M-18:How Is Correction Made?

1. 1Correction of a lasting nature,—and only this is true correction,—cannot be made until the teacher of God has ceased to confuse interpretation with fact, or illusion with truth. 2If he argues with his pupil about a magic thought, attacks it, tries to establish its error or demonstrate its falsity, he is but witnessing to its reality. 3Depression is then inevitable, for he has “proved,” both to his pupil and himself, that it is their task to escape from what is real. 4And this can only be impossible. 5Reality is changeless. 6Magic thoughts are but illusions. 7Otherwise salvation would be only the same age-old impossible dream in but another form. 8Yet the dream of salvation has new content. 9It is not the form alone in which the difference lies.

2. 1God’s teachers’ major lesson is to learn how to react to magic thoughts wholly without anger. 2Only in this way can they proclaim the truth about themselves. 3Through them, the Holy Spirit can now speak of the reality of the Son of God. 4Now He can remind the world of sinlessness, the one unchanged, unchangeable condition of all that God created. 5Now He can speak the Word of God to listening ears, and bring Christ’s vision to eyes that see. 6Now is He free to teach all minds the truth of what they are, so they will gladly be returned to Him. 7And now is guilt forgiven, overlooked completely in His sight and in God’s Word.

3. 1Anger but screeches, “Guilt is real!” 2Reality is blotted out as this insane belief is taken as replacement for God’s Word. 3The body’s eyes now “see”; its ears alone can “hear.” 4Its little space and tiny breath become the measure of reality. 5And truth becomes diminutive and meaningless. 6Correction has one answer to all this, and to the world that rests on this:

7You but mistake interpretation for the truth. 8And you are wrong. 9But a mistake is not a sin, nor has reality been taken from its throne by your mistakes. 10God reigns forever, and His laws alone prevail upon you and upon the world. 11His Love remains the only thing there is. 12Fear is illusion, for you are like Him.

4. 1In order to heal, it thus becomes essential for the teacher of God to let all his own mistakes be corrected. 2If he senses even the faintest hint of irritation in himself as he responds to anyone, let him instantly realize that he has made an interpretation that is not true. 3Then let him turn within to his eternal Guide, and let Him judge what the response should be. 4So is he healed, and in his healing is his pupil healed with him. 5The sole responsibility of God’s teacher is to accept the Atonement for himself. 6Atonement means correction, or the undoing of errors. 7When this has been accomplished, the teacher of God becomes a miracle worker by definition. 8His sins have been forgiven him, and he no longer condemns himself. 9How can he then condemn anyone? 10And who is there whom his forgiveness can fail to heal?

