ACIM Chapter 4, I. Right Teaching and Right Learning, P 5, 6

ACIM T-4. I. Right Teaching and Right Learning, P 5, 6. Every good teacher hopes to give his students so much of his own learning that they will one day no longer need him.

I. Right Teaching and Right Learning, P 5

5 Every good teacher hopes to give his students so much of his own learning that they will one day no longer need him. This is the one true goal of the teacher. It is impossible to convince the ego of this, because it goes against all of its own laws. But remember that laws are set up to protect the continuity of the system in which the lawmaker believes. It is natural for the ego to try to protect itself once you have made it, but it is not natural for you to want to obey its laws unless you believe them. The ego cannot make this choice because of the nature of its origin. You can, because of the nature of yours.

What I Am Learning

Jesus is teaching me that I am not the ego; rather, I have an ego. I am the maker of the ego and am confused about my identity, thinking that I am what I made. Since my true identity is spirit, I don’t need to be taught, but I do need help in remembering the truth. The ego cannot make a choice for sane thinking because it was made to avoid right-minded thinking. It was made as an alternative to truth. Because of the nature of my origin, I can choose to believe either ego thinking or the truth. I was created Truth, and though it can be forgotten, it cannot be lost.

Jesus was the first to realize the truth of his nature and to remember who he is. Since he had found his way out, he chose to activate the plan of Atonement to help us all escape the cycle of the ego’s dream of death and to return ourselves to God. So far, what I understand about this plan is twofold. First, I am to accept healing by allowing the Holy Spirit to heal my mind. Second, I am to share what I am given through surrendering my body to the Holy Spirit to use as a teaching device.

First Phase

The first phase, allowing my mind to be healed, occurs as I let down my defenses and invite healing. When I stop protecting my beliefs, they are corrected for me. I protect my beliefs from being healed when I insist they must be true. For instance, I might say that there is no death, and I think that must be true, but then I hear that someone is very sick with stage four cancer and is waiting for death.

Hearing the news that this person is dying of cancer, my first thought is that their death is inevitable. I see that I believe in death, and I protect that belief from the Holy Spirit when I insist that, in some cases, death cannot be overcome. My belief is now that, at some point, even the Will of God is not strong enough to overcome the death of a body riddled with cancer. This belief is my defense against God, and while I defend my belief, there is nothing the Holy Spirit can do to heal my mind.

Feeling Trapped

What can I do when I feel trapped by my own beliefs? First, I can recognize that my mind is confused. I can give this confusion to the Holy Spirit and ask that He purify my thoughts. I can ask that He heal my mind of the belief in death and suffering. The solution is the same, no matter what my wrong-minded thought might be. The temptation at that point is to look at the illusion to see if my prayer worked and, if I do not see evidence of success, to judge myself as inadequate and unworthy. If this happens, I simply have another thought to be healed. My part is to accept the Atonement, that is, to ask for and accept the healing of my mind.

Second Phase

The second part of the plan is for me to join with my brother for the one purpose of healing. I do this in many ways. Sometimes the joining is of minds with no action and no words. Sometimes, I am to allow my body to be used for this purpose. I do this as I put aside my own thoughts about it and welcome the Holy Spirit to live me. The words I speak may sound like my words, but they are words I did not decide on. The actions may look like something I would have done, but again, I did not make that decision.

My experience is that, like the first phase of mind healing, this second part, the surrender of self, is at first inconsistent. But as I learn to trust and allow more and more healing of my mind, I find that I am becoming more willing to be a clear channel for healing. In fact, I find that surrender is sweet and peaceful. I absolutely astound myself when I turn from the Will of God and choose self-will instead. Why would I do that when it is so painful? Sigh.

Teaching and Learning Without Ego

I love teaching because it is my assurance of learning, and I love surrender because it is so natural. The ego hates these things because it wants to be in control. The ego wants the sense of self, and in fact, the ego thinks to lose this sense of self is annihilation. Of course, this is the reason I turn from the peace of God to self-will. I still, at times, become confused about my identity and think I am the ego, and its fear becomes my fear. Fortunately, this is short-lived. Thank you, God, for that.

The ego’s love of teaching is self-centered because that is its nature. It wants to be “The Teacher” and to use teaching not as a learning device but as a way to prop up its flagging self-worth. So naturally, the ego does not want to lose its students. Jesus, on the other hand, wants to teach us all he knows so that we no longer need a teacher. The ego’s purpose in teaching is to remain a teacher, so there is no real joining and, therefore, no healing. I hear that voice in my head that longs for adoration, but, Thank God,” I don’t believe it.

I. Right Teaching and Right Learning, P 6

6 Egos can clash in any situation, but spirit cannot clash at all. If you perceive a teacher as merely “a larger ego” you will be afraid, because to enlarge an ego would be to increase anxiety about separation. I will teach with you and live with you if you will think with me, but my goal will always be to absolve you finally from the need for a teacher. This is the opposite of the ego-oriented teacher’s goal. He is concerned with the effect of his ego on other egos, and therefore interprets their interaction as a means of ego preservation. I would not be able to devote myself to teaching if I believed this, and you will not be a devoted teacher as long as you believe it. I am constantly being perceived as a teacher either to be exalted or rejected, but I do not accept either perception for myself.

Overcoming Mistaken Ideas

Looking at teachers as special used to be a problem for me. I saw them as having what I did not have and me as wanting it desperately. It was as if being around them would give it to me. It was devastating to me when one of them fell off their pedestal. I had put my faith in their ego instead of their message, so when they did not live up to the message, I would be afraid this meant that the truth was not true. Another worry I had was how I looked to these teachers and how I looked in comparison to them.

When I myself first began to teach the Course, there were different problems. I constantly watched for feedback, hoping I would not be rejected. I was very nervous about posting anywhere, and I would become discouraged if I didn’t receive some encouragement. My ego was definitely involved. Looking back on it, I am amazed that the teaching was pretty clear. I asked for words and passed them on, seldom allowing ego to influence the writing itself. However, at that beginning stage, I would often fall into ego fears about it.

Now when I write and post, I don’t have that kind of reaction. I don’t need feedback because I realize that the writing is for me, and if someone else needs to see it, that will be taken care of by Jesus. He is the one in charge of this. I do my best to be true to the Inner Voices and trust it will be close enough. I understand that there are many teachers because there are many students. Not everyone is at the same level; different people learn differently. Some people will resonate with what I say, and others won’t.

The Ego Cares; I Do Not

I don’t need the approval of anyone, and I don’t need encouragement. That is not to say the ego isn’t alive and well in my mind. The ego cares, but I don’t. I have some students who study with me one-on-one. Sometimes they stay for a long time, and sometimes they are with me for just a while. They get what they need and move on. Sometimes one will leapfrog over me and become my teacher. I don’t have a desire to “keep” students. I am happy when they move on to become teachers to others.

Nor am I a perfect teacher. And I am not anyone’s only teacher or necessary teacher. I would not be interested in a teacher who thought he was “the one” everyone needed or thought he was always right. I would walk away from a teacher who fed off my devotion. Jesus, in A Course in Miracles, is a genuine teacher.

Jesus loves us and wants us to follow him until we have what he has to offer, and then he wants us to sit beside him and help him awaken others. He is certain of what he teaches but is OK if others do not accept it. At the course’s beginning, he says that his is not the only path. Jesus is a model teacher, and I do my best to follow his lead.

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