Category: ACIM

Sawadee Khrap

Today, in my meditation I was led to re-focus my image of existence. Here is my picture:

‘Genesis 1’ in the Bible presents a world where everything is spirit [thought] encompassing everything in it Oneness.  Humans [male/female or souls] exist in this world as spirits in the likeness of their Creator, united in their common identity in the mind of God as His Son “the Christ”.   All is blessed, good, happy, united, eternal and inclusive [Love].

But then as it continued in Chapter 2, I began to see another story:  This story has god making man from the dust of the earth and woman from a separated piece of him.  Then that god puts man in a wonderful garden, telling him not to partake of the fruit of a certain tree, knowing full well that he will disobey. He then allows a snake to tell them that the fruit would make him special and give him god like powers of judgement. And as expected, he did eat this fruit. Now this wrathful god had every right to banish him from the garden and punish him with a life of pain, sorrow, and sacrifice until death – calling it sin.

What happen?  I think that somewhere somehow in Genesis’s (1) unity of thought, called the Sonship, an insane question was considered “Is there anything other than God [Reality or Heaven] that would make me happy? and some in the sonship took it under consideration [Fallen Angels or souls], projecting it out as their new reality.  What could it be but the opposite of what Reality really is – an illusion, a dream, or a nightmare.
 
Imagined was a dark, cold, world where Oneness is forsaken for specialness and separation.  Eternity replaced with degrees of time, bodies instead of free spirits, death instead of life. Love lost to degrees of hate.  A place where enemies exist, attack becomes possible, condemnation and judgement determine what is real.

This “something other than God” the desire to be Special.  Specialness demands I be separate, unique, with god like powers of judgement that allow ME to change MY reality as I see fit. An EGO, where I am the center of MY universe. !! god !!  Exactly like the world I think I live in now.

Have you ever asked a child “who broke your toy? Their first answer is to put the blame on some imaginary object or another person – never themselves.  Is that what’s happening here?

So how could I justify this game –  First I could blame it on the snake for lying to me. Also blame it on the god because He put me here knowing I would disobey. It’s not my fault.  Quite a story and it goes on and on, judgement on top of judgment.  Defend and attack. Eat or be eaten. Sin ending in death

But exactly where and what am I (Frank) in this game,and how does that affect me?    First lets figure out who are the participants in the game.

1. Dreamer of the dream of separation:
  – the part of the mind of the sonship (Christ – the unity of souls) that considered the insane question  projecting it out as the world of matter – the big bang. The Fallen ones in the Genesis story – Christ’s Wrong-mindfulness.

2  Characters of the dream of judgements:
  – ME (Frank) the separated one in the illusion, also dreaming like the child with the broken toy – projecting out a world of people to blame for his misgivings. Seeing reality through a darkened lens, my judgments with myself as center god or character.

3  Holy Spirit:
  – God’s answer to the insane question – only God is real, nothing else is exists, herein lies the peace of God
 
Ahh !!  There are 2 dreams – one Christ mind controls, the other I (ME -Frank) have dominion over.  As Jesus “The Christ”, said ” I give you the keys to Heaven, what ever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, what ever you loose on earth will be loose in heaven”

So how do I escape my dream?   Being willing to look at all my judgments through God’s answer the “Holy Spirit”, past/present/future and do not judge.  By allowing the truth or reality behind it to be as it is – NOT as me being the center of my world.  Examining every judgment but if I find the “except” then let it go.  Truth is always TRUE and any exception, at any level, makes it false.   Simple to say,  actually simple to do if I am really willing to give up control.

When I release my dream, then Christ’s Right-mindfullness can correct the 1st dream of separation.  Changing the dream to a happy dream of unity, as close to heaven as possible, where perception can melt into knowledge and the Sonship can recognize It’s Oneness again.

This is my vision, perhaps it is similar to yours.  It determines my path and has shown me my Guide.

God Bless

Sawadee Khrap

“When the student is ready the teacher will arrive ! ”
Thanks, Dan,  I am constantly reminded of this as I walk on MY path to the Universal TRUTH.

I want to take this time and post to thank my friend and occasional visitor, Dan M..   Last names are not necessary, but you can find some his comments in earlier posts.

I have established this blog as a way for me to chronical my chosen walk down the path to TRUTH – which I call God.  I searched  for and found  a guide that says he has walked this path before me and can alert me of any chuckholes, obstacles, dead ends, or detours before I experience them,  if I follow his guidance.  This is the guide I have chosen and the path I believe is the way for ME.   He even said there are many other paths that lead to truth but this is the one chosen for me. My intention is to walk as quickly and surely as possible, believing that if I stumble or veer off the path, he will be there to help me regain my composure.  Until I find that this guide does not know the way, I will continue to trust in him and follow. This blog is my EXPERIENCE. STRENTHT, AND HOPE along that path.

