All One Mind

ACIM on Life and Death

As summarised by Gemini Ai

"Life" is a central and profoundly important concept in A Course in Miracles (ACIM), directly contrasting and serving as the reality to the illusion of "death."

Here's a summary of what A Course in Miracles says about Life:

1. Life is God, and God is Life (The Source of All Being): The most fundamental teaching is that Life is synonymous with God. God is not merely the giver of life, but is Life itself. Therefore, everything that God created shares in His Life. This means Life is eternal, limitless, and unchangeable.

2. Life is Eternal and Has No Opposite: Because God is eternal and changeless, so is the Life He created. ACIM states unequivocally that Life has no opposite; death is merely an illusion or a dream born of the ego's belief in separation. Where God is, death cannot be. The concept of death is seen as a denial of Life's omnipresence and eternal nature.

3. Our True Self is Life (The Son of God is Life): We are inherently Life as Sons of God. Our true identity, created in God’s image and likeness, is Spirit, which is eternal and beyond the limitations of the body or the world. The body is seen as a temporary vehicle in the illusion, but it neither lives nor dies; the true Self is Life itself, incapable of being extinguished.

4. Life is Fullness, Joy, Peace, and Abundance: When ACIM speaks of Life, it's not just about biological existence. It's about the fullness of being, perfect joy, unbroken peace, limitless abundance, and complete safety. This is the state of Heaven, our natural inheritance, which is also a state of perfect Life.

5. The World is a Denial of Life: The perceived "life" in the world, with its cycles of birth and death, pain and suffering, is considered a misconception or a dream of separation from true Life. The ego's perception creates a world that appears to contain life and death, but this duality is unreal. The world symbolises our belief in separation from the eternal Life of God.

6. Life is Experienced Through True Perception (The Holy Instant): The way to experience true Life is not by seeking it in the physical world, but by shifting our perception. Through forgiveness, the Holy Spirit's guidance, and the experience of the holy instant, we begin to see beyond the illusions of the ego and remember our true nature as Life. The resurrection, in ACIM, is not a future event after death, but the awakening to the eternal Life that is already our reality.

7. Life is Communication and Unity: True Life is experienced in unity and perfect communication. The separation implicit in the ego's world, where bodies are distinct and communication is fragmented, denies the unified Life shared by all Sons of God. When we recognise our oneness, we participate in the communication of Life itself.

8. Choosing for Life (Rejecting the Illusion of Death): The Course asks us to choose Life. This means believing in the reality of God and His creations (eternal Life) and refusing to give reality to anything else, including death. It's an active decision to align with truth, rather than compromise with illusions.

In essence, A Course in Miracles defines "Life" as the eternal, joyful, peaceful, and unified reality of God and His Son. It stands in direct opposition to the illusion of death, which is merely a dream of separation. The entire spiritual journey of the Course is designed to help us awaken from the dream of death and remember, experience, and extend the limitless Life that is our true inheritance.

Death

"Death" is a highly significant concept in A Course in Miracles (ACIM), and its teaching on death is quite radical compared to conventional views.

Here's a summary of what A Course in Miracles says about death:

1. Death is an Illusion and Not Real: ACIM’s most fundamental teaching regarding death is that it is not real. It is presented as the "central dream from which all illusions stem" (M-27.1:1). The Course vehemently denies that death has any reality because God, who is Love and Life, did not create it. Since God created everything real, anything not created by God is an illusion.

2. Death is a Symbol of Fear and Separation: ACIM teaches that death is a symbol of the fear of God and the belief in separation from Him. It is the ultimate expression of the ego's desire to be separate, distinct, and individual, leading to a fragmented perception of reality. As a symbol of separation and limitation, the body is seen as the primary vehicle through which the illusion of death is experienced.

3. Death is Not a Natural Law or Punishment: The Course directly challenges the idea that death is a "natural law" or an inevitable part of the "circle of life." It argues that a loving Creator would not decree that all things pass away into "dust, disappointment and despair." Instead, the world's belief in death stems from a misperception of God as a god of fear or vengeance.

4. The Body Neither Lives Nor Dies: According to ACIM, the body symbolises our identity within the illusion, but it is not our true Self. Therefore, "the body neither lives nor dies, because it cannot contain you who are life" (T-6.V.A.1). Our true Self, the Son of God, is eternal and immortal, created in God's image.

5. Nothing is Accomplished Through Death: The Course emphasises that death does not solve problems or bring release. "Nothing is accomplished through death, because death is nothing." (T-6.V.A.1:2). Seeking death as an escape from suffering only reinforces the belief in the illusion of a separate, suffering body.

6. The Goal is to Overcome and Transcend Death: The ultimate aim of the Course is to help individuals transcend the illusion of death. This is achieved through a radical shift in perception, moving from identification with the ego and the body to the eternal Self. This shift involves:

Forgiveness: Forgiving the world and seeing everything through the lens of love helps to undo the belief in separation, which is the root of the belief in death.

Accepting No Compromise: Teachers of God are instructed to "Accept no compromise in which death plays a part" (M-27.7:1). This means refusing to believe in the reality of death in any form.

Awakening to True Life (Resurrection): The Course presents resurrection not as a post-death event, but as the awakening to the truth of one's eternal nature now. It is the realisation that life is eternal and has no opposite.

7. Death as a "Quiet Choice" After True Healing: While primarily teaching that death is unreal, ACIM does describe a "kind of seeming death that has a different source" (M-27.8:1). This "final death" is not cruel or fearful but "a quiet choice, made joyfully and with a sense of peace" (M-27.8:4). It occurs when the body has served its purpose as a learning device, and the mind has achieved true healing by forgiving the world and its illusions. In this context, death is seen as "liberty" and a "gentle welcome to release," a rest from labour gladly done. However, this gentle passing is only possible after true healing, dispelling the dreams of sin and fear.

In essence, A Course in Miracles dismantles the conventional understanding of death to reveal it as a product of the ego's thought system. By recognizing death as an illusion and shifting our perception to the eternal reality of God's Love, we awaken to the truth that there is no death, only eternal Life.