The Significance of "A Course in Miracles": A Freudian Vedanta [CD]

This lecture, held in Emeryville, California, focuses on the two elements that comprise A Course in Miracles: 1) its non-dualistic metaphysics, which parallels the highest teachings of the Vedanta, the sacred Hindu writings that emphasize the fundamental unreality of the world; and 2) its sophisticated psychology, heavily based on the work of Sigmund Freud, which explains the dynamics of the ego, the false self based on guilt, projection, and attack.

A major focus of the talk is on the need to recognize our projections, returning them to our minds so we can choose again. This, then, becomes the essence of forgiveness, which undoes the mind's guilt so we may allow the Holy Spirit's forgiving love to extend through us to embrace everyone, without exception. The fear of losing our identity and returning to the oneness of creation leads us to defend against the all-inclusive nature of forgiveness. Understanding this resistance is an essential part of healing our minds of the belief in separation and the investment in preserving our individual existence.