Dan, commented on HIS path to the universal truth of life, existence, and His experiences, strengths, and hopes and his chosen guide or guides.  I believe we all walk to this  Universal Truth , whatever name we have called it.  Thanks again Dan, that you would take the time to SHARE with us the roadmap you are following on your path to truth.  How else can we all learn unless we SHARE,  helping each other along OUR chosen paths. 

Preaching says I have walked this way and made it clear for you – nonsense – Sharing says I have walked this way and will share my knowledge of the obstacles I’ve encountered to help you along your way.  I am sure there will be many intersections where we can met and share again our experiences, strengths  and hopes, quickening all our steps to the final destination.

Please feel free to comment on any post, share your experiences, all will be posted.   There are many places on the Internet where discussion, arguments, and the like can be found -HOWEVER,  this blog, I will try to maintain , as a place to openly SHARE un-encumbered by crosstalk or condemnation.

God Blesses ALL

Sawadee Khrap

A friend of mine asked me to comment on how I view being in the world and not of it. Frankly ,  pardon the pun – I don’t very well but I am practicing letting go and asking , thus learning “how to” like everyone else. 

My present understanding is that everything I see is a projection from my mind and reflects what my state of mind is. It is a projection , a judgment, which clouds the reality of God’s Creation of Oneness.  That being so, it remains that ONLY my concept of the world can and needs to be adjusted – my judgments of right /wrong that needs to be examined and re-assessed with the Holy Spirit.  Listen, Learn and Do not judge.  The error that needs correction is my judgments – Do not attempt to change the world but change my mind about the world.

For example, if I see a person suffering with some form of sickness –  it is because the sickness is a form of separation or special in my own mind projected out upon them so I think I am  free from its effects.  But my seeing them as special and apart with some problem reinforces the idea that we are NOT ONE in God. Capable of suffering and death – the destruction of God’s Son – the proof that this world  is real and without God.  So changing my mind as to what I am looking at is the only way to restore sanity or God’s peace of Oneness.   Realizing I am like a little child without any understanding of what I am seeing and ASKING for help by my guide, the Holy Spirit or Christ. 

I think the greatest error a “A Course of Miracles – Teacher of God” can make is to believe that he/she has to change the world (also the inherent problem with almost all religions,  they got it right – others don’t,    they see the light – others don’t).   When in reality there is only one student (ME/Christ) and one teacher – the Holy spirit – no matter whatever or whoever that teacher appears to be to me.  ‘ME/Christ’ is the total creation of the Sons of God – the collective Souls created in Genesis 1.  The “me” is the wrong-mindfullness part of Christ’s mind – the teacher is the right-mindfullness part.  The me in the dream (the character) and is not real, does not exist, is but an illusion seen in a body as finite, used to prove separation is real. As Jesus (the ‘man’ but also ‘the Christ’)stated

“I gave you the keys to Heaven and Earth that what ever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on Earth will be loose in Heaven.” (Matthew 16:19  KJV)

It is my (the character’s) judgment that will loose or bind the dream – remove my judgment and let Christ’s  Right-mindfullness judge correctly with the Holy Spirit and the world will change accordingly.  THUS everything is a lesson that I can use to reveal to my mind past judgments, loosen that judgment, and allow Christ to dream a “happy” dream.   Remember Christ Jesus said He was the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end.

ACIM is a practical study aid – For instance, if I can go anywhere and meditate by seeing everything and everyone as “Christ” disguised in a body and looking for a place to perform a miracle – then my world will be a happy dream where only forgiveness and love are offered. To each figure I offer my loosening of past and present judgments and correctly see only Christ, in His full Innocence, playing the judgmental part I had assigned or projected out. Leaving forgiveness to Christ’s Right-mindfullness NOT attempting to place it in an earthly frame.

Remember what Jesus said “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.   Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it”. (KJV John 8:42)

  The world of judgments is the lie, a collective judgment from all of Christ’s wrong-mindfullness – my character is but one aspect, or maybe a better word is – perspective.  It is “My” function to look at and open to the Holy Spirit all my past and present judgments and allow Christ’s Right-mindfullness to judge again. Seeing them before me is how I look upon them  “Look, Listen, and do not judge” is how I allow them to be corrected. I want to be as a little child looking at the world anew asking the Holy Spirit – What is that?

This is my interpretation of the theology of life here on earth – perhaps yours is different – a universal theology is unimportant but a universal Experience is a relationship with the Divine.

God Bless

Sawadee Khrap

To sober up,  I had to become honest with myself and seek a spiritual path or life.  My childhood faith was “Christian”  but I also had to admit that I was gay – two incompatible lifestyles – OR ARE THEY?  

Since I had to be honest with myself about being a gay man and finding “Christ” in my life .  Accepting Jesus, as the example to follow, was the best thing I have done to turn my life around, and admitting I was gay is the second.   Nor I do find any contradictions here.

