"I Need Do Nothing" and the Holy Instant
One of the ideas in A Course in Miracles that students seem to latch onto right away is “I need do nothing”. It’s a line that sticks in every student’s mind completely out of the context in which it was written! The ego seems to universally play havoc with it. Some student’s panic (“But I have to work! I have a family to raise! I can’t do nothing!”); others are merely confused (“But if ‘I need do nothing’ am I just supposed to let this situation that is bothering me continue?”) or even facetious (“If ‘I need do nothing’ why are there lessons in the Course to do? Why am I awakening? Isn’t that ‘doing’ something?”). The ego is obviously very threatened by those four words!
If you read the section in the Text called “I Need Do Nothing” (T-18.VII) in context, it is about the holy instant:
There is one thing that you have never done; you have not utterly forgotten the body. It has perhaps faded at times from your sight, but it has not yet completely disappeared. You are not asked to let this happen for more than an instant, yet it is in this instant that the miracle of Atonement happens. Afterwards you will see the body again, but never quite the same. And every instant that you spend without awareness of it gives you a different view of it when you return. (T-18.VII.2)
Salvation isn’t in the future; it is here now. Recognizing this is what the holy instant is for. In this instant you put the body/ego and its concerns aside and commune with God. And in this instant you realize “I need do nothing” because you are already in God.
The holy instant is a means of saving time by bringing salvation to your awareness now instead of putting it off into the future. And the experience of the holy instant is itself a great motivator for saving time. The more you experience it the more you want to experience it, therefore, the faster you will awaken. The holy instant, along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the holy relationship (they are really all the same thing) are the specific tools the Course uses to motivate you to awaken. They are a short cut.
Here is the ultimate release which everyone will one day find in his own way, at his own time. You do not need this time. Time has been saved for you because you and your brother are together. This is the special means this course is using to save you time. You are not making use of the course if you insist on using means which have served others well, neglecting what was made for you. Save time for me by only this one preparation, and practice doing nothing else. "I need do nothing" is a statement of allegiance, a truly undivided loyalty. Believe it for just one instant, and you will accomplish more than is given to a century of contemplation, or of struggle against temptation. (T-18.VII.6)
There are two other places in the Course where “I need do nothing” is used:
I am not alone, and I would not intrude the past upon my Guest. I have invited Him, and He is here. I need do nothing except not to interfere. (T-16.I.3)
God has already done all things that need be done. And I must learn I need do nothing of myself, for I need but accept my Self, my sinlessness, created for me, now already mine, to feel God's Love protecting me from harm, to understand my Father loves His Son; to know I am the Son my Father loves. (W-337.1)
Both of these quotes support the experience of the holy instant: You don’t have to do anything to be saved, you are already saved. All you need do is to accept this.
>>>>
One-on-one study, support and guidance is available for students of A Course in Miracles who want inner peace, harmonious relationships and a deep sense of purpose faster and easier. Visit www.acimmentor.com to learn more. There you can also view an archive for this blog by topic and find booklets to deepen your understanding of the Course.
If you read the section in the Text called “I Need Do Nothing” (T-18.VII) in context, it is about the holy instant:
There is one thing that you have never done; you have not utterly forgotten the body. It has perhaps faded at times from your sight, but it has not yet completely disappeared. You are not asked to let this happen for more than an instant, yet it is in this instant that the miracle of Atonement happens. Afterwards you will see the body again, but never quite the same. And every instant that you spend without awareness of it gives you a different view of it when you return. (T-18.VII.2)
Salvation isn’t in the future; it is here now. Recognizing this is what the holy instant is for. In this instant you put the body/ego and its concerns aside and commune with God. And in this instant you realize “I need do nothing” because you are already in God.
The holy instant is a means of saving time by bringing salvation to your awareness now instead of putting it off into the future. And the experience of the holy instant is itself a great motivator for saving time. The more you experience it the more you want to experience it, therefore, the faster you will awaken. The holy instant, along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the holy relationship (they are really all the same thing) are the specific tools the Course uses to motivate you to awaken. They are a short cut.
Here is the ultimate release which everyone will one day find in his own way, at his own time. You do not need this time. Time has been saved for you because you and your brother are together. This is the special means this course is using to save you time. You are not making use of the course if you insist on using means which have served others well, neglecting what was made for you. Save time for me by only this one preparation, and practice doing nothing else. "I need do nothing" is a statement of allegiance, a truly undivided loyalty. Believe it for just one instant, and you will accomplish more than is given to a century of contemplation, or of struggle against temptation. (T-18.VII.6)
There are two other places in the Course where “I need do nothing” is used:
I am not alone, and I would not intrude the past upon my Guest. I have invited Him, and He is here. I need do nothing except not to interfere. (T-16.I.3)
God has already done all things that need be done. And I must learn I need do nothing of myself, for I need but accept my Self, my sinlessness, created for me, now already mine, to feel God's Love protecting me from harm, to understand my Father loves His Son; to know I am the Son my Father loves. (W-337.1)
Both of these quotes support the experience of the holy instant: You don’t have to do anything to be saved, you are already saved. All you need do is to accept this.
>>>>
One-on-one study, support and guidance is available for students of A Course in Miracles who want inner peace, harmonious relationships and a deep sense of purpose faster and easier. Visit www.acimmentor.com to learn more. There you can also view an archive for this blog by topic and find booklets to deepen your understanding of the Course.
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