Lesson 3: I do not understand anything I see.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT:

Lesson 3: I do not understand anything I see.

Apply this idea in the same way as the previous ones, without making distinctions of any kind. Whatever you see becomes a proper subject for applying the idea. Be sure that you do not question the suitability of anything for application of the idea, these are not exercises in judgment, they’re just exercises in practicing.

Anything is suitable if you see it. I love it! So that’s like yesterday. It said the sole criterion for applying the idea is merely that your eyes have lighted on it and so now He’s continuing with this idea that anything is suitable if you see it. So you’re making no exceptions now, that i do not understand anything I see, in this room, on this street, from this window, in this place. I do not understand this lamp, I do not understand this pen, I do not understand this computer, I do not understand this tree.

So yesterday He’s saying I’ve given it all the meaning it has for me and now today is a recognition. I don’t understand it and I’m not going to attempt to understand it. I’m simply practicing.

Some of the things you see may have emotionally charged meaning for you. So as I said on day 1, Lesson 1, especially if you’re suddenly looking at your partner, your husband, your wife, your child, your pet, you’re really going to see, you’ve given it all the meaning it has for you. And now for you to say I do not understand this person, this thing. And the mind, that’s rooted in time and space, is determined to say yes, I do understand what it means.

I have invested a lot of time in this person or situation or my pet and I understand the meaning for it but these lessons are asking us simply to practice, that’s all that’s happening right now. So it says, try to lay such feelings aside and merely use these things exactly as you would anything else.

This next section I love, it says, the point of the exercises is to help you clear your mind of all past associations. To see things exactly as they appear to you now and to realize how little you really understand of them. It is therefore essential that you keep a perfectly open mind, unhampered by judgment, in selecting the things to which the idea for today is to be applied.

For this purpose, one thing is like another, equally suitable and therefore equally useful and that’s one of the things that you’re going to begin to discover, is how much the mind is not present. The mind is constantly in the past or the future and these lessons are really training you to be present. And it is helping to restore your own sight and that’s why these early lessons talk about just being aware of what you see. What are your eyes lighting on. It’s helping you to become in the moment.

Lesson 3: I do not understand anything I see.

Have fun!


Workbook Lesson 3: A Course in Miracles

I do not understand anything I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place].

Apply this idea in the same way as the previous ones, without making distinctions of any kind. Whatever you see becomes a proper subject for applying the idea. Be sure that you do not question the suitability of anything for application of the idea. These are not exercises in judgment. Anything is suitable if you see it. Some of the things you see may have emotionally charged meaning for you. Try to lay such feelings aside, and merely use these things exactly as you would anything else.

The point of the exercises is to help you clear your mind of all past associations, to see things exactly as they appear to you now, and to realize how little you really understand about them. It is therefore essential that you keep a perfectly open mind, unhampered by judgment, in selecting the things to which the idea for the day is to be applied. For this purpose one thing is like another; equally suitable and therefore equally useful.


Each of the first three lessons should not be done more than twice a day each, preferably morning and evening. Nor should they be attempted for more than a minute or so, unless that entails a sense of hurry. A comfortable sense of leisure is essential.

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