Lesson 198. Only my condemnation injures me.
- Widen the horizons of our vision
- Take direct approaches to uncover the blocks that keep our vision narrow
- Lift those blocks, however briefly, in order to experience the sense of liberation that comes when the blocks are removed
- Intensify our motivation for freedom
Today’s lesson makes clear that illusions are used to undo illusions, because truth has not been touched by illusions at all. This is why we are doing two things at once: We are practicing the teachings of A Course in Miracles Workbook for Students and practicing awareness-watching-awareness meditation.
Our work with A Course in Miracles is learning about and practicing the illusions that undo illusions. Let’s not get confused about this. Many students have become lost, because they have adopted the Course’s thought system as the truth. It isn’t the truth. It is an illusion that can be used to undo illusions.
Our second practice, awareness-watching-awareness, is the practice of paying attention to truth, which remains untouched by illusions.
Because we believe in personhood, we deny our wholeness and we believe in the illusion of loneliness. At the same time, we seek for wholeness. Since we are no longer see ourselves as whole, we combat the feeling of loneliness by joining groups with seemingly common interests and common values. These groups seem opposed to others that have congregated around their own interests and common values. The illusions just keep building on each other. Those groups may not support me and my like minded friends. They may seem to condemn, attack and even injure me and my group. But, condemnation and attack and the injury caused by them are at the level of body and mind. In truth they do not occur and have no effects.
Our lesson today says, “Injury is impossible. And yet illusion makes illusion. If you can condemn you can be injured. For you have believed that you can injure, and the right you have established for yourself can be now used against you, till you lay it down as valueless, unwanted and unreal. Then does illusion cease to have effects, and all it seemed to have will be undone.”
Illusions like condemnation, attack, injury, personhood and loneliness are all one in the same. To the degree that we are caught up in them, we are identified with illusions as what we are. All illusions have equal power to keep us lost and ignorant of our truth. This is why forgiveness is justified regardless of what the illusion is. There are no special circumstances that validate condemnation of one another.
Forgiveness being an illusion, undoes illusions. Forgiveness is the one helpful illusion where we step back and see it is all illusion. Today’s lesson refers to forgiveness as the illusion that is the answer to the rest. Forgiveness is letting go of thought! It is removing value, belief and attention from thought.
We justify our condemnation and attacks unless we are vigilant for forgiveness. Today’s lesson says, “And why would you oppose [forgiveness], quarrel with it, seek to find a thousand ways in which it must be wrong, a thousand other possibilities? Is it not wiser to be glad you hold the answer to your problems in your hand?”
Forgiveness’ purpose is undoing and unlearning the illusions that keep us trapped within the illusion because we are valuing the illusion. As long as you believe illusions have value, you are caught at the level of illusions. So illusions must be used to undo illusions until they have no value to you. Then your attention will leave illusions completely and truth will be all that is left in your Awareness.
