What is Enlightenment? The teachings of David Hoffmeister and ACIM from yiyay's blog

Question: What's Enlightenment?

Thanks for asking the questions which come to the mind, even though they appear "rather peculiar" to you. In Enlightenment all perceived pain has vanished, for what but wrong-mindedness seemed to make the misperception called pain.

Pain was the illusion that Christ could leave a Loving Creator's Mind. "If pain is real there is no God. If God is real there is no pain."(W-190.3) The latter holds true because God has no opposite. Enlightenment entails no pain or displeasure about ANYTHING, for Enlightenment is Pure, Constant Happiness, Peace, Freedom, and Joy. Being Constant, Enlightenment knows not of change. The illusion of vulnerability and fluctuating emotions went as well. There's no ego to fall "back into." Spirit Abides in gentle Love. acim  All pain has ended Now and nothing remains but a benefit of Stillness.

The Holy Spirit may be the reminder that Life is Eternal. The Present Moment may be the gateway to Eternity. The planet of images was an environment of illusion. Images are therefore neutral to the Holy Spirit. They certainly were "neutralized" the instant they appeared to arise.

What does this mean with regards to your second question? You cannot kill what's never lived, and in the Holy Spirit's Perspective of forgiveness harm is impossible. Bodies were never born and never die because the entire world of images may be the past. It is impossible to locate beginnings and endings in a script that's already written and over long ago. There's no life in images. This is the meaning of "Hold no graven images prior to the Lord Thy God." All images were designed to obscure the Truth from awareness, and they can only be forgiven as one illusion. If illusions might be divided up into living and dead, organic and inorganic, animate and inanimate Enlightenment will be impossible.

For what's Enlightenment but Pure Oneness, far beyond the possibility of division of any sort? The split mind was the illusion. Seek not to project the split mind to forms and call some forms alive and some forms dead. God knows not form. The split mind appeared to be the "killer" illusion, the Holy Spirit reminds the sleeping mind that what's whole and unified can never BE split. In Heaven Mind is One Spirit, and even regarding this world forgiveness reflects this Oneness. The forgiven world recognizes the unity of the healed mind and sees that there is nothing "outside" of this single mind which dreams softly a pleased, gentle dream. The target of ACIM is always to dream softly of a sinless world. This goal is significantly more than possible, it is inevitable!

In terms of my seeming diet, "eat what's served" may be the Guidance I was presented with from the Holy Spirit several years ago. Join with your brother and let no concept come involving the Love you share. This Guidance hasn't changed. "Dinner" is definitely a backdrop for sharing the Joy of the Living Moment. What the entire world calls "breathing" and "eating" and "drinking" and "sleeping" are actually all the same in the Enlightened State. The Healed Perspective sees the sameness of things because they all share the same Purpose: forgiveness. This Perspective is not "personal," for in unified perception nothing is personal. God isn't any respecter of persons. I literally cannot "take" an animal's "life" because Life is Spirit and can only just be extended or Given as God Gives. "Take" has no meaning in my mind and since animals have not "lived" it is impossible that they could "die." The belief expressed in the thought "personally take an animal's life" has many underlying assumptions that are false. In right-mindedness it is obvious that ideas are strengthened as they are given away or shared, and "taking" a "life" or anything at all has no meaning.

All that I give is fond of mySelf, and in giving there is no loss, no sacrifice, and nothing is ever recinded from wholeness and unity. The teacher of God does not need whatever can't be given away. Such may be the Joy of miracles! Thinking seeds appear to be flung everywhere, yet there is never even a glance back to see where the seeds land. The seeds are never for an "other," and since giving and receiving are the same your head receives the gifts it gives. That is truly the feast you seek for beneath the ego's questions.

The only real question that want be asked is just a question that's certainly not silly at all: Am I ready to learn that God's Will and My Own will be the Same? God's Will for Me is for Perfect Happiness. And what but this Will may be the Will of Christ? Happily, nothing can change Eternal Love. Thank You God!