On problems achieving a quiet mind. Q #896: While studying A Course in Miracles, I am really struggling with “not struggling” during the workbook practice periods. In other words, I cant seem to quiet my mind. Any suggestions? A: Your struggle is addressed in lesson 9 of the workbook: “ It is difficult for the untrained mind to believe that what it seems to picture is not there. This idea can be quite disturbing, and may meet with active resistance in any number of forms (W.pI.9.2:1,2). Jesus tells us here that, to the ego, the message of the workbook (the Course itself) is disturbing. The busy chatter of a noisy mind is one of the forms that resistance to its message takes. It is the egos way of insisting that the thoughts and experiences of the body are real, and have the power to obliterate from awareness the memory of God. The strategy works, because to whatever extent the noise is taken seriously, it is given the power to keep the memory of Gods Love out. Struggling not to struggle is struggling, which is another form of resistance that gives power to the noise. Because trying not to resist will not work, Jesus gives us another helpful instruction in the “Rules for Decision”: “…if you find resistance strong and dedication weak, you are not ready. Do not fight yourself “ (T.30.I.1:6,7) . The first thing to do in practicing the workbook, therefore, is to stay calm. Since Jesus tells us we will resist, we should not be surprised by the noise that seems to intrude on the quiet. The noise is saying: “I am afraid to be quiet.” As you have observed, struggling against this only compounds the fear and the noise, in a seemingly hopeless battle, wherein the busy mind is judged as sinful and thus made real, to serve as an obstacle to the quiet. Thus, the ego is safe as long as you struggle. Moreover, thinking that the struggle can be won further strengthens the egos belief that it is in charge of the Atonement, which guarantees the continuance of noisy thoughts. Recognizing this is the beginning of quieting the mind, because the source and purpose of the noisy chatter have been rightfully acknowledged. It is possible to train the mind to observe the invasion of thoughts without judging them, reminding yourself gently: “I am too afraid to be quiet.” This gentle, non-judgmental reminder takes the edge off the struggle. It is preferable to look honestly at how fearful and resistant we are without judgment for a brief instant, than to spend long periods struggling to be quiet. In this practice, less is definitely more. In fact, in several places in the workbook we find reminders to stop whenever there is any sense of strain ( see, for example, W.pI.12.6:4) . The split mind has over learned forgetting, and it takes patient unlearning to remember. The patience that is one of the characteristics of Gods teachers (M.4.VIII) rests on certainty of the outcome. So when your mind is full of thoughts, it may be helpful to remember that the quiet and the memory of God remain undisturbed by all the “toys and trinkets of the world” (W.pII.258.1:3) . The memory of God will return to awareness because it never left the mind. When Jesus tells us to remember that this is our goal, he does not establish a required time span, it is enough to remember for an instant at a time: “All that is needful is to train our minds to overlook all little senseless aims, and to remember that our goal is God. His memory is hidden in our minds, obscured but by our pointless little goals which offer nothing, and do not exist” (W.pII.258.1:1,2). facimoutreach.org/qa/questions/questions178.htm#Q896
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:39:55 +0000
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