We begin with the misconception common
to many students of A Course in Miracles, reflective of an anti-intellectualism
that is continually present in our society. The form in which this ultimately
pseudo-spiritual position is often expressed in Course students is that it is
not necessary to study the text; one simply needs to have a spiritual
experience, and that is all. Interestingly, a recent article in Newsweek (May
7, 2001) discussed religious experiences that ostensibly emanated from
stimulation of certain sectors of the brain. The conclusions often drawn from
such research—namely, that most, if not all spiritual experience is nothing but
a high, induced by bio-electric, bio-magnetic, or bio-chemical means—bring into
focus the confusion people often make between authentic spirituality and
spiritual or religious experience. The latter can be relatively easily acquired
through various disciplines (yoga, meditation, etc.), psychedelic drugs,
hyperventilation, or now, brain stimulation. But this does not necessarily lead
to the person's becoming more genuinely forgiving, loving, kind, or peaceful;
or less judgmental, angry, or fearful—all of which would be characteristic of
people advancing on the spiritual path. It is the process of achieving the
experience that undoes the unconscious guilt—our ‘secret sins and hidden hates’
(T-31.VIII.9:2)—that is the true obstacle to attaining the peace of God. In
this sense, one could more accurately speak of a spiritual process, rather than
a spiritual experience.
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