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Built upon this metaphysical framework, the student comes to realize that Jesus as spoken of in the Course is only a symbol. This is not the literal Jesus of the Christian era. When the "scribe" of the Course said it was channeled from Jesus, what she meant was that the Course is channeled from that place of infinite love within her mind. That place exists within all of our minds. The "scribe" of the Course chose to call that place of love within her mind "Jesus." But the scribe of the Course never meant it literally. The Course metaphysics are based upon the idea that no individual identity exists, so how could it literally mean that Jesus (someone with an individual identity) channeled this Course? What it really means is that Jesus is a symbol, and the word "Jesus" is twice removed from reality (in reality, as defined by the Course, there are no names). But in this physical and temporal world we do have names, and many of us have suffered because of or are afraid of the very word "Jesus." It could be said that more healing is needed regarding that very name "Jesus" than any other name in the world. And that is why the Course uses that name, so that we will confront the name and come to terms with how much pain it causes so many of us. And upon confronting that pain, we will heal from it. And we will come to realize that what Jesus stands for in A COURSE IN MIRACLES (non-judgmental and abstract love that does not die and knows nothing but Itself), is actually within us. "Is he the Christ? O yes, along with you.(Clarification of Terms, page 87)"
A COURSE IN MIRACLES distinguishes two levels of reality: Level One, and Level Two. In Level One there is no time, no matter, no form, no individual identity. There is only the abstract presence of Love as God. Level Two, however, is this physical world that we live in. Within this world there certainly is evil, hatred, war, and anger, and the Course would never deny that. But in Course theory this entire world - the entire world! - is an illusion (not just the "bad" things in the world are illusions, but everything in the world. Anything that changes, grows, or dies, is an illusion in Course theory [and everything in this world does]). But it is while living in this illusory world that we learn the lessons of forgiveness that will lead us back to our awareness of Level One (Heaven).
This book, THE MESSAGE OF A COURSE IN MIRACLES, expands on these very complex concepts. In this book Kenneth Wapnick talks about the fact that A COURSE IN MIRACLES is a "perfect non-duality." The Course teaches that God and only God is real, and everything else illusory. Further, God has nothing to do with this physical world which is the domain of the ego. God doesn't even know that we exist as individuals.
I would recommend these books to students who have been studying the Course for about a year or more, but not necessarily for beginners. Some terribly complex ideas are covered in these two books. For a beginner, perhaps the book THE MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT A COURSE IN MIRACLES, also by Kenneth Wapnick (along with his wife, Gloria Wapnick). My own personal opinion of these books? I love them! They are a little slice of heaven for me.
I read the disparaging comments by another reviewer and know that this reviewer belongs to an organization which seeks to discredit Dr. Wapnick. The claim about finances is totally inaccurate. Ken and Gloria started the "Foundation for A Course in Miracles" in 1984. It is a non-profit Foundation which has received income from donations, the sale of books and tapes, and from the classes and workshops it offers -- all moderately priced. Over the 16 years since its inception this Foundation has grown and has acquired assets which include 90 acres of lakeside property in the Catskill mountains of New York where its study and retreat center has been located. This property inlcudes ten buildings and the equipment necessary to maintain them. A 1998 financial statement indicated that this non-profit Foundation had $9 million in assets. It's officers, which include Ken and Gloria, are paid a salary.
Wapnick's teachings are thoroughly documented in the Course and are designed to help students better understand and study it for themselves. This is a very important and valuable two-volume set for any serious student of ACIM. I highly recommend it.
The Course teaches that the world is illusory and was not created by God. This is a very difficult concept for us to understand because at first glance it almost sounds like a fatalistic view of life, a "what does it matter what I do with my life?" attitude. Well, this is where Ken's books come in and fill the gap....Mr. Wapnick's books help us understand that though this world and our bodies are not real, our existance here does have meaning. Ken shows that the role this world serves is to be a classroom in which we learn the lessons of forgiveness.
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As a side note: Duheme and Jacqueline Kennedy became friends who shared similar painting styles, and Duheme was invited to Cape Cod to give the First Lady an art lesson.
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Care was taken to avoid over-sentimentality, in this assortment of loving reflections of dogs, celebrated here. These accounts are full of love, and are sometimes even funny - and we are thrust into the realization that perhaps that is the most wonderful kind of living memorials we can have for a beloved pet. Too often, we lose this perspective, while trying to keep from drowning in our own bereavement and sorrows.
Rather than being a collection of sad literary memorials Old Dogs Remembered is a joyful celebration of life with pets. This inspires healthy new points of view and adjustments to moving on into our new lives, without them.
