Lesson 121
- The Unforgiving Mind
- Here is the answer to your search for peace.
- Here is the key to meaning in a world
- that seems to make no sense. Here is the way
- to safety in apparent dangers that
- appear to threaten you at every turn,
- and bring uncertainty to all your hopes
- of ever finding quietness and peace.
- Here are all questions answered; here the end
- of all uncertainty ensured at last.
- The unforgiving mind is full of fear,
- and offers love no room to be itself’
- no place where it can spread its wings in peace
- and soar above the turmoil of the world.
- The unforgiving mind is sad, without
- the hope of respite and release from pain.
- It suffers and abides in misery,
- peering about in darkness, seeing not,
- yet certain of the danger lurking there.
- The unforgiving mind is torn with doubt,
- confused about itself and all it sees,
- afraid and angry, weak and blustering,
- afraid to go ahead, afraid to stay,
- afraid to waken or to go to sleep,
- afraid of every sound, yet more afraid
- of stillness, terrified of darkness, yet
- more terrified at the approach of light.
- What can the unforgiving mind perceive
- but its damnation? What can it behold
- except the proof that all its sins are real?
- The unforgiving mind sees no mistakes,
- but only sins. It looks upon the world
- with sightless eyes, and shrieks as it beholds
- its own projections rising to attack
- its miserable parody of life.
- It wants to live, yet wishes it were dead.
- It wants forgiveness, yet it sees no hope.
- It wants escape, yet can conceive of none
- because it sees the sinful everywhere.
- The unforgiving mind is in despair,
- without the prospect of a future which
- can offer anything but more despair.
- Yet it regards its judgment of the world
- as irreversible and does not see
- it has condemned itself to this despair.
- It thinks it cannot change, for what it sees
- bears witness that its judgment is correct.
- It does not ask because it thinks it knows.
- It does not question, certain it is right.
- Forgiveness is acquired; it is not
- inherent in the mind which cannot sin.
- As sin is an idea you taught yourself,
- forgiveness must be learned by you as well,
- but from a teacher other than yourself,
- who represents the other self in you.
- Through him you learn how to forgive the self
- you think you made, and let it disappear.
- Thus you return your mind as one to him
- who is your self, and who can never sin.
- Each unforgiving mind presents you with
- an opportunity to teach your own
- how to forgive itself. Each one awaits
- release from hell through you, and turns to you
- imploringly for heaven here and now.
- It has no hope but you become its hope.
- And as its hope, do you become your own.
- The unforgiving mind must learn through your
- forgiveness that it has been saved from hell,
- and as you teach salvation, you will learn.
- Yet all your teaching and your learning will
- be not of you, but of the teacher who
- was given you to show the way to you.
- Today we practice learning to forgive.
- If you are willing, you can learn today
- to take the key to happiness, and use
- it on your own behalf. We will devote
- ten minutes in the morning, and at night
- another ten, to learning how to give
- forgiveness and receive forgiveness too.
- The unforgiving mind does not believe
- that giving and receiving are the same.
- Yet we will try to learn today that they
- are one through practicing forgiveness t’ward
- one whom you think of as an enemy,
- and one whom you consider as a friend.
- And as you learn to see them both as one,
- we will extend the lesson to yourself,
- and see that their escape included yours.
- Begin the longer practice periods
- by thinking of someone you do not like,
- who seems to irritate you, or to cause
- regret in you if you should meet him, one
- you actively despise, or merely try
- to overlook. It does not matter what
- the form your anger takes. You probably
- have chosen him already. He will do.
- Now close your eyes and see him in your mind,
- and look at him awhile. Try to perceive
- some light in him somewhere – a little gleam
- which you had never noticed. Try to find
- some little spark of brightness shining through
- the ugly pricture that you hold of him.
- Look at this picture till you see a light
- somewhere within it, and then try to let
- this light extend until it covers him,
- and makes the picture beautiful and good.
- Look at this changed perception for awhile,
- and turn your mind to one you call a friend.
- Try to transfer the light you learned to see
- around your former “enemy” to him.
- Perceive him now as more than friend to you,
- for in that light his holiness shows you
- your savior, saved and saving, healed and whole.
- Then let him offer you the light you see
- in him. And let your “enemy” and friend
- unite in blessing you with what you gave.
- Now are you one with them and they with you.
- Now have you been forgiven by yourself.
- Do not forget, throughout the day, the role
- forgiveness plays in bringing happiness
- to every unforgiving mind, with yours
- among them. Every hour tell yourself:
- Forgiveness is the key to happiness.
- I will awaken from the dream that I
- am mortal, fallible, and full of sin,
- and know I am the perfect son of god.
