Lesson 108
- To Give and To Receive Are One in Truth
- Vision depends upon today’s idea.
- The light is in it, for it reconciles
- all seeming opposites. And what is light
- except the resolution, born of peace,
- of all your conflicts and mistaken thoughts
- into one concept which is wholly true?
- Even that one will disappear, because
- the thought behind it will appear instead
- to take its place. And now you are at peace
- forever, for the dream is over then.
- True light that makes true vision possible
- is not the light the body’s eyes behold.
- It is a state of mind that has become
- so unified that darkness cannot be
- perceived at all. And thus what is the same
- is seen as one, while what is not the same
- remains unnoticed, for it is not there.
- This is the light that shows no opposites,
- and vision, being healed, has pow’r to heal.
- This is the light that brings your peace of mind
- to other minds, to share it and be glad
- that they are one with you and with themselves.
- This is the light that heals because it brings
- single perception, based upon one frame
- of reference, from which one meaning comes.
- Here are both giving and receiving seen
- as different aspects of one thought whose truth
- does not depend on which is seen as first,
- not which appears to be in second pace.
- Here it is understood that both occur
- together, that the thought remain complete.
- And in this understanding is the base
- on which all opposites are reconciled,
- because they are perceived from the same frame
- of reference which unifies this thought.
- One thought, completely unified, will serve
- to unify all thought. This is the same
- as saying one correction will suffice
- for all correction, or that to forgive
- one brother wholly is enough to bring
- salvation to all minds. For these are but
- some special cases of one law which holds
- for every kind of learning, if it be
- directed by the one who knows the truth.
- To learn that giving and receiving are
- the same has special usefulness, because
- it can be tried so easily and seen
- as true. And when this special case has proved
- it always works, in every circumstance
- where it is tried, the thought behind it can
- be generalized to other areas
- of doubt and double vision. And from there
- it will extend, and finally arrive
- at the one thought which underlies them all.
- Today we practice with the special case
- of giving and receiving. We will use
- this simple lesson in the obvious
- because it has results we cannot miss.
- To give is to receive. Today we will
- attempt to offer peace to everyone
- and see how quickly peace returns to us.
- Light is tranquility, and in that peace
- is vision given us, and we can see.
- So we begin the practice periods
- with the instruction for today, and say:
- To give and to receive are one in truth.
- I will receive what I am giving now.
- Then close your eyes, and for five minutes think
- of what you would hold out to everyone
- to have it yours. You might, for instance, say:
- To everyone I offer quietness.
- To everyone I offer peace of mind.
- To everyone I offer gentleness.
- Say each one slowly and then pause awhile,
- expecting to receive the gift you gave.
- And it will come to you in the amount
- in which you gave it. You will find you have
- exact return, for that is what you asked.
- It might be helpful, too, to think of one
- to whom to give your gifts. He represents
- the others, and through him you give to all.
- Our very simple lesson for today
- will teach you much. Effect and cause will be
- far better understood from this time on,
- and we will make much faster progress now.
- Think of the exercises for today
- as quick advances in your learning, made
- still faster and more sure each time you say,
- “To give and to receive are one in truth.”