Let me turn to the Bible:     “Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover?  And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.”   (Matthew 26:17-18  KJV)          and later

“Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.”   (John 13:23-26 KJV)
  
“Jews gather at Passover Seders to recall their foundational story with gratitude and awe: God extracted an oppressed people from under the yoke of their oppressors, making of them a vibrant nation. The Seder of today acts out the drama of the past in order to keep the memory fresh. But at the same time, the tradition hints at a powerful alternate understanding of the Seder: God took the Israelites out of Egypt so that they would tell the story later. In other words, the events of the past took place so that they could be recounted in the future.”   (Tabletmag.com  ‘What’s the point of Passover’)

“Seder plate: The seder plate (there’s usually one per table) holds at least six of the ritual items that are talked about during the seder: the shankbone, karpas, chazeret, charoset, maror, and egg –  Zeroa: A roasted lamb or goat bone, symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and was then roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.”    (Google search)

“In olden times (meaning in the times of the Talmud and before) the wealthy and noble class would recline while they ate, whereas simple poor people would eat while seated on the floor. Reclining is indicative of a person of leisure who has time to dine with out worrying an interruption that would cause him to get up. The importance of leaning at the Seder is explained that since we were slaves in Egypt and now we are free men, therefore we must act in accordance to our new status. Since it was the custom of noble men to eat while reclining on a sofa or on cushions, so today we are obligated to eat as noble men who recline.  …..  Reclining was done on the left side, not on the back and not on the right side.  …..   Now in those times eating was not done as we do with a knife and fork, but rather the food was prepared in the kitchen and brought in front of the individual diner on small personal trays (which took the place of our table) ready for the diner to eat using only his hands. Since the food was pre-prepared in the kitchen, it was possible to recline on the left side, using the left hand to support oneself and use the right hand to eat.”     (www.jewishmag.com ‘To lean or not to lean’)

Now picture – Jesus lying down on his left side with the disciple he loved “lying on his breast” – that to me is cuddling.   I can’t picture it any other way, can you?  That is not to say that Jesus was gay but that if he had a gay disciple that wanted to cuddle, Jesus would not deny him that security. Jesus loves all – EVEN GAYs.   It is amazing that it is almost impossible to find a image of a actual Seder where they are all lying on the ground  in the ancient style- NOT sitting at a table.  That’s too GAY to show. 

Does that mean that he was was gay because he had gay followers,  or a prostitute because he had prostitutes in his group.    – of course not.   But to love as Jesus loves is to accept others as brothers and sisters in Christ and not condemn then for what they think they are, “the lie of the devil their father”.   As he said “Father, forgive them they know not what they do”    This last point is another discussion and I will post my insights and understandings on that too.

Being “gay” is not just having sex but wanting to have a total relationship with another of the same sex.   Another post later.

And consider too Jesus broke bread to represent his body and did not choose the lamb – what insight could we gain from this ?    Another question to ponder or  meditate on.

God Bless

Sawadee Khrap

“When “the law” is mentioned in the Bible, it harks back to the days of the Old Testament. There are hundreds of commands given to the Israelites, but the phrase “the law” refers specifically to the compilation of decrees found in the first five books of the Bible. This whole body of law was given the name Torah.

Obedience to this law was the awesome obligation of God’s people as they attempted to merit His favor and blessing. After all, Israel was His special people, and they were bound together in a solemn covenant with Him. So the laws are not just some rules laid down by the tribal chief, but they were the laws of the covenant community. When the law was transgressed, the covenant was broken, and so was the relationship with God! That’s why the law occupied such a huge place in the life of Israel.

In order to restore the broken relationship, sacrifices were required and penalties were prescribed. Yet all these sacrifices were really inadequate. They tried to lay the culprit’s guilt on a sheep or goat which was then killed – as though that scapegoat could really take away the guilt. True, God prescribed all this, but could such pitiful attempts at making amends ever really be adequate? In the Bible God is portrayed as so holy and just, that sin cannot be brushed aside. Actually the Bible presents sin as so horrendous that it merits death. This is the basic human predicament.”   (www.biblica.com  FAQ #17)

But if we look closely at the bible there is no law stated in Genesis 1, everything was made perfect and “good” and humans (male/female) in the image of Elohim (MOST HIGH GOD).   It wasn’t until Genesis 2 that Yahweh/Elohim, then just Yahweh (The LORD) made Adam from the dust of the earth, women from a rib of Adam, placed them in a garden and commanded they not eat the fruit of a Special tree because they will think they are gods, sin and know death.

It is in Genesis 2 and the rest of the Bible that the story of sin, sacrifice, suffering and finally death is told.  Yahweh made the body (the symbol of separation from God), dictated the Law to Moses, demanded sacrifices, took on human attributes such as anger, jealousy, vengefulness ,etc..

