An important guiding principle of Buddhist practice is the Middle Way (or Middle Path), which is said to have been discovered by Gautama Buddha prior to his enlightenment. The Middle Way has several definitions:
- The practice of non-extremism: a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification
- The middle ground between certain metaphysical views (for example, that things ultimately either do or do not exist)
- An explanation of Nirvana (perfect enlightenment), a state wherein it becomes clear that all dualities apparent in the world are delusory (see Seongcheol)
- Another term for emptiness, the ultimate nature of all phenomena (in the Mahayana branch), a lack of inherent existence, which avoids the extremes of permanence and nihilism or inherent existence and nothingness
Source: Wikipedia
This important principle in Buddhism is wonderfully illustrated by the story of the Buddha: After leaving the royal palace, Gotama joined 5 ascetics who sought the truth via self-mortification. They tried to find enlightenment through deprivation of worldly goods – food, shelter, clothing. The future Buddha, being extraordinarily determined in his search, pursued this zealously: eating a leaf or a nut a day, wearing rags from dust heaps, sleeping amongst corpses, or on beds of thorns.
Struggling for six long, arduous years, he said: “Rigorous have I been in my ascetic discipline. Rigorous have I been beyond all others. Like wasted, withered reeds became all my limbs….” He came come to death, but still the answers eluded him. The futility of self-mortification became suddenly clear to him in a state of deep peace - the path to liberation is through discipline of the mind.
He knew that instead of starvation, he required nourishment for his body to assist him in his inner journey. As he began to eat and as his body recovered, his ascetic companions derided him and abandoned him, but he was unaffected – for he knew what he had to do. With firm determination and faith, he resolved to make the final effort to liberation by himself.
This principle of balance and of moderation is at the core of Buddhism. While Buddhism clearly explains the illusory nature of the world – it is firmly grounded in day-to-day, minute-to-minute practicalities. The Buddha reminds us to be mindful and to be present in whatever we do – answering the phone, washing the dishes, doing the laundry. The Buddha reminds us in our social interactions, to treat others as we would like to be treated. All of these practices are clearly not esoteric, abstract or extreme in any way.
Even if we ‘fail’ to observe these practices, eg. if we lose our temper, the Buddha further reminds us not to beat ourselves up about it, for the middle way also symbolises acceptance and kindness. Like parents handling children, we must learn to be firm but gentle, disciplined yet forgiving with our egos.
A Course in Miracles: Theory and practice
At first glance, A Course in Miracles might seem to be more theoretical than Buddhism. After all, there is less ‘stuff’ associated with A Course in Miracles – no bells to remind us to be mindful, no monasteries to visit, no chants to focus our meditation. A Course in Miracles is just a 1000+ page blue book crammed with text. (no pictures either!)
Of course – this is not true. A Course in Miracles is just as practical as any spiritual path, including Buddhism. In fact, the focus is always on the practical.
Like hikers lost in the wilderness, having a map and a good route is essential – but without us actually physically walking, we will never find our way back to base camp.To continue this analogy, imagine this hiker has been trying to find his way out thus far but is having a hard time. He has a map and even a compass. The only thing is – he doesn’t quite know where he is on the map. He has a rough idea but there are so many hills and streams in this jungle that it’s hard for him to pinpoint his location.
Suddenly, he comes across an abandoned campsite. Miraculously, he finds a functioning GPS unit in the midst of it. This GPS knows where he is, knows where base camp is, knows what the best route is, and constantly updates. He knows that compared to a map and compass, which he used previously, this GPS is a much better bet for getting him out of the jungle. All he has to do is follow the arrow which points him to base camp! But can he trust it?
This is why A Course in Miracles is a thousand plus pages – to convince us.
Jesus has given us this state-of-the-art GPS unit which not only points the way home, but also has an ‘information mode’. This mode explains and teaches us, in precise detail, all about the local terrain, the weather conditions, things to be aware of, and all of the technology behind the unit. It tells us how we got lost, and what the best route is to take.
This is the ‘why’ of A Course in Miracles: how A Course in Miracles works – Freud’s theories of projection / repression / denial, non-dualism, Christian language, iambic pentameter, symphonic structure, etc.In reality, all of this is irrelevant! All we have have to do is to walk in the direction of the arrow – to forgive. It is a sublimely simple thing to do at every given situation, but we cannot do it because we are not convinced. We are not convinced that the GPS works, we are not convinced that we are lost, we are not convinced that we want to get out of the jungle at all!
