About
This book is an abridgement of the textbook titled, A Course in Miracles. It has sold over 2.5 million copies and has been translated into 25 languages. While this book uses Christian vernacular, it is not fixed in Christian theology. It offers a multitude of universal truths for everyone.
The emphasis of this book is to encourage the application of practical spiritual directives, such as:
- Forgiveness as an alternative to judgement
- Joy as a substitute for confusion
- Oneness to dissolve separation
- Peace to disarm conflict
- Love to dispel fear
- God Instead of the ego
Spiritual directives are meant to steer us toward connection and harmony, and show us how to extend love. The directives in this book are to train our minds to increasingly become aware of what we are. Awareness of this truth in our daily lives will transform our experiences. Awareness is a redeeming tool when used on the path to peace.
Intellectual understanding of words does not bring peace. Peace comes through perceptual miracles that remove the obstacles to the awareness that God is within us. Through that awareness we begin to understand the role the mind plays in the escape from fear. When we know what we are, we are liberated to extend and receive love.
On the journey to realize God is within us, we make choices that impact our daily involvements. God allows each of us to use our free will to make those choices. This book teaches us how to decide to experience the joy of the eternal, without the reliance on the external.
The Process of Abridging A Course in Miracles
The original text is written in two levels: the practical level and the theoretical level. This abridgement’s emphasis is on the practical level, while I was extremely careful to stay true to the principles of the original.
The abridgement removed approximately 155,000 words from the original. There was no new content added, no paraphrasing, and no rearrangement of any text. The abridgement was achieved by truncating or removing sentences and paragraphs. Some punctuations, transitions, and conjunctions were added or removed to sustain grammatical correctness.
This book is not meant to build or sustain doctrine, as doctrine can distract from spiritual simplicity and cause one to elevate concepts above love’s message. The abridgement, like the original, is to increase our encounters with perceptional miracles, which bring clarity to confusion and peace to our purpose.