Ask: Does each animal experience consciousness?
“What I've been
wanting to know about is if we can say definitively whether each animal is
experiencing consciousness, and does Jesus say definitively or can we say with
certainty whether they suffer or do not suffer? And if each animal can
experience its reference point in consciousness, does each one need to have
enough lifetimes and/or humans praying for them (since it doesn’t seem they are
able to pray themselves) to receive enough prayers so that their next reboot
will be as a human so they can discover The Course?” – M
I am not aware of anywhere that Jesus says anything about
animals in the context of consciousness. But I’m not too familiar with the
Bible so there could be something in there about which I do not know.
The understanding to which I have been led (and have come to
see for myself) is that the entire universe of form, including all animals and
plants, is the projection of one split mind (the “Son of God” in A Course in Miracles). The split mind projects
itself only onto one animal, the human animal. So only humans have the kind of
consciousness that can choose between Truth and illusion. At the level of form,
any animal with a system of pain receptors can experience physical pain and
will, when it is extreme, suffer in that sense. But because only humans
experience consciousness only humans experience psychological or emotional suffering.
Remember, however, that in the human experience pain is inevitable but
suffering is optional. One suffers psychologically or emotionally because of
the stories they tell themselves about pain. In any case, both the pain and the
suffering are only temporary illusions.
No one needs lifetimes or prayers or A Course in Miracles for the Truth to be true. The Truth goes on
right now wholly untouched by anything that happens in the universe of form,
which is an illusion. Truth and illusion never intersect. No part of the
universe of form “goes on” to Truth. What happens in the universe of form is
wholly meaningless.
In the story of time (illusion) all stories begin as an
expression (effect) of the-idea-of not-Truth. In some stories a dream figure
(person) becomes aware of Truth and then their story becomes an expression
(effect) of the-undoing-of-the-idea-of-not-Truth. But in either case it is a
meaningless effect, not a cause. It does not lead anywhere. So you do not have
to worry about anyone or anything finding ACIM or any other spiritual teaching.
It does not have any real effect if one does or does not find Truth. The benefits
are only temporary. They only matter in the story of time, which is an illusion.
And the self which does or does not experience these benefits is only an effect
and falls away in the story. Only the Truth is true and eternal.
>>>>>
Learn about the books The ACIM Mentor Articles, The Plain Language A Course in Miracles, 4 Habits for Inner Peace, and Releasing Guilt for Inner Peace at www.acimmentor.com.
Comments
You do not have to "get out" of the illusion. You are already out of it. You just have to realize this. That realization is what is unfolding for you. You are in that process as a student of ACIM.
endless L, n
I think most of us are more or less trying to fix 'ourselves'. Thoughts like this come into my mind often, but they don't seem to stay as long. And they are corrected really, really quickly by reminding myself how futile that would be. I figure that if there is anything that I needed to change (any idea that comes from the HS), it will arise in my consciousness as a strong urge that I will feel almost powerless to ignore it. Although I do need to be careful because the ego also exerts it's will by coming through as a strong urge. The difference, as far as I can tell, comes down to a subtle feeling of excitement and an urge to do things quickly. This usually turns out to be a falsely driven idea....oh well, doesn't matter, what's one more poor decision?.....;-)
Back to the comment at hand...
One book that helped me immensely in seeing the futility of trying to build a better 'me' is by david carse (his lowercase, not mine). Perfect, Brilliant Stillness is the title, and it is basically his story of his uninvited (in a sense) awakening in which he saw, REALLY SAW, that 'there's nobody home', meaning that he now knows that we are all just dream figures, and that knowledge has never left him. He explains it so clearly that I find myself turning to it whenever I find myself deep, deep into the belief that I am a shitty, unworthy 'person' who doesn't deserve redemption, i.e. when I am deep into the dream that I am this lousy caricature that I consider myself.
Strangely, at moments like this the last thing I want to do is pick up is the Course. It seems that I am unwilling to see myself through the lofty ideas of Christ, but I am at least willing to suspend my belief that I am this crappy Laurie character.
I have read tons of spiritual books, as most of us on here have, but none of them have helped as much to change my identification with this self than his has. It hasn't led to any great awakening, but as far as undoing a shitload of crappy feelings about myself and how I should change and become a better, holier and less self-destructive human, I couldn't recommend a better read. In my more 'awake' moments I really see that this Laurie character is just one of billions who are following a script that began at the beginning of time. She is going to do what she is going to do and my only purpose (now that I have invited Him into my life), is to simply watch and not judge her, like what I am asked to do with all the other dream figures. They too are only doing what the script dictates and therefore are not guilty of anything (but being good actors lol) and identifying with their own scripts. In this regard it has also helped immensely in letting 'others' off the hook for what they are appearing as and appearing to do.
PS: David does not teach, nor has he written anything since he was inspired/pushed into writing that one book. After taking a few years to fill in his understanding of his newfound awareness (India, books, a guru here and there) because he was NOT on any real/usual spiritual quest before this awakening happened, he went back to his old life of being a carpenter living solo in the Vermont hills. He does not invite others to come to him for advice or teachings. As he puts it, david is not very socially adept and 'he was not born to be a teacher'. He was simply instructed to tell his story in that one book and then go on with his life as before. But he does describe the joy and bliss of living with that brilliant, perfect, stillness. Sat, Chit, Ananda....
PPS: This recommendation is for anyone who can relate to what I wrote about feeling too immersed in identification with your body/self. It really marked a change in my self-perception, which I must have been ready for or else it wouldn't have happened. But that is me, and as Liz states "beware of inspiration from the Holy Spirit that is meant for somebody else"