正见：修正之源 希望的承诺（四)化解：修正的真正含义

开心树

摘要：我们正逐渐地能够向我们的老师请求这样的帮助：请让我们看到世界的本来面目吧，这就是面对一个并不存在的问题所提出的解决之道。     
翻译：皮哩哩
  为了了解基督在奇迹课程中的“修正”真正意味着什么，我们需要检查基督教诲中另一个重要的原则：小我自己是没有力量的。事实上，小我什么都不是，因为它不可能正真发生，小我最多算一团关于分裂的幻觉罢了。因此，我小的主要盟友：罪咎也是没有力量的，也是虚无，而从这虚无中幻化出来的物质世界也一定是虚无。既然如此，我们为什么企图去解决一个并不存在的思想投射出来的一个并不存在问题呢？这毫无意义。真正有意义的是，认识到是我们那个能做决定的思想才是有力量的，而不是小我。如此我们修正的不是小我，而是那个能做决定的思想。在奇迹课程中基督在好几处讨论了这个问题，例如：  小我是因着你对它的忠诚而控制你的。(T-4.VI.1:2).   小我为了保全自己，无所不用其极，但那些妙计都是源自小我所否定的心灵能力。…小我所赖以生存的，正是彻底威胁到它存在之物。6由于它不敢正视这一源头的能力，故不能不设法贬抑它。(T-7. VI.3:1,5-6).   不必害怕小我。2它是靠你的心灵而存在的，既然你能因着相信它而造出了它，你也同样可以收回信心而将它驱逐。 (T-7.VIII.5:1-2).  这样的理解能极大的简化我们的生活。我们不需要努力应付这世界里“噩运向我们投掷而来的种种暗器”（这是哈姆雷特的总结），因为如我们之前讨论的，这些并不是问题。只有神志不清才会搏斗，就像唐吉科德，去对抗假想敌。而基督一直在帮助我们，通过让我们认识到小我本身并不是问题，真正的问题在于我们对小我的信念，如此来让我们分享祂的纯洁无罪。  回到我们的“要求特殊之物”的主题上来，这就是为什么我们不应该祈求我们是否该去做，而应该祈求基督帮助我们，化解我们不知该如何是好的那个思想障碍。因此，奇迹课程是一本关于修正的治疗之书，它提供了“一位特别的老师和一个特殊的轮回”。(T-12. V.5:4).   另外一个对海伦的提示，这个提示是在1975年做出的，强调了这一教义。当海伦听写时，海伦请求基督的帮助，希望基督告诉海伦对那些深陷烦恼的人应该说些什么。这个问题通常被认为是完全符合基督的教义的。不管如何，按照基督的教义，我们应该对别人有所帮助。   但是，这个请求，不仅不是遵循基督的教义，反而是反对了基督的教义。让我们回想基督对海伦说的关于贬抑心灵的力量是如何“直接的违反了课程的意图”。要求行为上的帮助，意味着请求的这个人已经把注意力从思想转移到了行动，接近了小我那试图使你神智不清的陷阱，使得能做出决定的那个思想变得软弱无力。这是海伦就她的问题得到的启示：  你不能通过问“我该对他说点什么”来听见上主的答案。不如这样问：“请帮助我用实相的眼光来看这位弟兄，而非用判断的眼光来看这位弟兄”。这样上主和祂所有的天使都会回应你。这信息是对我们所有人来的。当我们向基督祈求帮助，请祂化解我们的小我，允许他的爱流经我们，这会在任何情况下毫不费力的向我们提供最有帮助的语言和行动。换句话说，我们转而要求基督帮助我们远离小我制造的那些虚假问题而接受基督的知见，一旦这样，对我们能做出决定的那个思想的干扰将立即被化解。  化解，连同它的派生词，频繁地出现在奇迹课程中，常被帮助界定“救赎”，“解放”，“宽恕”和奇迹（即圣灵的修正）。看下面的例子（斜体字）  救赎即是修正， 或化解所有的错误。 (M-18. 4:6).   奇迹代表了由恐惧中解脱的自由。2“救赎”具有“化解”之意。 3化解恐惧乃是奇迹的救赎效能的根本要素。 (T-1.I.26).   奇迹本身是无所为的。2它只是化解而已。3解除已做出之事所形成的干扰。 (T-28. I.1:1-3).   5为此之故，过去才算过去了。6在实相中，它从未发生过。7在你心中，它才需要化解，因为你认为它真的发生了。 (T-18.IV.8:5-7).   …救恩…亦即化解那一向虚幻之物…(W-pI. 43.2:3).   宽恕便如此化解了恐惧所导致的后果，使心灵重新意识到上主。4为此，宽恕乃成了名副其实的救恩。5它是消除幻觉之道。 (W-pI.46.2:3-5).  所有这些论断都反映了“在正见下修正”的基本过程，这个过程并没有主动做任何事情，因为在一个充满幻觉的世界里又能有什么积极主动的作为呢？这样的修正化解了这样的信念：有一个充满了问题的世界。它把问题带到了问题的源头，即心灵：  小我想尽办法在枝节上“解决”问题，却不去追根究底。2如此才能保证问题永远解决不了。3圣灵则只想彻底并圆满地解决问题，因此祂会刨根掘底，找出症结，并当下予以根除。4在祂的化解下，分裂之境逐步瓦解，合一之境则逐步接近。 (T-17. III.6:1-4).  因此，被化解的并不是我们经验到的那个问题，不管这问题是在外在还是内在世界，被化解的是我们那能够做出决定的意识把罪咎当作实相的误会。处于正见中，并不意味着要保持平安，博爱和温和，这些是处于正见所带来的效果。什么能把我们带上这条正路呢？那就是我们的选择：选择化解小我那充满了冲突，攻击和仇恨的思想体系。资深的上主之师具备的十个特质，达到了我们化解小我思想体系所要求的思想水平。如此，我们明白了耶稣的结论“不去学习”其实就是在这世上真正的学习。(M-4.X.3:7).   确实，沃兹沃斯的名言是对的，这世界对我们而言太纷繁复杂，它试图保持我们的注意力，这让我们无法意识到我们是那个把握世界的人。面对那想要防卫我们并不存在的罪咎体验时，我们正逐渐地能够向我们的老师请求这样的帮助：请让我们看到世界的本来面目吧，这就是面对一个并不存在的问题所提出的解决之道。当我们在远古犯下的那个糊涂念头又占据了我们的心灵时，我们轻柔的笑声，加入耶稣的愿心，会让这世界“当一无所用之后，最终退回那它所来自的一片虚空。”我们已经为我们真心想要的世界做好了准备：那是光，宁静和欢乐的真实世界。  Undoing: The True Meaning of Correction  In order to understand what Jesus means by correction in A Course in Miracles, we need to examine one more important principle in his teaching: the ego itself has no power. In truth, the ego is nothing, being but an illusory thought of separation that did not happen because it could not have happened. Therefore, the ego's major ally of sin and guilt has no true power, being nothing, and the material world that arose from such nothingness must also be nothing. And so why should we attempt to solve a non-existent problem that is a projection of a non-existent thought? This makes no sense. What does make sense, however, is recognizing that it is the decision maker that has the power here, not the ego. Thus the problem we correct is not the ego, but the decision-making mind. There are several places in A Course in Miracles where Jesus discusses this, for example:   Only your allegiance to it gives the ego any power over you (T-4.VI.1:2).   