奇迹课程为何显得如此难读

开心树

问：《奇迹课程》为何显得这么难读？  答（Linda Carpenter答复，若水编译）：几乎每位初次翻阅《奇迹课程》的读者，都对这本书望文而生畏，尤其是最初几章，读了半天好像什么都没读进去，没多久，就把书搁下了。这种感觉绝不限于你们华文读者，世界各地读者都有类似的反应。  究其原因，其实很简单，《奇迹课程》的目的就是要把我们推出现有的意识层面与信念架构之外，否则，我们老用旧思维来诠释新思想，就像「旧皮囊盛新酒」的比喻，最后皮囊与美酒两失，还不自觉。唯有将我们暂时引开自己熟悉的意识状态，我们才可能向另一种更深的思维开放。  入门时，确实不易，但我们在学习人间的新知识或新技术时，不都得放下自己旧有的一套，熬过最初一段的扭转过程？就以学外国语或计算机技术为例，我们必须放下惯有的思维方式，才可能学会其它的语言或计算机技术。  世间的学习，常因我们能够预见学习的成果，才肯投入时间与心力，而且，我们知道那是可能达到的目标，因为我们在其它人身上已经看到了令我们羡慕的结果。然而，刚接触《奇迹课程》的读者，通常不太清楚这本书究竟要把我们带到哪里去。即使身边有些修成正果的奇迹学员，除了觉得他很好以外，我们也不会看出他有何特殊之处，因此，我们缺乏一些有形的凭依，于是，我们心识的限度一被书中的观念「拉扯伸展」得变形时，便打退堂鼓了。  我们唯一可以倚赖的，只是当我们跟着练习，从不同的角度去看事情时，日常生活所发生的一些微妙而正面的转变，如此而已。除此之外，我们只能听信作者自己的见证，他就是由此途径修成正果，甚至被人奉为神明的；其实，只要愿意尝试，每个人都能达到与他相同的境界的。  这一课程之所以显得与我们过去所学的那么不同，还有另一个理由，就是：永恒的灵性开始用有限的人类文字，打入我们封闭而陈腐的意识之中，由于它不采用人间的思维逻辑，即使用我们所熟悉的词汇，却指向另一种内涵，使我们感到陌生。  作者深知此书的挑战性，以及读者内心可能激起的抗拒，所以他在「学员练习手册」一开始就教我们：你根本不需要去了解它背后的深意，只要跟着每一课去做就行了。只需具备一点愿心，愿意跟它试试看，慢慢地，便能领会这一套理念背后积极的能量，以及转化生活的神奇经验了。  开了一个头以后，后面的学习就愈来愈容易了。  《奇迹课程》本身不是真理，它只是开启我们心灵的工具，为的是引我们进入那超乎文字的「圣爱经验」中。  开始时，我们确实需要一点儿愿心与耐心，跨越前面几章的文字障，但只要你肯用学计算机或语言的那一点用心，来练习这个课程，我相信你这一生不只会变得美好，还会好得超乎你想象呢！   Aloha dear Chiao Lin,   Both Tom and I were so glad that you called us yesterday. We have been focused on making the introduction more like a small book, realizing that it may be used for others besides the Chinese people. But after talking with you, I think we can also reduce that into something more specific for the need you see. I'm sure that is one of the reasons why Jesus asked us to work together with you.  You mentioned that so many tell you that the Course is too hard to learn. We have heard that from many people as well. One day as I was thinking about that I realized why it seems that way and how helpful it would be for people to understand that and not become discouraged. I have put written this understanding down for you to share if you would like to in whatever way you want. I hope it is helpful.   love, Linda  ------------------------  WHY "A Course in Miracles" APPEARS TO BE DIFFICULT  Linda Carpenter  Almost everyone who opens the first few pages of "A Course in Miracles" finds it difficult to understand. Many do not continue, feeling that it is simply too “intellectual” for them to ever find any benefit from it. This is common for everyone, everywhere. There is a very simple reason why this happens.  The purpose of "A Course in Miracles" is to teach our present mind focus to stretch beyond its present beliefs, to stretch beyond its present comfort level, so that it can be open to a better, truer way of thinking which will also bring us everything we really desire. To do this, we must learn to be willing to go beyond what we now understand.   This is always difficult to do at first for everyone. But we do it all the time for other goals. Every new thing we learn requires that we stretch our mind beyond what it already knows. To learn a new language or computer skills, for example, we are willing to go through the first hard part of learning because we have already decided that we want the results of that learning process. We are willing to practice to get better. Second, we know that it is possible to achieve our goal because we see many others who have already done so.  When we first begin to study "A Course in Miracles" most of us are not certain just what its purpose is and so there is some resistance to do the mental stretching asked of us. The author of the Course is well aware of this challenge and of our initial reluctance, so he advises us at the beginning of the Workbook not to be concerned about our present lack of understanding, but please just try applying what lessons say to do. If we are willing to at least start in that way, we gradually begin to see the powerful and positive effect of this new teaching by the changes that start happening in our life. And, as with other learning experiences, the more we study, the easier it becomes.  Unlike other goals whose outcome is already known and desired by us, we do not begin the Course with a complete understanding of what it will do for us. Nor do we see a many examples of others having achieved what it offers. What we do have, instead, is the experience of those subtle and positive changes in our own daily life as we begin to open our mind to seeing differently. Our only evidence we can now accept of the purpose of the Course being achieved is the author himself saying that this is what he learned before us, and that experience is also available to us now if we are willing to try. What he learned and became was so amazing that many considered him a god.   In addition, there is another reason why this Course is so different from what we have known before. Eternal Spirit is reaching out to our minds through the use of limited human words. The origin of this teaching is not of this world. Therefore, the meaning of these words must be somewhat different than what we have used before. The words of "A Course in Miracles" are merely tools to open our mind to an experience of Love that lies beyond the words. Be willing to set aside your first resistance to these many words and trust that if you are willing to practice this teaching as much as you would practice any other goal, your entire life will be transformed into an experience more beautiful than you can now imagine.  
   转自：奇迹课程中文部－Ask Tom专栏 2006/4/7