A Course in Miracles & Buddhism: A brief comparative outline
Basic tenets of ACIM ****************
1 Nothing Real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists. Therein lies the peace of God.
2 Projection & Special Relationships keep the egos thought system intact.
3 The World is a projection of the ego-mind.
4 The realization of Truth is a process of waking up and becoming aware of that which has always been the case.
5 From the viewpoint of the ego-mind, the Original Error that resulted in the Original Separation from God, occurred in the ancient past. From the viewpoint of Truth, it never happened at all. This is due to the fact that space and time, as we experience them, are creations of the separate ego-mind. In Truth called by ACIM the Christ Within space and time do not exist, as such. From this perspective, all is happening NOW. This is why ACIM says that Gods Answer to the birth of the separate ego known by ACIM as the Holy Spirit was born at the exact moment that the ego was. It is also why ACIM says that from the perspective of Truth there is nothing new. The realization of the illusion of time as perpetuated by the ego-mind, is called by ACIM the experience of the Holy Instant.
6 There are two avenues for experiencing reality. One is perception, the other is knowledge. The former is the experience of the ego-mind, the latter is the experience of the Christ-mind. Perception is basic to separation. Knowledge (in the sense of the word as used by ACIM) is basic to unity.
Basic tenets of Buddhism
1 Life as is commonly known is suffering. The reason for this suffering is basic ignorance of our true nature.
2 The essential basis of this ignorance is the assumption that we are separate beings, expressing from an isolated, solid self.
3 The investigation of this self reveals that its basic nature is shunyata, a Sanskrit word that translates roughly as emptiness. What this means is that our self is neither solid, nor separate. Empty implies that the self is in fact non-existent in any way that we can conceive of. This is understood in Buddhism as anatman, or no-self.
4 The self, and its mind, by being entrenched in the illusion of its solidity and separation, perceives the world as also separate, solid, and divided amongst itself.
5 By training the mind, we gradually come to understand our true nature. This is accomplished by learning to focus the mind (dharana) and then by learning to rest in the Witnessing awareness (dhyana, or meditation). This true nature begins to understand that its consciousness is shared with all things, and that finally, even the world is not separate from it. Thus, the awakening mind begins to see the world differently as well.
6 The awakened mind understands that time and space are illusions generated by the separate self. From that perspective, all is truthfully occurring now, and all separation is an illusion.
Some Parallels
1 Both ACIM and Buddhism see the human condition as a fundamental dilemma involving a contrast between being asleep and being awake. Both see the process of awakening as basic to the liberation and ultimate flowering of the individual.
2 Both ACIM and Buddhism acknowledge the immense power of the mind to generate illusions, and particularly, to project its nature onto the world.
3 Both ACIM and Buddhism acknowledge the existence of our naturally awakened nature as a shared condition with all other sentient life. This condition of final Truth is called the Christ in you by ACIM, and the Buddha-mind by Buddhism.
4 Both ACIM and Buddhism lay great importance on the necessity to employ discipline and training with the mind in the process of investigating it and waking up out of the dream of separation. ACIM says, an untrained mind can accomplish nothing. Buddhism declares that the way out of suffering is via the Noble Eightfold Path, which is essentially eight facets of mind-training, most crucial of which is meditation.
5 Both ACIM and Buddhism pay homage to a historical personage who exemplified the full embodiment and realization of Truth as they teach it. ACIM refers to this person as Jesus, and specifically designates him as the first to awaken from the dream of separation. Buddhism refers to its chief personage as Gautama Buddha, though does not specify him as the first, but rather as one of a succession of buddhas (awakened ones) who appear periodically throughout time. However, both ACIM and Buddhism distinguish between the historical personage (Jesus and Guatama Buddha) and what these two teachers represent, being the maximum potential of every awakened being the Christ within and the Buddha-mind.
6 Although both ACIM and Buddhism give far more credence to inner realization, they also teach much about how to be in the world. ACIM emphasizes the importance of extending, and giving, especially in its lines, to Spirit, giving is all, and Teach only love, for that is what you are. Buddhism places great importance on metta, or loving-kindness, and of the extending of compassion to all beings.
Copyright 2002 by P.T. Mistlberger, All Rights Reserved