The ingeniousness of the ego to preserve itself is enormous, but it stems from the very power of the mind the ego denies.匱he ego draws upon the one source that is totally inimical to its existence for its existence. Fearful of perceiving the power of this source, it is forced to depreciate it (T-7. VI.3:1,5-6).   Do not be afraid of the ego. It depends on your mind, and as you made it by believing in it, so you can dispel it by withdrawing belief from it (T-7.VIII.5:1-2).  This understanding greatly simplifies our lives. We need not struggle against the world's “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,?to quote Hamlet, for these are not the problem, as discussed previously. Only the insane would fight, like Don Quixote, against hallucinatory enemies, and Jesus is helping us to share his sanity in recognizing that the ego is not the problem, but our belief in the ego most definitely is. This is why, returning to the issue of asking for specifics, we should not ask what we should do, but ask instead for help in undoing the interference to our knowing what to do. Therefore, A Course in Miracles is a remedial work of correction, providing “a special Teacher and a special curriculum?(T-12. V.5:4).   Another message to Helen, this one in 1975, underscores this teaching. As was her wont, Helen asked Jesus for help in knowing what to say to someone who was in trouble. One would think that this would have been a request fully in keeping with the Course's teachings. After all, we are supposed to be helpful to others. However, this is a request not only not in keeping with Jesus' message to us, but is antithetical to it. Recall his words to Helen about how depreciating the power of the mind is 搃n direct opposition to the purpose of this course.?Asking for behavioral help means that the one who asks has already shifted the problem from the mind to the body, in adherence to the ego's strategy of mindlessness that ensures that the decision-making mind will have been rendered impotent. This, therefore, is what Helen was told in response to her question:   You cannot ask, "what shall I say to him? "and hear God's answer. Rather ask instead, "help me to see this brother through the eyes of truth and not of judgment,"and the help of God and all His angels will respond (Absence from Felicity, p. 381).  The message is for all of us; that we go to Jesus for help in undoing our egos, allowing his love to flow through us, which will effortlessly provide the most helpful words and behavior that any situation requires. In other words, we ask for help to step away from our perception of problems and accept his vision instead; inevitable once the interference to it is undone.   