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.”

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