Lesson 335. I choose to see my brother's sinlessness.
Forgiveness is a choice. I never see my brother as he is, for that is far beyond
perception. What I see in him is merely what I wish to see, because it stands
for what I want to be the truth. It is to this alone that I respond, however
much I seem to be impelled by outside happenings. I choose to see what I would
look upon, and this I see, and only this. My brother's sinlessness shows me that
I would look upon my own. And I will see it, having chosen to behold my brother
in its holy light.
What could restore Your memory to me, except to see my brother's sinlessness?
His holiness reminds me that he was created one with me, and like myself. In him
I find my Self, and in Your Son I find the memory of You as well.
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Commentary (an excerpt) on this lesson by Ken Wapnick, from his books: "Journey
Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles." Book set may be purchased at the
following site:
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Lesson 335. "I choose to see my brother's sinlessness."
*This reaffirms what Jesus had us choose at the end of the previous lesson. We
now choose the vision of our brother's sinlessness instead of sin, because we
choose to see the innocence in ourselves.*
(1:1-3) "Forgiveness is a choice. I never see my brother as he is, for that is
far beyond perception. What I see in him is merely what I wish to see, because
it stands for what I want to be the truth."
*Beyond perception is my reality as Christ, yet within the dream I can perceive
sin or sinlessness as the truth, depending on the teacher I choose and the
lessons I wish to learn: those that reinforce my dream of individuality, or
those that help me awaken from it. Thus the way I see you comes from the way I
see myself -- <projection makes perception>. What I have judged real and
important in my mind is what I will see as real and important outside of me in
the body. If I judge my individuality to be valuable, that is what I will see in
you; but I will see sin there as well, and not within. As we learned in Lesson
161, the ego had us make the world of specifics precisely so we could have
persons onto whom we could project responsibility for our individual and
separate existence.*
(1:4) "It is to this alone that I respond, however much I seem to be impelled by
outside happenings."
*This is one of the seminal principles in A Course in Miracles. We seem to be
affected by what is outside us; but in truth we are affected only by the mind's
decision for the ego's specialness or the Holy Spirit's forgiveness.*
(1:5-7) "I choose to see what I would look upon, and this I see, and only this.
My brother's sinlessness shows me that I would look upon my own. And I will see
it, having chosen to behold my brother in its holy light."
*On a practical level, this does not mean we should feel guilty because we see
murder, pain, death, and sickness all around us. Remember that perception is an
interpretation. (e.g.,M-17.4:1-2). It is not what our eyes "objectively" see
that is the issue, but the interpretation of what our eyes see. Thus we do not
deny the ego's interpretation, which would be that sin is rampant, either in
ourselves or others. The change we want to effect in our minds is to see in
ourselves and others expressions of love or calls for love, not sin and evil.*
