could you please give us some suggestions or guidelines to help us learn the course? How can I learn these three books to benefit the most?

Let's put forward some general suggestions here, and introduce some ready-made topics on this site (facimoutreach.org) in an interspersed way.

First of all, there is no "supreme" or "unique" method as far as the correct learning method of Miracle Course is concerned, because students learn the Course under the guidance of the Holy Spirit or Jesus. Therefore, the Teacher's Guide says that the training of the Course is "tailored to individual needs" (M.9.1:5; M.29.2:6)。 Moreover, people's living environment, background and ability are very different, and there is no set of immutable criteria that can be applied to everyone.

In the order of reading, Jesus didn't specify whether to finish the Text, Student's Exercise Manual or Teacher's Guide first. Students can decide for themselves. There is no right or wrong way to learn. However, in order to fully grasp the ideological system of the course and practice one lesson every day steadily, students will have to study the content of the text sooner or later. Jesus suggested that we should study hard, and at the same time reminded us not to advance too fast, so as not to get caught up in fear unnecessarily (T.I.VII.4,5; See also question and answer no.1163). In addition, he mentioned in the introduction of the Student's Exercise Manual: "The theoretical basis provided in the text is an indispensable framework in the Exercise Manual, which gives meaning to each exercise." (W.in.1:1)。 Therefore, Jesus explicitly asked the students to work hard on the text sooner or later.

Metaphors are often used in the Course, but on the surface, many words seem to be contradictory. Therefore, we can't understand the Course only by reason. Only with a heart open to truth can students understand the connotation of the Course and the theme of forgiveness it teaches. The course of miracles itself is a tangible and qualitative book, but it seems contradictory to say that the world is an illusion and division has never happened. However, from the very beginning, the Course lovingly adopted such a form, precisely to prescribe the right medicine for the part of the soul that the son of God thought was sinful and hard to return. According to the ego's logic, if the justice of heaven is restored and the "sin" of division is committed, the angry God will be attracted to punish himself. However, according to the Curriculum, the Lord is lonely and sad because we are missing around him (T.5.VII.4; T.2.III.5), that is to say, instead of being angry or resentful or having no intention of revenge, God has always loved and missed us. The image of loving father is far more approachable than abstract divinity. As Jesus said, "Without a body or a familiar form, you can't even imagine what God looks like", and "This holy teacher who has been certified into a unified state will use the language that the mind can understand and use the events that he thinks he is facing" (T.25.I.7:4).

The previous paragraph explained the metaphor used in the Course and the hierarchy of its teaching. Since we believe that we live in the world, Jesus has to teach from this level of experience; Now that we have recognized the color body, everything we think and do is based on the body, the Course has to come to the world in a form that we can understand, and preach the Dharma to us by means of metaphors, poetic images and symbols, reiterating the sacred love that we have long denied or forgotten.

Let me say again that "Curriculum" must adapt to our real situation, that is, this extremely complicated world. The complexity of the world comes from that complex ideological system, and our hearts have long been brainwashed by it. Therefore, Jesus had to make a long speech about the external world and the inner world, so as to achieve the effect of spring breeze and rain. He said that "this course is completely written for the ideological structure of the individual, because only the individual needs this course" (C.in.3:1), which is what he meant. In the text (T-15. IV.6: 2), he also mentioned that the ego loves to make things intertwined, so Jesus needs to make use of the situation and simplify the complex to completely resolve it.

the complexity of the course may indeed make beginners daunting, but we should know that it is the right medicine to teach us not to be confused by complicated appearances and point to "simple salvation" (T.31.I). At that time, every one of us will finally understand that "what is illusory is illusory, and what is true is not easy through the ages" (W.pII.1.1:1). This simple truth is buried under the complex ideological system in people's minds and the world born from it.

Anyone can benefit from the Miracle Course, and you don't need special talents to learn it as your own practice guide. However, it is obvious that the knowledge level of the three books of the Course is really high, and there are many strict concepts of metaphysics, theology and psychology, and most of them are written in blank verse. Therefore, if readers or students lack knowledge background and know little about these fields, they may have some difficulties in understanding them, but this does not mean that such people will get nothing by studying the full text or doing the exercise manual. If after reading the Curriculum, you can be more kind and kind, restore your confidence in God's holy love, and at the same time reduce your anger, depression and fear, which can be regarded as achieving the goal of the Curriculum. On the other hand, many highly educated students can't read it. However, they will find another spiritual way that suits their needs and interests.

