Where does A Course in Miracles fit in relation to Eastern religions? Q #808: In answering Question # 566, you stated that the separation is presented in A Course in Miracles as mythology that is meaningful within a framework of Western philosophy and religion. What curriculum is available within a framework of Eastern philosophy and religion? In other words, is there a correction to the Koran , Torah , Bhagavad Gita , etc.? A: To clarify, the Torah (from Judaism) and the Koran (from Islam) are also part of the dualistic Western religious tradition, with a theology that sees God as the Creator of the entire physical universe, and sin and guilt real. However, unlike Christianity, Jesus is either not a spiritual figure (Judaism) or not the central spiritual figure (Islam) in these two other Western religions. Despite this difference, persons raised within one of these other Western religious traditions certainly may find the Course helpful in addressing limitations they may experience with their own religious training. If they also have a background in Western philosophy (e.g., Plato and neo-Platonic thought) and/or psychology (e.g., psychodynamic theory and process), the Courses principles may have even greater appeal. Within the highest teachings of Eastern spiritual and philosophical traditions (e.g., Advaita within Hinduism), there already exist many of the concepts and principles that the Course offers as an alternative, and a correction, to traditional Christianitys dualistic emphasis on sin and guilt and a punishing God. The idea that the world is a dream is a common Eastern theme. The observation that the realm of perception, with the dichotomy between perceiver and perceived (or subject and object), is illusory, and that reality is One, is also well-represented within Eastern traditions. In other words, although the most common practices of these religions by the majority of their adherents may represent an emphasis on form and ritual, and supplication and sacrifice (basic tenets of the egos universal “religion,” according to the Course), their scriptures also contain a deeper and more profound perspective on the nature of reality for the genuine seeker. And teachers have arisen from within their communities (e.g., Shankara in Hinduism) across the centuries to provide corrections that have brought dedicated followers back to the deepest spiritual roots of their traditions. The wisdom of these traditions, like that of the Course itself, is ageless. But from the perspective of illusory, ego-based, linear time, the Western world is in the infancy of its awakening in comparison to the Eastern religions and philosophies. And yet the Course comes in a context that is especially suited to the needs of the Western world, which also allows it to offer some fresh new spiritual insights, building on its particularly Western intellectual tradition, that are not contained in any other of the worlds spiritual teachings -- such as an explanation of the minds motivation to make up a world and continue dreaming, despite all the suffering and pain that seem to result. In the end, the good news is that we need not be concerned with anyones spiritual path but our own, for there are thousands of genuine paths (M.1.4:1,2) , as the Course points out, but we need only the one that will serve us best (T.18.VII.6:5) . And if the Course is our path, it only makes sense to dedicate ourselves to understanding its principles of forgiveness and putting them into practice. facimoutreach.org/qa/questions/questions155.htm#Q808
Posted on: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 12:20:41 +0000
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