The word undoing, as well as its derivatives, appears quite frequently in A Course in Miracles and is used as a way of defining the role of Atonement, salvation, forgiveness, and the miracle -- the Holy Spirit's correction. See the following examples (my italics):   Atonement means correction, or the undoing of errors (M-18. 4:6).   Miracles represent freedom from fear. “Atoning”means “undoing.”The undoing of fear is an essential part of the Atonement value of miracles (T-1.I.26).   The miracle does nothing. All it does is to undo. And thus it cancels out the interference to what has been done (T-28. I.1:1-3).   And that is why the past has gone. It never happened in reality. Only in your mind, which thought it did, is its undoing needful (T-18.IV.8:5-7).   …salvation…s the undoing of what never was…W-pI. 43.2:3).   Forgiveness thus undoes what fear has produced, returning the mind to the awareness of God. For this reason, forgiveness can truly be called salvation. It is the means by which illusions disappear (W-pI.46.2:3-5).  All these statements reflect the basic process of right- minded correction that does nothing positive, for what can be positive within a world of illusion? Instead, such correction undoes the belief that there is a world that is problematic, returning the problem to its source in the mind, as we read:   The ego seeks to “resolve” its problems, not at their source, but where they were not made. And thus it seeks to guarantee there will be no solution. The Holy Spirit wants only to make His resolutions complete and perfect, and so He seeks and finds the source of problems where it is, and there undoes it. And with each step in His undoing is the separation more and more undone, and union brought closer (T-17. III.6:1-4).  What is therefore undone is not the problem as we experience it -- whether in the outer or inner world -- but, once again, the decision-making mind's belief in sin and guilt as reality. Being in one's right mind, therefore, does not mean being peaceful, loving, and kind, which are but effects. What allows us to be this way -- i.e., their cause -- is our choosing to undo the ego's thought system of conflict, attack, and hate. The acquisition of the ten characteristics of God's advanced teachers proceeds to the degree that we unlearn (or undo) the ego's thought system of separation and judgment. Thus we read at the conclusion of Jesus' discussion that ‘unlearning’is ‘true learning' in the world?(M-4.X.3:7).   Indeed, Wordsworth's famous words are true, the world is too much with us, but its seeming hold on our attention is weakened to the extent we realize that we are the ones holding on to it. As the need to defend against our non- existent guilt lessens, we are increasingly able to ask our Teacher's help to look at the world for what it is: a maladaptive solution to a non-existent problem. As the silliness of our erstwhile position dawns on our minds, our gentle laughter, joined with Jesus', allows the world to ultimately fade into the nothingness from which it came when there is no more use for it?(M-13.1:2). We are ready for the world we truly want: the real world of light and peace and joy.