Curriculum says that it is only one of thousands of universal courses (M.1.4), and it is not necessary for everyone to learn it. Religions often claim that they are the only orthodox religion and the only way to reconcile with God. But the course of miracles is not one of them. Instead, it reminds us time and again that all people will find the way to God sooner or later, and they don't have to follow it.

finally, as far as the structure and writing of "Course" are concerned, it is more like a symphony: first introduce the theme, then press it temporarily, and then go back to explain it from time to time. In this way, an interlocking framework is formed-each chapter is not only an indispensable part of the whole, but also implies the whole. Therefore, in the ideological system of "Curriculum" and daily practice, the same idea appears repeatedly and echoes from afar. This learning process is like climbing a spiral staircase. Readers follow the guidance and go back and forth. Every time they break through, they will go to by going up one flight of stairs until the peak, waiting for the arrival of God. A large number of blank poems in writing, with their beautiful rhythm, make repeated themes easier to penetrate into people's hearts.

In the introduction of the Student's Exercise Manual, the only requirement for doing exercises is: "Do not practice more than one group a day." (W.in.2:6)。 Before starting practice, students had better read the introduction carefully, and after practicing for a period of time, they might as well review it occasionally. In addition, students should also pay attention to a principle mentioned in the introduction: "You just need to remember this: you don't have to believe or accept these ideas, or even have a good feeling. Some ideas may also arouse your resistance. All this is just as well, and it does not damage its effectiveness. When applying the concept of Exercise Manual, never allow yourself to set some exceptions without authorization; No matter how you react to these ideas, use these reactions to practice! What it requires is just that. " (W.in.9)

If necessary, you can practice the class repeatedly. If you think a lesson is important or difficult to do, you might as well spend a few more days with it. However, if you think that you have to practice each lesson perfectly before you can do the next lesson, it may not only bring harm, but also be a trap, because most people are unlikely to do this. If we can, it means that we have reached a high spiritual realm, and we don't need these courses at all.

If the exercise is put on hold for a few days or even weeks, you might as well read the middle paragraph in lesson 95. You should know that no matter how badly you practice, you don't have to start from scratch. The key point of lesson 95 is to teach us to recognize the ego's strategy of secretly intervening in practice, and learn to look at "one's own lack of diligence and failure to practice on time" (W.pI.95.8:3) with a forgiving eye, which is the key point. Jesus doesn't stare at whether we practice on time every day. He just wants to exercise our minds, make us face problems with a forgiving attitude more and more, and gradually extend this kung fu to all fields of life.

The core principle of doing the Exercise Manual is to be honest with the fact that you can't practice well, to be aware of your stubborn resistance mentality, and to forgive yourself for not making progress. As long as you follow the Exercise Manual and practice step by step, you will definitely make progress. The focus should be on the "connotation" of the exercise, not on the superficial "form". In other words, follow the instructions sincerely and as seriously as possible, and don't criticize yourself even if you are unable to do it. We can even say that the purpose of practice is to make mistakes and then forgive them. This move reflects the best forgiveness, which actually forgives the wrong choice that we split from the source of life.

The third Teacher's Guide is the most plain and easy to understand. Curriculum has been teaching us to understand that all of us are teachers and students of each other, and there is no boundary between teaching and learning, because we are also learning while teaching, and we are also teaching while learning, and there is no need for formal teaching occasions, and silent teaching is always going on. We should know that the Miracle Course never talks about form (body), but only about connotation (mind). The Teacher's Guide explains the relatively important topics in the Course by asking and answering questions. There is also an appendix to the course of miracles, which was recorded several years after Helen recorded the course. It is called Lexical Analysis, which is similar to a collection of important terms in the course. These annotations may help to understand the concept, but students often find that if they don't understand the meaning, they will probably come back in vain after reading Lexical Analysis. In fact, it restates the meaning of terms in poetic language, but it helps us review the concepts we learned in the previous article.

selected from/Question and Answer Service of Miracle Curriculum Foundation

translated/translated by Wang Shimeng

proofread/link to the original text by Ruoshui Robert Yan Qian Wei Jiafang

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