It is into this world (an Illusion) that Elohim sent his SON, the CHRIST, manifested in the form of Jesus to save the world from itself.  As Jesus stated:

“If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”  (John 8:42  KJV)

It is amazing that the same story is contained pictorially in the ancient Chinese language, almost identical to Genesis except “Tian” is used for “Elohim” and “Shang Di” for “Yahweh”.  With one major exception the Chinese pictographs were created 2500 years earlier than the writing of  Genesis by Moses. Both tell of the “garden”, fall into sin, the flood and the ship carrying 8 that were saved to become the forefathers, the tower, the confusing of tongues, dispersion across the lands, and the annual sacrifice demanded by the God.

In future posts I intend to expand more specifically on all of the ideas presented above.  And of course supply detailed references that I have used.

God Bless

Sawadee Khrap

Here is a post I made to the ACIM group I follow –

My meditation for today was concerning several of the sayings, attributed to Jesus, from the Gospel of Thomas.

(37)   His disciples said: “When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?”  Jesus said: “When you undress without being ashamed and take your clothes (and) put them under your feet like little children (and) trample on them, then [you] will see the son of the Living One, and you will not be afraid.”

(112)  Jesus says:  “Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul. Woe to the soul that depends on the flesh.”

(102) Jesus says:   “Woe to them, the Pharisees, for they are like a dog sleeping in a cattle trough, for it neither eats nor [lets] the cattle eat.”
*****
What does he mean – Going back to Genesis, when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of judgment, they saw themselves naked and were ashamed – meaning they saw the body as sin and separation from God – The lie of the devil.   In Genesis 1 there were no bodies, in the likeness and image of God ,they were created. But in Genesis 2 Yahweh (god of the world/earth and the Law) “made” or molded man from dust of the earth – separate creatures. The body is a symbol for the separation – the illusion of death of the son of god in a body.

Jesus is telling me that when i can look upon the body as an illusion and not as sin then I will see Christ standing there as innocent as when He was Created by God.  I will see Christ everywhere – NOT examples of sin – to be punished but errors which the Light of Christ’s Love will shine away.. I must not judge, leaving correction (forgiveness} to Christ’s judgment.

Father, forgive them they know not what they do – The world is the belief in the LIE  the separation from God by a body – the symbol or illusion of sin – missing the mark – seeing through a darkened lens – an error to be corrected.  Not demanding punishment but understanding through the Light of Christ’s Vision     Religious doctrine does not  allow a direct relationship with Jesus – restricted to what they choose to believe – a dog sleeping in the drinking water – scaring the thirsty away waving the banner of sin.

I would love to hear your comments:
Frank

Sawadee Khrap

These are my thoughts after today’s meditation:

To pray for healing of the body is to pray for just another illusion- an illusion of health. But still an illusion. Sickness is a defense against the truth. The underlying judgment, that the body is sick. must be first evaluated as false and let go – Heal first the mind that thinks the body is sick.

And yet any sickness is deigned to cover or camouflage the underlying truth or actual judgment made

1. First I decide that I need defense against SOME truth,
2. then I project sickness as a defense to camouflage the “truth” 
3. then considering the sickness real, I ask for healing of the body.

Not once in this process did I consider the underlying truth or judgment that I thought needed defense against. WHAT, but what truth – ONENESS, I am not separated from God. I am as God Created me. Spirit, not a body, One with ALL. The body and sickness is my Belief, my Judgement, that I am seperate from God. An Illusion.

Healing can only occur if I offer my willingness to allow the holy Spirit into my mind to examine all the judgments I have made and allow HIM to correct the one needed to proceed to healing today. Forgiveness, the correction of faulty judgments, is the function of the Holy Spirit – I NEED DO NOTHING – But be willing to have then corrected. In fact, I can do nothing – I HAVE ESTABLISHED THEM AS MY TRUTH.

I always have to remember that God provides all I need if I but look around. Medicine, although magical in form, is still provided until I can let the Holy Spirit examine and remove the obstacle or judgment that blocks my healing. My Faith assures me that God’s help is always present, I but need to abandon the idea that I know what is best and just surrender my mind to the Holy Spirit’s healing.

I have NO answers, in fact I have NO question, I come with an open mind asking only for the TRUTH to be revealed.

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

I am starting a weekly Tuesday meeting at 7 PM  to 8 PM at Black Canyon Coffee in Kad Suan Kaew Shopping Center.  All are invited but the meeting is specific to the daily lesson.  It is not a discussion group.  There will be ample time after the meeting for discussion or debate.

If your new to ACIM and want more information – Please come early to the Tuesday meeting and I have prepared a hand-out pack to get you started.   Links for free PDF versions of all material and versions of the “Course”   Studying the “Course” will not cost you any money. – What do you have to lose.

Ciao