Realization

Contemplative Comparison: ACIM Reviews & Advaita Vedanta's Path to Realization

For students of A Course in Miracles, the Review sections are vital. They're not just about rote memorisation; they're an invitation to deepen our understanding and experience. This process bears a striking resemblance to the ancient Advaita Vedanta tradition's three-fold path to self-realization: Sravana, Manana, and Nididhyasana (commonly used in Shankara-based traditions).

Sravana (Listening/Hearing): In Advaita, this is the initial exposure to the sacred texts and teachings from a qualified teacher. In ACIM's Review Section 1, we are asked to review the previously learned ideas, often doing so slowly and thoughtfully. This is our "hearing" of the truth, often for the first time in a way that truly resonates.

Manana (Reflection/Contemplation): After hearing, Advaita emphasizes deep reflection and intellectual assimilation to remove doubts. Similarly, ACIM's Review encourages us to "think about" each idea, allowing it to "sink in" and challenging any resistance or confusion that may arise. It's about letting the mind wrestle with the concept until clarity emerges and intellectual conviction takes root.

Nididhyasana (Meditation/Abiding): This is the experiential phase in Advaita, where one meditates deeply on the truths, transcending intellectual understanding to direct realization. ACIM mirrors this perfectly by instructing us to "close your eyes and practice" the ideas, allowing them to settle into our experience. It's not enough to simply understand; we are invited to be with the truth, to abide in it, allowing it to transform our perception and ultimately, our reality.

Both traditions, though culturally distinct, point to the same fundamental process: a systematic journey from initial exposure to profound, liberating realization. The ACIM Review, like Sravana, Manana, and Nididhyasana, is designed to move us beyond mere intellectual assent to an experience of the truth, guiding us home to the peace that is our natural inheritance.

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