A Course in Miracles 3 Volume Set

A Course in Miracles, or ACIM, is a spiritual thought system that is presented as a three-volume curriculum of a Text, Workbook, and Manual for Teachers. The Course is Christian in statement, but emphasizes that it is "one version of a universal curriculum, of which there are many thousands."

The theoretical ideas of Book 1 of the Text form the foundation for the practical application of the lessons in the daily Workbook.
Text a course in miracles

A Course in Miracles is a three-volume book set that includes the Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers. The Course is a spiritual self-study thought system that teaches forgiveness as the path to universal love and peace. The Course is non-sectarian and ecumenical, although it uses Christian language. It emphasizes that it is one of many versions of a universal curriculum, and that all lead to God in the end.

The Text is the largely theoretical portion of the Course and sets forth the concepts upon which the daily lessons in the Workbook for Students are built. It also provides the foundation for the change of mind that the Course seeks to accomplish. Without the practical application provided by the Workbook, the Text would remain a series of abstractions that could hardly bring about the transformation in perception for which the Course is designed.

The Workbook for Students contains 365 daily lessons that ask the student to apply the principles of forgiveness in his or her daily life. The lessons are short and do not require a large amount of time or intense practice. However, they do demand a willingness to question every value that the student holds as to what the world is really about, and a commitment to change that value in favor of a more loving one.

The "Manual for Teachers" is written in question-and-answer format and answers many of the questions that a teacher might be asked by students. It also clarifies a number of terms that the Course uses, and explains them within the context of its theoretical framework.
Workbook

The Course in Miracles is a self-study curriculum that presents a pure non-dualistic metaphysics and emphasizes forgiveness as its principle. Its teachings have been translated into 25 languages and are used by people of all spiritual backgrounds to find the path to peace that is right for them. Unlike most books, A Course in Miracles does not have an author or a "personal name" listed on the copyrighted book. The Course is a "channeled" text, which means it was written through an inner dictation from Jesus to Helen Schucman and William Thetford, who were both professors of Medical Psychology at Columbia University.

The book consists of three volumes, each of which contains the Text, Workbook, and Manual for Teachers. The Text is written mostly in short, cryptic statements that can be confusing and seem to contradict each other at times. However, the truth of its message is revealed to students through study, meditation, and prayer.

In contrast to the theoretical teachings of the Text, the daily Workbook lessons are a practical application of the principles taught in the Course. They are meant to be done every day and do not require long practice periods. However, they do require a willingness to question one's beliefs about the world and to look at everyday events through God's eyes. The Workbook includes 365 lessons, although it is not necessary to do them all in one day. Some may find some of the ideas in the lessons hard to believe, and others may be startling. However, the introduction to the lessons warns that you need not believe or accept them; simply apply the concepts as they are given and use the tools the lessons provide to achieve this.

The Manual for Teachers explains many of the terms and ideas found in the Course, particularly the terminology that is used to discuss a non-dualistic view of reality. It also provides answers to questions that have been frequently asked about the course. While it does not provide the same depth of explanation as the Text and Workbook, the Manual is a helpful companion for those who are studying the Course in a group or as individuals.
Manual for Teachers

A Course in Miracles is a self-study spiritual thought system. Its curriculum consists of a Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers. It teaches that the way to universal love and peace — or remembering God — is through undoing guilt through forgiveness of others. It is a non-sectarian, universal spiritual teaching.

In keeping with its theory of learning, the curriculum the Course proposes is carefully conceived and explained, step by step, at both the theoretical and practical levels. It emphasizes application over theory and experience over theology, recognizing that "a universal theology is impossible but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary."

The workbook's lessons were meant to make students proficient in the material set forth in the Text. The teacher's manual was meant to teach them how to help their pupils become proficient in the lessons and understand their meaning. It is for this reason that the course modelled its three volumes after an educational course. In a college course you have a textbook, to be read and studied; a workbook, whose lessons, performed, lead to proficiency in the material; and a manual for teachers, which instructs teachers in how to teach the course.

However, the manual seemed to lose sight of this principle at its conclusion, when it states that the teacher has two forms: "the healer and the teacher" (Manual, p. 5; M-2.5:5). I believe this is a major omission, and one that makes the Manual seem less useful than it should be.

As a result, many students use the course in ways that don't reflect its teachings. This can be problematic, as the course's theory of learning is based on the idea that all students are different, and the teachings are intended to fit their unique situations and needs.

In a way, this is understandable, since the course itself was dictated in the form of questions and answers to Helen Schucman by Jesus between the years of 1965 and 1972. During that time she, along with William Thetford and Kenneth Wapnick, edited the original scribe notes into a typewritten ACIM version known as the "ACIM UrText," which was sent out in manuscript form to various parties until it was published in 1975.
Supplements

A Course in Miracles, or ACIM, is a three-book set of spiritual self-study books: Text, Workbook for Students and Manual for Teachers. Its curriculum is both theoretical and metaphysical, and it emphasizes healing and forgiveness. The Course also teaches the importance of choosing love over fear and renouncing judgment.

The introductory section of the text describes Helen Schucman and William Thetford’s professional struggles, which led them to believe that “there must be a better way.” This willingness to find a better way brought about transmissions from Jesus to Helen, and eventually A Course in Miracles was born.

This section of the text introduces the basic concepts that form the basis of the Course’s teachings: God, the world and time, the nature of reality and our perception of it, the ego, relationships and healing. It discusses a different way of looking at life, the meaning of forgiveness and letting go, and how the miracle is a constant presence in our lives.

It also covers the basics of how the course is structured: how the unified volume of the course was put together and the relationship of the three parts. It discusses the curriculum of the course, and explains the roles of the Text, the Workbook and the Manual for Teachers. It also describes the structure of study circles and the role of the Internal Teacher.

The two supplements to the course, Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process and Practice and The Song of Prayer, were scribed by Helen Schucman as extensions of its principles. They are based on the idea that prayer is a constant state of giving and receiving, and that our requests for help range from those that identify us with forms, objects and worldly problems to those that allow us to sing a higher song, bringing us closer to communion.

A few years after the publication of the first edition of the course, a second was published. This edition included the Supplements and a revised and expanded Introduction to the unified volume. Since then, several other editions have been published, including a urtext version of the original manuscript, and a new edit that is more firmly based on the notes is currently available, called the Complete and Annotated edition or “the authentic original edition.” It includes most of the material in the supplements, but not all of the extraneous content that was edited out in the FIP edit.

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Pub: 02 Nov 2023 11:56 UTC
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