Here we are treated to many different outlooks on how they permanently enriched the lives of their owners. Reading these heartwarming pages will broaden the understanding of each reader, concerning his/her own personal bereavement. Here, we are offered the collective wisdom of others, who reminisce on their honored pets. There is much to be shared and learned here, as well as enjoyed.
With so many different authors, one must appreciate that references and styles have changed drastically, through the ages. As an example of this, some might find the essay by the dramatist John Galsworthy to be interesting, but a bit troublesome to read. And, as with any anthology, there may be some accounts not everyone would appreciate. But all pet lovers will readily identify with the overall shared remembrances, here. This is a heartwarming collection, which can be enjoyed comfortably, in several installments.
There will be many an uplifting tear shed in its reading, and we suggest it for your reading pleasure.
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A Book Review by Eva Smith from the Center for Esoteric Studies
Meher Baba - Avatar of the Tortoise
By Kenneth Lux
Kenneth Lux a clinical psychologist and social theorist takes us on a journey within a journey. He begins by taking us back to 1967 where he was first introduced to the name of Meher Baba. He describes how Meher Baba's literature and the "Baba Lovers" (those who follow Baba's teachings) impressed him and how be became a believer. This begins his long process of personal spiritual development. He gives us accounts of the various people he meets along the way; how the more he got involved with the Baba Teachings the more his philosophy and spiritual developed changed; how he had to come to grips with the Avatar; the Baba teachings played an important role in the vocations he ended up choosing and creating and his psycho-spiritual transformation as a person. The coincidences of meeting Baba Lovers at every turn on the road through all the years confirmed for him that he was on the right track. His experiences are both engrossing and revealing.
All this is done while simultaneously giving us an account of Baba's life, from his beginnings in what was then Persia, his move to India, and the development of the Baba establishments and teachings. The story of Baba's life is most captivating and engaging. From the moment that Kenneth describes Meher Baba's life through stories and through descriptions of Baba's experiences with his followers, the reader recognizes the quality of this man.
As an esotericist I particularly enjoyed the various quotes of Baba's teachings derived from the Meher Baba Discourses. The Teachings parallel very much those offered by other evolved beings and so as the reader I enjoyed how Baba expressed his truths. His intention is to reveal the ONE Supreme Self which is in all. He says he was Jesus, he was Krishna, he was Buddha, he was all the other Avatars who have come to bring love to humanity in the past. He professes to be here again. "Come All Unto Me."
Baba spends the majority of his life in Silence. His followers and believers keep waiting for him to break his silence, which is his promise. He assures them that the right time will come and he will do so. Unfortunately to the chagrin of his followers, right up to his death - the dropping of his body, he does not break his silence.
The premise in the book is that Baba was an Avatar, being the total manifestation of God in human form. "As an Avatar he brings a new release of power, a new awakening of consciousness, a new experience of life-not merely for the few, but for all."
The rest of the book is spent on justifying why Kenneth believes that Meher Baba was in fact the Avatar. He addresses questions like, "Was Baba only a spiritual authority? Was Baba a Charlatan? Was Baba an ordinary man? Or Was Baba in fact, the Avatar?"
Upon reflection, as a spiritual person, teacher and lover of the Ageless Wisdom the Kenneth's presentation that Meher Baba is God is somewhat difficult to swallow. Kenneth leaves the reader with having to decide whether Baba, this spiritual figure, is God or whether he is not. Had the author presented Baba as an extremely evolved being, representing the principle of love, (which is what an Avatar does) the extreme polarities, of either or, would have been diffused.
The book itself offers photos of Meher Baba's life, which has helped this reader have a sense of almost knowing the man. It involves one to the point that often I would just look at his picture and almost feel the energy jump off the page. I found the size of the book a bit awkward especially for carrying around as well as the print on gray paper difficult to see.
Kenneth's writing is intelligent, totally honest, goes directly to main issues, inspiring and captivating. The message of love is extant throughout the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. (...)
The book provides an excellent introduction to Meher Baba and various aspects of his life, such as his work with the mad and the "God-intoxicated," his establishment of a center in South Carolina, and his warnings to American youth about drug use. In addition, it is distinctive for being the first personal memoir by a second-generation Baba-lover who never met Meher Baba in person.
A political activist and a psychology professor at Indiana University in the sixties, Kenneth Lux was skeptical when he first heard Meher Baba's claim that he is the "Avatar of the Age," that same Ancient One who came before as Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, and who had returned to redeem the world-a world very much in need of redemption. Also fantastic was the fact that Meher Baba had kept total silence since 1925 and told his followers to prepare for the breaking of his silence with a divine Word, an event that would signal his manifestation as God in human form and the advent of a New Humanity.
