Wednesday, February 18, 2015

ACIM and Buddhism, Yoga, meditation, and Reiki.



Q #282, Q #1186, Q #1121, Q #1194 from Question and Answer Service of FACIM

Q #1194: Can you address if it is possible to incorporate the principles of A Course in Miracles in my practice of Reiki? Can I perform Reiki and be still following these principles?
A: The purpose you identify with in your mind is the key to applying the principles of A Course in Miracles . “What is it for ?” is the only question Jesus wants us to ask about anything (T.4.V.6:8,9,10,11; T.24.VII.6:1,2,3) . That simplifies things enormously, because there are only two purposes we can choose: the purpose of the ego (to see ourselves as bodies, separate from others), or the purpose of the Holy Spirit (to see ourselves as sharing the same interests with others). Applying this to performing Reiki means that you would see each session as a means of learning that you and this other person share the same split mind and the power to choose either the ego or the Holy Spirit as your teacher. Thus, the form pertains to the body; but the content pertains to the thought system you choose to identify with.
Q #1121: I am a practitioner of Reiki in Brazil. Reiki uses the life force energy that flows through us, and it is administered by “laying on hands.” It's universal energy that comes from God. It's used to heal any kind of problem we have, be it mental or even physical problems. I have read that Jesus used Reiki to heal people. I strongly believe that all of us have this tremendous power inside but we don't know how to use it.
I understand A Course in Miracles to be saying that our focus should not be on what we do in our lives, but on learning to understand our minds. So it doesn't matter what we do. What really is important is how our minds look at the world and the people as a whole. My question concerns the fact that I was channeled with some kind of energy that flows through me and suddenly I am doing things that I couldn't do in the past, even healing people who have physical problems. How would you explain this to me? How do you explain those people who heal others with different beliefs, even different spiritual beliefs? What's the connection between Reiki and the Course?
A: The fact that Reiki involves a technique for channeling energy through the body, no matter what the source of the energy is perceived to be, means, from the Course's perspective, that it is a form of magic. Now magic, as the Course uses it, is not a pejorative term. It simply means that the effort to bring about desired changes is occurring at the level of effect, that is, through energy forces and the body, rather than at the level of cause, that is, the mind. This must be the case because the energy is operating within a spatio-temporal framework, that is, from one body to another at a specific time when those two bodies are in physical proximity, and then through the body of the one being treated.
The Course has a different metaphysical foundation from Reiki, and would not consider anything that can be directed through the body to be divine, or from God. The world of spirit and the world of the body are two mutually exclusive realms, only one of which is real, according to the Course (T.31.VI.1) . The Course's “technique” is forgiveness, which seeks to bring about changes at the level of mind, not at the level of the body. For this reason, while the Course takes no position on this, it would be more consistent with the Course's teachings to see the Jesus of two thousand years ago as healing through the principles of forgiveness, which means through reminding others of the power of their own minds to make a different choice about the ego and its effects, including the body, looking on all of it without judgment and without guilt -- that is the true means of healing, according to the Course.
How then does Reiki produce its effects, including your own personal experience of being changed by your attunement with Reiki energy so that you can apparently produce changes in others? There are mutually and nearly universally agreed upon laws of the illusory physical and energetic universes, operating within the ego system, that all split minds share, whether individual minds are conscious of those laws or not. An obvious one is the law of gravity. These laws receive their power from the collective belief of the Sonship. Although made by the ego mind (Race Mind)., they are neutral in themselves and can be used for either ego purposes or purposes of healing, that is, to reinforce our belief in the reality of separation and differences, or to allow us to begin to heal the guilt and thoughts of attack in our mind.
Many other spiritual teachings describe aspects of energetic fields within and surrounding the body that are not visible to the naked eye that can be modified and directed by those who are tuned in to them. Yet all of these subtler energies remain a part of the ego thought system, and manipulations can have no effect unless on some level, in most cases unconscious, the minds in relationship have agreed to be affected by those apparent manipulations. Always, behind any observed effect, there is a belief at the mind level, whether the individual is aware of that belief or not.[1] Much of the ego's belief system remains at an unconscious level so we can remain unaware of our own agreement to seem to be affected by forces outside ourselves. If we allowed ourselves to recognize and acknowledge that inner decision, we could no longer see ourselves as victims of anything outside ourselves again.
