Can "a Course In Miracles" Make You Enlightened

[Denis]

A couple of years ago I heard about A Course in Miracles which is a really long book that has a lesson for each day of the year which is designed to make the reader transcend the ego if followed or practiced correctly.  More recently I heard Eckhart Tolle talk about this book and he highly recommended it.  For me however it is hard to get past the language of duality (religious language).  I was wondering if anyone has tried to practice what this book teaches.  And is there a version out there that was re-written using more spiritual language.  It is pretty fascinating how this book came about.  If anyone has any comment about this it is much appreciated.

[OrdinaryAwareness]

I haven't read it, but just skimmed the wikipedia page... I laughed hard. Also given that Tolle's major teaching is "be in the Now" and that's not enlightenment his recommendation doesn't really mean much does it?  

 

No disrespect towards you, you seem like someone who's serious about self-inquiry if you're willing to follow a book for a year. If you're looking for the real deal, then learn Vedanta, don't waste time with this book. 

[Prabhaker]

49 minutes ago, Denis said:

a really long book that has a lesson for each day of the year which is designed to make the reader transcend the ego if followed or practiced correctly.

Nobody has there been ever who was exactly like you, and nobody is ever going to be there again who will be exactly like you. No single book can teach everyone.

The person who follows others becomes false, he becomes pseudo, he becomes mechanical. He can be a great saint in the eyes of others, but deep down, he is simply unintelligent and nothing else. He may have a very respectable character but that is only the surface, it is not even skin-deep. Scratch him a little and you will be surprised that inside he is a totally different person, just the opposite of his outside.

By following others you can cultivate a beautiful character, but you cannot have a beautiful consciousness, and unless you have a beautiful consciousness you can never be free. 

Be a light unto yourself. Do not follow others, do not imitate, because imitation, following, creates stupidity. You are born with a tremendous possibility of intelligence. You are born with a light within you. Listen to the still, small voice within, and that will guide you.

But following somebody else, how are you going to become intelligent? You will not give any chance for your intelligence to explode. It needs a challenging life, an adventurous life, a life that knows how to risk and how to go into the unknown, for intelligence to arise.
 

[mandyjw]

I just listened to Eckhart Tolle's talk on The Course of Miracles and he said it's not for everyone and if you really can't get past the wording it probably isn't for you. I think I'm going to do it soon, not sure yet. I'm really starting to feel like Leo is going in a completely different direction from the kind of enlightenment that Eckhart's teachings point to, the kind where enlightenment can be had now by simply dis-identifying from the mind rather than the notion that enlightenment is a kind of future paradise you've got to work your way to. If you've been brought up in an organized religion the dogma in that is hard to miss.

[mandyjw]

Another thought, maybe there is something to be said for trying to look past the wording? After all, all words are form, they are not the truth but can only point to the truth.

[DoubleYou]

8 hours ago, OrdinaryAwareness said:

Also given that Tolle's major teaching is "be in the Now" and that's not enlightenment his recommendation doesn't really mean much does it?  

There's not much else to it though. Don't overcomplicate it. Ego is only about past and future so if you want to be enlightened then 'the now' is your only option.

Or 5-meo, I've heard. 

[OrdinaryAwareness]

3 hours ago, DoubleYou said:

There's not much else to it though. Don't overcomplicate it. Ego is only about past and future so if you want to be enlightened then 'the now' is your only option.

Nope, sorry, but that's untrue. Read some of my other posts if you want evidence for that, I'm not going to re-hash the same things again here. 

[Yang Noctus]

@DoubleYou That is where you are engaging in your ego, but the ego itself is far bigger more complicated and complex construct, being present is the only moment for you to be present, but you still have a sense of self, therefore you still have your ego in the moment. It's not as simple as you think.

[DoubleYou]

On 14-10-2016 at 7:08 PM, Yang Noctus said:

@DoubleYou That is where you are engaging in your ego, but the ego itself is far bigger more complicated and complex construct, being present is the only moment for you to be present, but you still have a sense of self, therefore you still have your ego in the moment. It's not as simple as you think.

Sure, we can write thousands of books about the complex structures of the ego and the way that it functions but when talking about awareness you can simply say that 'it is.' There's not much else to say about it. It's purely experiential. Therefor I say 'the now' in it's simplicity is quite an accurate description as far as describing awareness goes. It refers directly to experience itself instead of our perception of experience. Which is what enlightenment is all about.

[cetus]

@Denis A saw and hammer alone can't build house. They are only useful tools to help get the job done.

[Dodo]

On 14/10/2016 at 5:11 AM, Denis said:

A couple of years ago I heard about A Course in Miracles which is a really long book that has a lesson for each day of the year which is designed to make the reader transcend the ego if followed or practiced correctly.  More recently I heard Eckhart Tolle talk about this book and he highly recommended it.  For me however it is hard to get past the language of duality (religious language).  I was wondering if anyone has tried to practice what this book teaches.  And is there a version out there that was re-written using more spiritual language.  It is pretty fascinating how this book came about.  If anyone has any comment about this it is much appreciated.

Isn't all language dual?

Edited January 7, 2017 by Dodoster

[FirstglimpseOMG]

'The Power Of Now' by Eckhart Tolle slayed me, just slayed me. I read his 'A New Earth' first, and it is light and beauty and majesty on every page, but 'The Power Of Now' is, to me, wisdom beyond just about anything I've ever read. Man, I got to the end of that book... and something huge had shifted. Just sayin' ?

I sure read a ton of references towards 'A Course In Miracles' in the whack of spiritual, self help/transformation books I've read recently. From all angles a bunch of authors seem to have a great respect, gratitude and appreciation for the truths they've found in there. It is likely worth investigating in my opinion. I imagine I will own a copy at some point in the future, and have the opportunity to find out for myself. Right now I'm too busy inhaling the last of Dr. Joe Dispenza's 'Breaking The Habit Of Being Yourself'. Something about the way he ties quantum mechanics, spirituality and neuroscience together is reaching me almost as deeply as good ol' Eckhart. Highly, highly recommended.

Oh, and in my opinion, Leo and Eckhart are saying the same thing. Both beautifully and effectively. Leo's just a little more... in your face. Big smile.

 

[FirstglimpseOMG]

Oh, and if you get ahold of 'The Untethered Soul - a journey beyond the self', by Michael A. Singer ..you are holding pure light. I've bought it twice so far and given it away. Gotta get a few more copies, my house is just not the same without that book laying around.

[ajasatya]

nothing can make you enlightened. your only option is to unbecome unenlightened by practicing conscious presence.

books, videos, speeches etc can teach you how to be present here and now. but it's your choice to get the hands dirty and practice for the rest of your life.

[Toby]

I guess Eckhart Tolle did ACIM before his awakening and still likes and quotes it. Also David Hawkins liked it very much. There are better books out there but it is nevertheless a good pointing.