Despite the fact that Meher Baba died in 1969, seemingly without having uttered the Word, Lux continued to be drawn by Baba's extraordinary love and compassion, which not only were reflected in his life's activities but also continued even after his death through a deep inner relationship with his devotees. The detailed story of how this inner relationship took shape for Kenneth Lux-a process marked by synchronicities, transformative encounters, and important insights into his own attachments, weaknesses, and psychological makeup-makes for fascinating reading.
Even though Meher Baba had stated that the mind had to be "annihilated" in order for spiritual realization to become possible, Lux felt that his intellect grew more effective after coming into Meher Baba's orbit. A keen observer of his own mental and emotional processes, Lux is able to show us specifically how he wrestled with the koan that is Meher Baba-examining, questioning, reasoning, contemplating, and ultimately arriving at an understanding that is as satisfying to the mind as it is to the heart. The significance of the book's subtitle-"Avatar of the Tortoise"-comes as an interesting surprise toward the conclusion, tying together the threads of Lux's longing for a revolution of consciousness to bring redemption to our suffering world.
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The book is in two parts. Part one consists of Rexroth's versions of 35 poems by Du Fu, whom he describes as "the greatest non-epic, non dramatic poet who has survived in any language". He clearly knows these poems well, and his translations are uniformly good.
Part two offers around 70 works by Sung dynasty poets; some are represented by only one piece, some by more extensive selections. These tend to be more free, more personal, and often strikingly modern works. In Rexroth's words again: "The whole spirit of this time in China is very congenial today"- a statement as true today as when it was written in 1971. Many of these poets are still not well translated in English, so Rexroth's translations are invaluable.
At the back of the book is a brief, but adequate, notes section with information on each poet and explanatory material.
Rexroth's concentration on the lesser-known Sung poets is paralleled by his choice of poems in the Du Fu section. He does not confine himself to the best known pieces found in other collections, striking a good balance between the familiar and the new.
An interesting example of Rexroth's approach to translation is:
Another Spring
White birds over the grey river./Scarlet flowers on the green hills./I watch the Spring go by and wonder/If I shall ever return home.
Rexroth has changed the river's colour from blue in the original to grey: a good example of a liberty which would be objectionable from a translator, but which he can get away with. He also clarifies "blazing" in the original to "scarlet", which allows him to preserve the original's strictly parallel parts of speech in the first couplet.
This is a fine book. It was first published more than 30 years ago, but it has lasted because of the consistently high quality of translation and because of the unusual selection of poems offered. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The present book is in two parts. First we are given Rexroth's readings of thirty-five poems by Tu Fu, based on the Chinese text. The second part consists of a selection of Sung Dynasty poetry, most of which had not been Englished prior to Rexroth.
Rexroth makes no great claims for these translations, some of which he admits are rather free. But he does express the hope that "in all cases they are true to the spirit of the originals, and valid English poems" (p.xi).
It has always seemed to me that Rexroth succeeded brilliantly. Here are a few lines chosen at random from Tu Fu's 'Loneliness' (with my obliques added to indicate line breaks) :
".... Where the dew sparkles in the grass, / The spider's web waits for its prey. / The processes of nature resemble the business of men. / I stand alone with ten thousand sorrows" (p.16).
Here are a few from Su Tung P'o :
".... As for literature, it is its own reward. / Fortunately fools pay little attention to it. / A chance for graft / Makes them blush with joy" (p.73).
These readings of Rexroth will delight all open-minded readers. Who cares if he wasn't a union-approved sinologist? Purists may sputter, but since his versions are 'true to the spirit, and valid as English poems,' could any sensible person reasonably ask for more ?
Chapter 2-Lessons in Precenting Violence in School
Chapter 3-Keeping Your Child Safe After School
Chapter 4-Helping Your Child Handle Bullies and Peer Pressure
Chapter 5-Protecting Your Child From the Lure of Gangs
Chapter 6-Keeping Your Child Safe From Gun Violence
Chapter 7-Helping Your Child Say "No" to Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco
Chapter 8-Protecting Your Child from Sexual Predators
Chapter9-Understanding and Preventing Teen Suicide
Chapter 10-Promoting Healthy Media Habits
Chapter 11- Safe Internet Surfing
Why I liked this book: It listed recommended books to read, organizations and websites relating to the chapter. For each topic in the book, it gave interesting facts and listed specific stratgies in a bullet style format you can use to keep your children safe. It also gives advice on how to protect your children without scaring him/her or worrying him/her.