1. 只有等到上主之师不再把诠释与事实，或把幻相与真相混为一谈时，才可能作出持久性的修正，而也唯有这种修正才是真实的。
他若与学生为了一个怪力乱神的说法而起争执，且大肆抨击，总想找出它的毛病，证明它的谬误，这反而加重了那种说法的真实性。
这么一来，他不会不感到沮丧的，因他不只向学生同时也向自己“证明”了，他们又多了一份摆脱某个“真实之物”的负担。
这绝非事实。
实相永远不会改变。
怪力乱神之念纯属幻相。
否则，救恩也会沦为跟它们一样古老也同样不可能实现的梦了，只是形式有所不同而已。
然而，救恩之梦有它独到的新内涵。
它们不同之处绝不限于外在形式而已。
2. 上主之师的主要课程就是学习如何不愠不怒地去应付那些怪力乱神的看法。
他们必须透过这一形式才能向世人宣告自己的真相。
而圣灵也唯有透过他们才能道出上主之子的实相。
如今，祂终于能够重申世界的清白无罪了，那是一个不曾改变、也永不改变之境，犹如上主的其他造化。
如今，祂能够向开启的耳朵宣讲上主的圣言，为开启的眼睛带来基督的慧见。
如今，祂能自由地向所有的人解说心灵的真相，他们才可能欣然回归于祂。
如今，在上主的眼中以及祂的圣言下，罪咎已蒙宽恕，从此一笔勾销了。
3. 然而，愤怒依然叫嚣着：“罪咎真的存在！”
当这神智不清的信念取代了上主的圣言时，真理实相就被蒙蔽了。
于是，只有肉眼能“看”，只有耳朵能“听”。
身体所在的小小空间以及苟延残喘的呼吸反倒成了衡量真实生命的标准。
真理显得微不足道且了无意义。
针对上述观点以及由此而生的世界，修正只会提供一个答复：
你只是误把自己的诠释当成真相而已。
你错了。
但是错误并非罪恶，你的错误也篡夺不了真理实相的宝座。
上主永远君临天下，唯有祂的律法对你及世界有约束力。
祂的圣爱才是唯一真实的存在。
恐惧只是幻觉而已，因为你其实与祂一样。
4. 若要获得疗愈，上主之师首要之务就是修正自己的一切错误。
只要他一意识到自己对任何人生出一丝不满，愿他即刻觉察自己已经作了一个不实的诠释。
也愿他随即转向心内那位永恒的向导，让祂来决定应当如何回应才是。
如此，他便已疗愈了，而他的学生也会与他一起获得痊愈。
上主之师的唯一责任就是自己先接受救赎。
所谓救赎，不过是修正或化解自己的种种错误而已。
当上主之师完成了这门功课，他就名副其实地成了奇迹志工。
他的罪既已得到了宽恕，他便不再定自己的罪。
那么他岂会定任何人的罪？
还有什么人是他的宽恕所无法疗愈的？
1.除非上主之師能不再混淆事實與詮釋、真理與幻相，否則就無法促成永久的修正，但也只有這種修正才真實不虛。
如果他和自己的學生為了幻術之念而爭辯，並在攻擊它的同時試圖確立其錯謬或證明其虛妄，那麼就不過是在見證它的真實性。
抑鬱於是在所難免，因為他已為彼此「證明」了雙方的任務就是要逃離真實存在之物。
但這只能是天方夜譚。
實相從不改變。
幻術之念則全是幻相。
否則，救恩就只能是同一緣木求魚的老掉牙夢境，形式換了換而已。
然而，救恩之夢卻有新的內涵。
二者的差別不只在於形式。
2.上主之師的主要課題就是學習如何在面對幻術之念的當兒徹底放下憤怒。
只有這樣，他們才能宣告自身的真相。
而聖靈則能藉由他們來談及上主之子的真相。
如今，他已能令這世界憶起一切受造那永不改易也永不可改易的狀態，也就是純潔無罪。
如今，他已能為那聽得見的耳朵訴說聖言，並把基督慧見帶給那看得見的眼睛。
如今，他已能自如的教導所有心靈它們的真實面目，以便這些心靈能欣然回歸於祂。
如今，罪咎已被忘卻，在祂的目光下與上主的聖言裡，它已被徹底忽視。
3.憤怒只會不斷尖叫：「罪咎是真的！」
你若以此神智不清的信念取代聖言，實相就會遭到遮蔽。
於是，肉體之眼可以「看得見」；也只有它的耳朵才「聽得到」。
它的渺小時空與微小呼吸成了量測實相的尺度。
而真理則變得微不足道且不具意義。
針對這一切，乃至以此為基礎的世界，上主的修正只有一個答覆：
你僅僅是誤把詮釋當成了真理。
而你是錯的。
但錯誤既不是罪，也無法把實相趕下神壇。
上主的統領長長久久，在這世上和你身上佔據主導的也只有祂的天律。
祂的愛一向是那唯一的存在。
恐懼不過是幻相，因你肖似於祂。
4.為此，上主之師若想療癒，就必須讓自己的錯誤被徹底的修正。
即便他是在回應任何人時心中察覺到了極其微小的不快，都叫他即刻認清他已做出了錯誤的詮釋。
叫他轉向自身之內的永恆嚮導，並讓這神聖嚮導判斷該怎麼回應。
如此他便能療癒，而他的學生也會與他一同療癒。
上主之師的唯一義務就是親自接受救贖。
救贖意謂修正，也就是化解錯誤。
一旦完成這點，上主之師就可被界定為一奇蹟工作者。
他的罪已蒙受了寬恕，而他也不再定罪自己。
那麼，他又怎會定罪任何人？
又有誰是他的寬恕療癒不了的？