There is only one reason, and one reason only, why A Course in Miracles is loaded with text, ideas, theory and concepts: to convince us to follow that arrow of forgiveness.
Some of us will need more convincing, and some of us will need less. Some of us will need to sit down and play with the GPS for an hour or two, some of us will test it out by walking around with it, and some will use it instantly. Some will understand fully understand how it works, others partially. It does not matter. The user of the GPS is irrelevant to its functioning – A Course in Miracles and forgiveness will work for anybody.
Both paths can be said to be paths of unlearning, rather than learning. It is a process which runs contrary to what we normally do in the world – gather knowledge, accumulate mental, physical, emotional ‘stuff’ which we use to define ourselves. What Buddhism and A Course in Miracles seek to do is not to strip these things away, or to actively deny them, but to remove our attachment to them.
The practicality of A Course in Miracles also is prevalent in the form of interpersonal relationships. Indeed, as much as I frequently present it as a path to enlightenment (my bias), it is just as much a manual for building harmonious interpersonal relationships. After all, A Course in Miracles did not emerge from a esoteric or spiritual background – it was borne out of Bill Thetford’s simple asking for ‘a better way’ in his difficult working relationship with Helen Schucman, in downtown New York City.
T-18.VII.4. It is extremely difficult to reach Atonement by fighting against sin. Enormous effort is expended in the attempt to make holy what is hated and despised. Nor is a lifetime of contemplation and long periods of meditation aimed at detachment from the body necessary. All such attempts will ultimately succeed because of their purpose. Yet the means are tedious and very time consuming, for all of them look to the future for release from a state of present unworthiness and inadequacy.
Meditation is undoubtedly a large part of Buddhist practice. Vipassana, a popular meditation in modern times owing to the work of S.N. Goenka, is said to be a technique taught by the Buddha himself.
Having been through a 10 day Vipassana retreat – where one literally does nothing but meditate during waking hours (4am-9.30pm) except for the essentials such as eating and taking breaks, meditating for a combined total of about 10 hours a day – I can testify to what ‘long periods of meditation’ means. While Vipassana was incredibly effective, it was also very ‘tedious’, as Jesus puts it.
While Vipassana uses the body as a vehicle to purify the mind, A Course in Miracles uses the world to purify the mind. We do not need to rigorously observe the breath, and sensations of the body, for hours at a time. All we need to do is to observe our day-to-day living, and our interactions with others. We observe what upsets us, who annoys us, and when do these things trigger off in us. We acknowledge the actions of others who cause disharmony within us and forgive them, knowing that we are one with the other. It is undoubtedly a more practical approach, that anybody can do, anytime, anywhere.The A Course in Miracles approach to practice is very much dependent on the individual student.
Apart from a few guidelines (eg. do not do more than one workbook lesson a day, read the text in conjunction with the workbook) and specific instructions for certain workbook lessons, A Course in Miracles leaves the student to develop his or her own practice. There is a distinct lack of ritual and ceremony, with minimal need for anything apart from the book itself.
A Course in Miracles sets no rules for the student. A Course in Miracles does not take extremes. It does not require you to renounce the world, nor does it require you to change your actions. We do not need to be vegetarian. We do not need to stop drinking alcohol. It allows and recognises that the world is very ‘real’ for us, where bills need to be paid, children need to be fed, dishes need to be washed. But it guides us to see the greater reality. It straddles both worlds.All the Course asks is for the student to change how and why we do things, not what we do.
happy dream: the Holy Spirit’s correction for the ego’s dream of pain and suffering; though still illusory, the happy dream leads beyond all other illusions to the truth; it is the dream of forgiveness in which the real world is ultimately seen and salvation attained. – Kenneth Wapnick
The middle way equivalent in A Course in Miracles is the ‘happy dream’ – we can enjoy the things in life we normally do, drinking beer, having a steak – but while always being conscious of our true purpose here, that is to see that the beer and the steak are illusory, and not to be attached to them. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the material things in life, after all, it is an illusion! But we must never forget our practice.
Next: A Course in Miracles & Buddhism – Part 4: Psychology and Psychotherapy
On behalf of Spirit, I say, you are very welcome! Love, Ken - 
Ken -