Overview

TOC

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One What is Judgment? by Robert

Chapter Two Judgment is Not Our Function by Allen

Chapter Three Differences as the Basis for Judgment by Robert

Chapter Four Judging Others by Allen

Chapter Five Judging the Motives of Others by Robert

Chapter Six The Meaning of Seeing Without Judgment by Allen

Chapter Seven Using Judgment to Arrange Our Lives by Robert

Chapter Eight The Right Use of Judgment by Allen

Chapter Nine The Last Judgment and God's Judgment by Robet

Chapter Ten Letting Go of Judgment by Allen

Introduction

Introduction by Robert Perry & Allen Watson

Judgment is a central issue on the path laid out by A Course in Miracles and along the spiritual path in general. We all sense that judgment is in direct conflict with the journey's goal of absolute love. Yet still it feels impossible to get by in this world without it.

The keynote of the Course's attitude toward judgment is sounded in the following passage:

The world's training is directed toward achieving a goal in direct opposition to that of our curriculum. The world trains for reliance on one's judgment as the criterion for maturity and strength. Our curriculum trains for the relinquishment of judgment as the necessary condition of salvation (Manual, p. 25; M-9.2:5-7).

The contrast between the way of the world and the way of the Course could not be more stark. In the world we are supposed to develop our capacity to make sound judgments and then rely on this faculty with increasing frequency and in ever weightier matters. This is "the criterion" for being judged a mature, capable adult. In the Course, we are trained to let the whole thing go. Letting go of judgment is "the necessary condition of salvation." Its reward is not the privilege of being judged a responsible adult; it is the joy of release from the bondage of the human condition.

This booklet is based on a weekend intensive done here in Sedona. In it we try to briefly cover the major elements of the Course's treatment of judgment. We discuss many aspects of judgment: what it is; judgment in relation to others; why it must be let go; practicing non-judgment, some right uses of judgment that are encouraged by the Course; God's judgment; and the Last Judgment. As with many themes in the Course, judgment leads into nearly every aspect of the Course's thought system and practice.

In format, the intensive consisted of ten sessions given alternately by us. We have retained the format in this booklet; beneath each title of the chapters we indicate which of us wrote it. The booklet represents a condensed version of the intensive, perhaps only half of what was discussed in the live class. One consequence of this is that many passages that we read in full in the class are simply referred to with a footnoted reference in the booklet. Readers wishing to learn as much as possible from the study of this booklet are encouraged to look up these references in the Course.

Excerpts

Excerpt from Chapter 5

I doubt that we realize just how much of our lives is spent trying to figure out the motives of others. Though not formally taught, this is one of the most highly valued skills on the planet. Long before we reach adulthood we have become quite sophisticated in sniffing out what other people are really up to. As they stand before us, we take in every subtle cue available: words, intonation, pauses, facial expression, direction of gaze, gestures, body posture. As they speak we develop theories about what is really motivating them. We test our theories by asking them crucial test questions or giving them telling opportunites, to see how they will respond. And this is only the beginning. Once they are gone we plug all the data from that conversation into the master computer, which remembers literally everything they have ever done to us and everything we have ever heard about them from others. This data bank is organized around particular nodes, which we might call M.I.R.T. nodes (standing for: "the Most Important and Revealing Things they have ever said or done to me"). If, after processing the new conversation in light of the master data bank, we still do not understand what exactly is motivating them, we will meet to discuss the issue with others, perhaps for hours. Finally, after all this investigative work, we will most likely have a theory that we are quite sure of. And whether we are right or not, we will treat that person as if we know what is motivating them.

It takes all of this effort because we are trying to solve very difficult questions. To begin with, there must be thousands of possible answers, since any particular motive is a complex mixture of more basic motivations. Further, motivations are generally well hidden beneath surface appearances carefully devised to give the wrong impression. Even the person himself is not aware of all that is motivating him. Finally, we all know that we have personal biases, making the whole enterprise even more difficult and complicated.

Yet, it is worth it nonetheless, or so we tell ourselves. For we are trying to solve questions of such great consequence: Does she really love me? Will he really commit? What will I have to give her to get what I want from her? Is he really considering firing me? What inner motivation is really driving her to adopt this opinion or make that decision?

We must figure out the motivation, because, if we don't, we will not know what their action means and so we will not know how to respond. And if we do not know how to respond, how will we protect ourselves from attack? How will we even know it is coming? Additionally, how will we know how to identify the elusive key to our happiness, should it happen to cross our path? And how will we know when good things are being done to us, so that we can thank and encourage them and thus keep them coming? In short, if we do not interpret people's motives, how can we build a life in which we are surrounded by niceness and pleasure and protected from meanness and danger?

Though we are attentive to both positive and negative (as we consider positive and negative), we seem to be much more concerned with the negative, with looking out for "evil." In trying to interpret motivation, therefore, our foremost question seems to be: How much evil intention was involved? We imagine this evil existing everywhere, skulking behind every smile and apparently generous act. Thus preoccupied, we tend to overlook loving motivations, for we do not trust them. We suspect that they are no more than a cover for something much darker. "Nor does he trust the "good" in anyone, believing that the "bad" must lurk behind" (Text, p. 616; T-31.VII.1:7). As a result, we often see the gifts of others as "loans at best; at worst, deceptions which would cheat you of defenses" (Workbook, p. 367; W-pI.197.1:5).

In fact, basic to the Course's theory of perception is the idea that 1) we see what we look for and 2) what we look for is sin. There is a powerful discussion of this in the section entitled "The Obstacles to Peace" (for the discussion itself, see Text, p. 382-3; T-19.IV(A).11-15). There it talks about how "the hungry dogs of fear" (15:6) are sent out to search for sin and guilt in the world, and then carry it back to feed their master, fear. This is actually a metaphor for how our own belief in fear guides our attention, directing our eyes to search for and focus on sin and guilt in the world, which, once found, is feasted on by our mind in order to feed our fear.

Looking at our process of interpreting the motives of others, it is clear that we mentally act as our own personal penal system. Our mind goes out on patrol to look for criminals, apprehend suspects and bring them before the judge and jury, where their actions and motives are judged. Finally, of course, we carry out the sentence, which sometimes means rewarding people for good behavior, but most often means punishing and imprisoning them until they have paid their debt to us. The penal systems that we erect on a societal level, then, are simply the outpicturing of what we are all busy doing in our individual minds.

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