Reiki does share some similarity with the Course at the level of content, since it emphasizes that the individual practitioner does not direct the healing process nor decide what problems to address. And so the practitioner is considered to be an instrument of healing*, but certainly not its source. In fact, the practitioner as well as the patient is considered in need of healing and benefits through willingness to be a channel. As with all things of this world, Reiki has the power to direct the mind to an awareness of something beyond ourselves, and it does point symbolically to a seemingly invisible power beyond all appearances that intends only good for all.
Q #1186: I would like some clarity around choosing A Course in Miracles as my spiritual path yet devoting time to yoga and meditation. I consider the Course to be my spiritual path with forgiveness being the way out of the dream. However, I also find that practicing yoga, meditation, and chanting are great tools for me to use to focus, increase my awareness, and remember my divinity. I also use yoga as a way to see the body and its energy symbolically, while understanding that it's not real. I also love my yoga community. Are there any conflicts with this?
A: Many students continue with other practices such as yoga and meditation while they are learning to integrate the principles of A Course in Miracles into their lives. There is no need to discontinue what you find helpful, whether that is yoga, going to a fitness center, meditating, long-distance running, or eating organic foods. Why stop doing something that helps you feel better and function better? Similarly, there is no need to leave a community you feel comfortable in and love so much just because you are a student of the Course.
Our goal as Course students is to become less judgmental and selfish as we go through our day interacting with others -- family, friends, groups, co-workers, team mates, etc. This can be practiced in any milieu -- forgiveness can be learned and practiced while doing yoga, shopping, or playing golf. The idea is to shift the purpose of all these kinds of activities from achieving bodily results to learning that everything is a classroom in which either the ego or the Holy Spirit is teaching you, depending on your choice (the content in your mind). With the ego as your teacher, you will continually feel special and separate in some way -- with interests you do not share with everyone else. With the Holy Spirit or Jesus as your Teacher, you will experience yourself as less and less separate from others, as you realize your interests are not separate from anyone else's. Form will recede in importance as content ascends and occupies more and more of your attention.
The discussion in our answer to Question #282 might be helpful in shedding further light on this issue.
Q #282: In addition to being a student of A Course in Miracles, I am also a Buddhist. I find that Buddhism and the Course fit very well together. I am considering taking up robes and becoming a Buddhist nun, in order to further my spiritual understanding. By letting go of a “normal” lifestyle of having a job, paying bills, etc., am I postponing lessons that I will need to learn, or is the adoption of a monastic lifestyle a great step forward in letting go of my attachment (forgive my Buddhist terminology) to the world of illusions that my ego has created?
A: A Course in Miracles focuses only on the content in our minds, not form or behavior. And that content is either of the ego or Holy Spirit. So whether you are in a monastery or in a corporate office makes no difference from that point of view. What makes a difference, spiritually, is whether you see your interests as different from everyone else’s or as the same. The Course encourages us to see our life circumstances and settings as classrooms in which we can choose to learn either the ego’s curriculum, which is based on separation, or the Holy Spirit’s curriculum, which is based on the undoing of separation. It teaches us to think always in terms of purpose: Are we using the world and our relationships to reinforce our belief in separation or to undo it? The world and the body, thus, are not the problem; the way we use them is the problem. And that always is the result of the choice we make in our minds to be taught by the ego or by Jesus. Thus, what would be most helpful in your situation is to ask for help in undoing any specialness that might be involved in the decision you are making. That would go a long way toward removing the doubts and conflicts you experience.
* I attended a Therapeutic Touch course and someone mentioned he was “an instrument of healing”.

[1] Some used the “Reiki energy” on me during TT years ago. I had a sudden jolt down my spine because I didn’t believe in the Reiki energy at the time. Emmet Fox made me realize there is no external enrgy you can pay someone to give you. It’s only a thought system. There is a simple test by which you can tell a true teacher from a false one.

These answers also explain why auras pictures done before and after my “Reconnection” showed no difference. Why two people I did “Reconnective Healing” on had different experiences. One saw light light, angels and had a swell old time. The other didn’t even know I’d started. It’s all mind as Quimby, New Thought and Christian Science taught.

See also David Van Bush How to Know When You Have Truth

2 comments:

  1. Most of the time I don’t make comments on websites, but I'd like to say that this article really forced me to do so. Really nice post! acim book

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a great high resolution screen which you have shared for the users. Making a website is not an easy task but managing a good website is really a hard work. As far as this website is concerned, I am very happy. free online acim lesson

    ReplyDelete